IELTS Academic Reading Table Completion

Table of Contents

1. IELTS Academic Reading Table Completion
2. IELTS academic reading table completion- Strategies & tips to solve
3. Common problems faced by students in solving table completion
4. Skills Required to solve table completion
5. Table completion skill building exercise 1
6. Table completion skill building exercise 2
7. Table completion skill building exercise 3
8. Answers for skill building exercises
9. Conclusion

In the IELTS academic reading table completion question you are required to complete a table that summarizes some key points from the reading passage. Table completion is quite similar to the notes and flowchart completion question types. In this article, you will know how to effectively answer table completion questions. 

In the table completion question you will find a reading passage and a table with incomplete information. Your task is to fill the table with words from the passage. This question type tests your scanning and paraphrasing skills. If you write the answer beyond the given word limit it will be marked incorrect even though the information you have written is correct.

As this is a commonly asked IELTS academic reading question type, good preparation is required. In this article,you will find expert proven tips to solve the IELTS academic reading table completion question type. It will help you to score good marks in the IELTS academic reading section.

IELTS academic reading table completion- Strategies & tips to solve

IELTS academic reading table completion tips and strategies listed below will be helpful for you in solving the question and to score high in the IELTS academic reading section.

• In this task, you are required to complete a table that summarizes some key points from the text.
• Read the instructions carefully so that you do not exceed the word limit.
• Notice the categories or the headings in the table to go to the required location in the passage.
• Information in a table usually follows the sequence. Sometimes, for challenge, the answers may not be in the order of the passage.
• Read the information presented in each cell to understand the meaning.
• Decide what type of word is required for the blank. Focus on dates, names, action words or any other keyword which will help you to locate the correct place in the passage.
• Pick up the word/words that make the information complete and correct according to the passage.
• Take care not to write any word as your answer which is already present in the question statement in reworded form. Also, do not change the word form.
• Visualize the answer first where it is located so that you can find and write the answer in detail
• The simple tip is to never leave an answer sheet blank. Make an educated guess if you don't know the answer. This at least offers you an opportunity to get it correctly. So don't be concerned if you miss a question, it won't influence your ability to answer the next set. Simply make your decision and move on.
• Consider the clues in the table.
• Don’t make things difficult for yourself by attempting to grasp everything. First, read the question and fill in the necessary details.

The aim of these IELTS academic reading table completion tips & strategies  is to help you to find answers quickly and enhance your vocabulary knowledge.

Common problems faced by students in solving table completion

• Reading full passage and wasting time
• Misspelling the words
• Paraphrased information might confuse you.
• Not being able to find the clues in the table 

Skills Required to solve table completion

• Skimming
• Scanning for particular information
• Paraphrasing  
• Finding out the Synonyms

Also read IELTS academic reading tips

Table completion skill building exercise 1

Answer questions 1-11 which are based on the reading passage below.

Salinity

It has long been recognized that our land uses, including agricultural development, have significantly changed Australia’s landscapes and natural systems. However, we have not always appreciated the magnitude of change in the soil, water, and nutrient balances, the resultant degradation, and the costs to the wider Australian community. The timeframe for these changes is to be slowed or reversed. Changes to the Australian landscape have resulted in the widespread and rapidly growing problem of dryland salinity. Farmers were among the first to be affected, by the salinization of rivers and agricultural land. Biodiversity, as well as regional and urban infrastructure, such as water supply, roads and buildings, are now also at risk. Two broad forms of salinity are recognized in Australia. Primary or naturally occurring salinity is part of the Australian landscape and reflects the development of this landscape over time. Examples are the marine plains found around the coastline of Australia and the salt lakes in central and Western Australia. Salts are distributed widely across Australian landscapes. They originate mainly from depositions of oceanic salt from rain and wind. Salt stored in the soil or groundwater is concentrated through evaporation and transpiration by plants. In a healthy catchment, salt is slowly leached downwards and stored below the root zone, or out of the system. Secondary salinity is the salinization of land and water resources due to land use impacts by people. It includes salinity that results from water table rises from irrigation systems — irrigation salinity, and from dryland management systems — dryland salinity. Both forms of salinity are due to accelerated rising water tables mobilizing salt in the soil. There is no fundamental difference in the hydrologic process. Where the water balance has been altered due to changing land use (e.g. clearing of native vegetation for broadacre farming or grazing), the excess water entering the water table mobilizes salt which then rises to the land surface. The movement of water drives salinization processes and may move the stored salt towards the soil surface or into surface water bodies.

Questions 1–11

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the reading passage for each answer.

