How the question works
- There are more headings than paragraphs, so some headings are never used.
- Each heading can be used only once.
- Sometimes one paragraph is done for you as an example. Cross that heading off: it cannot be an answer.
- The questions are usually the first set for a text, and the paragraphs are in order, but the headings list isn't.
A 5-step method
- Read all the headings first and note how similar ones differ (for example, a problem vs. the cause of a problem).
- Read one paragraph at a time, fairly quickly, and ask: “What is this paragraph mostly about?” Put it in five words or fewer in your head.
- Don't rely on the first sentence alone. The main idea is often there, but a paragraph can open with background and turn with but, however or instead.
- Match your summary to a heading, not a word in the paragraph to a word in a heading.
- Do the clear ones first and cross each heading off as you use it; the list gets shorter for the harder paragraphs.
Worked example
Choose the right heading for paragraphs A, B and C. There are two headings you won't need.
List of headings
- iA plan to rescue a building
- iiThe design of an early public building
- iiiA long decline in use
- ivFar more than books
- vWhy people stopped reading
Westbury's library
AWhen Westbury opened its public library in 1902, it was the busiest building on the high street. For most of the century it stayed that way, but from the 1990s visitor numbers fell year after year. Residents who once borrowed a book a week now ordered what they wanted online, and by 2014 the reading rooms were often empty by mid-afternoon.
BIn 2015 the town council proposed selling the building to pay for road repairs. A group of residents asked for a year to find another answer. They surveyed their neighbours, raised money for a new roof, and persuaded the council to hand the building to a community trust instead of selling it.
CToday the library still lends books, but it also lends tools, sewing machines and board games, and its old reading rooms host language classes and a homework club in the evenings. The trust says three times as many people come through its doors as in 2014, many of whom had never held a library card.
Answers and why
| Paragraph | Heading | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A | iii | The paragraph traces visitor numbers falling from the 1990s to 2014: a long decline in use. |
| B | i | It describes residents finding a way to stop the sale: a plan to rescue the building. |
| C | iv | Tools, sewing machines, games and classes: the library now offers far more than books. |
The two distractors
- v, “Why people stopped reading”, is tempting for A. But A says people stopped borrowing, because they bought books online, not that they stopped reading.
- ii, “The design of an early public building”, picks up the date 1902, a detail. Nothing in the text describes the design.
Common mistakes
Choosing a heading that fits one detail
A heading has to cover the whole paragraph. If it only fits one sentence, it is almost certainly a distractor, as heading ii shows above.
Matching words instead of ideas
Headings that repeat words from the paragraph are often traps. The right heading usually paraphrases the idea instead.
If two headings seem to fit
Leave that paragraph and come back after doing the others. With fewer headings left, the choice is usually clear.
Questions
Can the same heading be used twice?+
No. Each heading can be used only once, and there are more headings than paragraphs, so some are not used at all.
Should I read the whole paragraph or just the first sentence?+
Read the whole paragraph quickly. The first sentence often gives the main idea, but paragraphs can begin with background and change direction with words like but, however or instead.
How long should matching headings take?+
Roughly a minute per paragraph. Because the questions come first for a text, they also help you understand the text's structure before the other questions on it.