Ravi from Kanpur matched a heading to a paragraph because both mentioned “rainfall”. The paragraph was really about farmers’ decisions.

A heading sums up the main idea of a whole paragraph, not one detail in it. Put each paragraph’s main idea into a few words of your own, then pick the heading that says the same, and beware of headings that merely repeat one of its words.

How Matching Headings Tasks Work

In this task you match each paragraph or section to a heading from a list; the official sample task numbers the headings i, ii, iii and so on. The official format page gives three rules:

  • More headings than paragraphs: there will always be more headings than paragraphs or sections, so some headings are not used.
  • Single use: no heading may be used more than once.
  • Examples and gaps: one or more paragraphs may already be matched as an example, and some paragraphs may not be in the task.

For tasks that ask for a specific detail instead, see our matching information guide.

A 4-Step Strategy for Headings

This method is our advice, not an IELTS rule:

  1. Read the paragraph: skim it from start to finish to see its purpose; our skimming and scanning guide explains the difference between the two techniques.
  2. State the main idea: write it in about five words of your own before you look at the list.
  3. Find the matching heading: look past exact words to synonyms, as our paraphrase spotting guide shows.
  4. Check for a better fit: make sure no other heading fits better and that your choice covers the whole paragraph.

For pacing, see our time management guide.

Where Do Main Ideas Sit?

A paragraph’s main idea is often in its first or last sentence, but not always:

  • First sentence: often introduces the central theme.
  • Last sentence: often sums up after the evidence.
  • Middle sentences: can turn the argument, with words like however or in contrast.

So read the whole paragraph before you choose.

Anatomy of a Distractor Heading

The unused headings are called distractors here. Watch for two traps when one looks tempting:

  • The detail trap: the heading describes one fact or example but not the paragraph’s purpose.
  • The keyword echo: the heading repeats a striking word from the paragraph but says something the paragraph does not.

Practice passage (written for this post)

A For decades, the dry inland town of Norvapur relied on deep borewells to supply its households. By early 2024, heavy extraction had lowered the local water table, and taps ran dry throughout the summer. Recognising the looming crisis, the municipal council resolved to overhaul the town’s water strategy.

B Engineers surveyed the town and recommended mandatory rooftop catchment systems for all buildings exceeding two hundred square metres. Rain falling on flat concrete roofs was channelled through mesh filters into underground storage tanks. This simple modification let residential neighbourhoods capture monsoon runoff that previously vanished into roadside drains.

C Initial resistance among residents proved considerable, as homeowners worried about installation expenses and structural damp. The council responded with low-interest microloans and subsidies for local plumbing cooperatives to fit the equipment. Community workshops soon showed that properly installed filters caused no moisture damage.

D Within two seasons, groundwater levels across Norvapur rose by over three metres, refilling wells that had sat dry for years. Municipal water treatment bills also fell by nearly forty percent as homes used their own captured supplies. The scheme now serves as a template for neighbouring districts.

List of headings

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph, A–D, from the list below. Write the correct number, i–vi.

  • i. The design and mechanics of rooftop collection
  • ii. Measurable improvements and regional replication
  • iii. Commercial regulations for industrial water users
  • iv. The worsening water shortage that forced action
  • v. Overcoming public scepticism and cost concerns
  • vi. Routine maintenance methods for deep borewells

Questions

  1. Paragraph A
  2. Paragraph B
  3. Paragraph C
  4. Paragraph D
Show answers
  1. iv — “heavy extraction had lowered the local water table, and taps ran dry” shows a worsening shortage, and the council “resolved to overhaul” its strategy. Heading vi echoes “borewells”, but the paragraph says nothing about maintenance.
  2. i — “channelled through mesh filters into underground storage tanks” explains how rooftop collection works. Heading iii fails: the rule covers “all buildings exceeding two hundred square metres”, and industrial water users are not mentioned.
  3. v — “homeowners worried about installation expenses” and the council’s “low-interest microloans” show doubts about cost being overcome.
  4. ii — groundwater “rose by over three metres”, bills “fell by nearly forty percent”, and the scheme is “a template for neighbouring districts”.

Common Traps to Avoid

Incorrect: “Choosing the heading that shares a word with the paragraph.”

Correct: Shared words prove little: heading vi repeats “borewells” yet misses what paragraph A is about.

Incorrect: “Reading only the first sentence.”

Correct: Read to the last sentence before you choose; the main idea is not always at the start.

Tip

Match the paragraphs you are sure of first, then use the no-repeat rule to narrow the rest.

Key Takeaways

  • A heading sums up a whole paragraph, not one detail.
  • There will always be more headings than paragraphs, and none is used twice.
  • The main idea is often, but not always, in the first or last sentence.
  • A heading that repeats a word from the paragraph may still miss its main idea.

The bottom line: A correct heading would still fit if the paragraph’s examples were swapped for different ones.