Two forms of salinity
primary	secondary
Salinity occurs in 1_________	Salinity as a consequence of 7_________
Oceanic salts are deposited by 2_________ and 3_________	it includes 8_________ salinity and 9_________ salinity.
Salt is concentrated via 4_________  and 5_________	More water seeps into 10_________ as farms replace local plants. Causes salt to move to the 11_________
Salt moves downwards below 7___________

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Table completion skill building exercise 2

Answer questions 1-4 which are based on the reading passage below.

Changes in Industrial Britain

The spread of railways stimulated communication, and Rowland Hill’s standardisation of postal charges in 1839 saw a boom in mail services. But this was nothing compared to the revolution of the telegraph. If you think the Internet is big then just imagine how much bigger it would seem if you had never before seen a computer or telephone. That’s what the telegraph was to the Victorians. If rail travel shrank the country, the telegraph crushed it. It opened in the 1840s and soon went stratospheric – within ten years exchanging telegrams had become part of everyday life. By the mid-1860s London was connected with New York, and ten years later messages could be exchanged between London and Bombay in minutes.

Questions 1 – 4

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Year	Events in Britain
1839	Regulation of 1______ resulted in a delivery  of mail
1840s	The beginning of 2_________
3 _____	Messages could be sent to New york
1870s	A few   4_____ for messages to arrive from  bombay

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Table completion skill building exercise 3 (h3)

Answer questions 1-7 which are based on the reading passage below.

A Brief (and Tasty) History of Chocolate

The first records that chronicle the manufacture and consumption of chocolate originate from about 200-950 A.D., during the Classic Period of Mayan culture, Glyphs and ancient vessels provide the first evidence that the Theobroma cacao a tree that grows in the tropical rainforest - was harvested for its cacao seeds. The Mayan culture was spread over a vast Mesoamerican territory, covering what is now southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and part of El Salvador. Not only were cacao trees harvested in the wild, but Mayans also grew the trees near their homes, in their own backyard gardens. After the cacao pods were picked, the seeds found inside were fermented and dried. The seeds would then be roasted over a fire, followed by grinding between two large stones. The resulting paste was mixed with water, chili peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients. This final concoction made the cacao paste into a spicy, frothy, and rather bitter drink. With sugar unknown to the Mayans, if chocolate were sweetened at all, the sweetener would have been honey or flower nectar. The Mayan culture reached its zenith during the Classic period, followed by centuries of decline. By 1400, the Aztec empire dominated much of the Mesoamerican landscape. The Aztecs not only adopted the cacao seeds as a dietary staple but also as a form of currency. Cacao seeds were used to pay for items, and also given as tribute by conquered peoples. While in the Mayan culture many people could drink chocolate, at least occasionally, in Aztec culture the chocolate was reserved mostly for royalty, priests, and upper echelons of society.

The priests would also present cacao seeds as offerings to the gods, serving chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies, one reason for our calling chocolate the 'elixir of the gods. During the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards in 1521, Europe became aware of chocolate for the first time. Spaniards had observed the Aztec royalty and priesthood making and drinking the dark concoction, and quickly came to like it as well. Cacao seeds were shipped to Spain in bulk, where the paste was mixed with spices like cinnamon and sugar, thus taking the edge off their bitterness. An expensive import, only the Spanish elite could afford to purchase chocolate, and for the next 300 years, chocolate was treated as a status symbol. Spain continued to import and manufacture its chocolate in secret for at least a hundred years before the rest of Europe caught wind of the delicious brew. Once out, chocolate became one of the greatest fads to hit the continent. Production of both cacao beans and sugar was a labor-intensive and time-consuming process.

To keep up with the demand for both items, many European countries set up plantations in the New World for the cultivation of these two crops. Wage laborers and slaves were used to grow the crops, then process them for export to and sale in Europe. It was not until the 1800s that mechanization speeded up the process of chocolate-making, making chocolate cheaper, more plentiful, and thus available to the public at large. With the advent of the steam engine, cacao beans could be ground automatically. Bakers and chefs seized the opportunity to work with this suddenly available medium, establishing shops for the exclusive manufacture of chocolate, especially in countries like Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and France. Lindt & Sprungli, of Switzerland, showed up in 1845, and Neuhaus Master Chocolate Makers, of Belgium, in 1857.

Question 1-7

Complete the table below

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each

Year	Reign	Facts/Events
200-950 A.D	1_________	The earliest documentation of chocolate processing
1400	Aztec Empire	-used cacao seeds as food and 2______ -consumed mainly by 3____ and people from royal families and higher classes
1521 (+300 years)	Spain conquered Mexico	-chocolate became known in 4_______ -addition of cinnamon and sugar reduced bitterness -a 5_____ due to the high cost
6______	European Countries	- 7___________ made chocolate affordable and easily available -exclusive chocolate manufacturing shops established

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Answers for skill building exercises

 Answers for skill building exercise-1

Salinity

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1. marine plains/salt lakes

Explanation: Paragraph 3 – Examples are the marine plains found around the coastline of Australia and the salt lakes in central and Western Australia.
A maximum of three words are allowed for each answer, both locations cannot be written. So either of them is an acceptable answer.

2. Rain (h6) 

Explanation: Paragraph 4 – They originate mainly from depositions of oceanic salt from rain and wind.

3. wind

Explanation: Paragraph 4 – They originate mainly from depositions of oceanic salt from rain and wind.

 

4. evaporation

Explanation: Paragraph 4 – Salt stored in the soil or groundwater is concentrated through evaporation and transpiration by plants.

5. transpiration

Explanation: Paragraph 4 – Salt stored in the soil or groundwater is concentrated through evaporation and transpiration by plants.

6. root zone

Explanation: Paragraph 4 – In a healthy catchment, salt is slowly leached downwards and stored below the root zone, or out of the system.
 

7. land use

Explanation: Paragraph 5 – Secondary salinity is the salinization of land and water resources due to land use impacts by people.

8. irrigation

Explanation: Paragraph 5 –  It includes salinity that results from water table rises from irrigation systems — irrigation salinity, and from dryland management systems — dryland salinity.

 

9. dryland

Explanation: Paragraph 5 –  It includes salinity that results from water table rises from irrigation systems — irrigation salinity, and from dryland management systems — dryland salinity.

10. water tables

Explanation: Paragraph 6 – Where the water balance has been altered due to changing land use (e.g. clearing of native vegetation for broadacre farming or grazing), the excess water entering the water table mobilizes salt …

11. land surface/soil surface/surface water bodies

Explanation: Paragraph 6 – … the excess water entering the water table mobilizes salt which then rises to the land surface. The movement of water drives salinization processes and may move the stored salt towards the soil surface or into surface water bodies.

 Answers for skill building exercise-2

Changes in Industrial Britain

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1. postal charges

Explanation: The spread of railways stimulated communication, and Rowland Hill’s standardization of postal charges in 1839 saw a boom in mail services.

2.  telegraph

Explanation:  If rail travel shrank the country, the telegraph crushed it. It opened in the 1840s and soon went stratospheric ……

3. 1860s / mid-1860s

Explanation:  By the mid-1860s London was connected with New York …

4. minutes

Explanation:  By the mid-1860s London was connected with New York, and ten years later messages could be exchanged between London and Bombay in minutes.

Answer for skill building exercise-3

A Brief (and Tasty) History of Chocolate

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1. Mayan (culture)

Explanation: Paragraph 1 - The first records that chronicle the manufacture and consumption of chocolate originate from about 200-950 A.D., during the Classic Period of Mayan culture

2. currency

Explanation: Paragraph 3 - The Aztecs not only adopted the cacao seed as a dietary staple but also as a form of currency

3. priests

Explanation: Paragraph 3 - in Aztec culture the chocolate was reserved mostly for royalty priests, and upper echelons of society

4. Europe

Explanation: Paragraph 4 - During the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards in 1521, Europe became aware of chocolate for the first time

5. status symbol

Explanation: Paragraph 4 - An expensive import, only the Spanish elite could afford to purchase chocolate, and for the next 300 years, chocolate was treated as a status symbol

6. 1800s

7. Mechanisation

Explanation: Paragraph 6 - It was not until the (Q.6) 1800s that (Q.7) mechanisation speeded up the process of chocolate-making, making chocolate cheaper, more plentiful, and thus available to the public at large

Also check IELTS academic reading matching headings

The below mentioned reading passages let you know the significance of the table completion question type. Check them for more practice.

• Nutmeg a valuable spice
• Telepathy reading answers
• William Gilbert And Magnetism Reading Answers
• A Remarkable beetle reading answers
• The Return of Huarango Reading Answers
• A Disaster of Titanic Proportions Reading Answers
• The Dams That Changed Australia Reading Answers
• Can animals count Reading Answers
• Why we need to protect polar bears reading answers
• The Flavour of Pleasure Reading Answers 
• The Benefits of being Bilingual Reading Answers
• A gentle giant and a pint-sized bully reading answers
• A new perspective on bacteria Reading Answers
• Source of knowledge Reading Answers

Conclusion

The recommendations and tactics presented in this article will assist you in managing time in answering questions, as well as understanding the difficulties in the table completion. To excel in the IELTS exam you must have a clear understanding about every question type in each section.