曾經是三大經典題型之一的段落標題配對題（Matching Headings）近年來在雅思考試中呈現沒落的趨勢。2011年之前原本幾乎每場考試必考的本題型，從2011年開始至今，已經在考試中越來越少見，幾乎要退出重點題型的隊伍。儘管如此，筆者仍然認為，這種題型在雅思考試中所佔有的一席之地短期內還不會被剝奪。首先，段落標題配對題是雅思閱讀考試的眾多題型中少數幾種專門考察對於文章段落大意的理解的主旨題型；其次，對於段落標題配對題題型做法的正確理解和熟練掌握，有助於幫助考生從整體上把握文章和段落的大意，對於解決其他的細節題型，如是非無判斷題（True/False/Not Given）、段落細節配對題（Matching Details with Paragraphs）等會起到舉足輕重的作用
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解決段落標題配對題最重要的方法是筆者在前面的論文中提到過的略讀（Skimming）方法，在使用此種方法閱讀文章時，可以跳過不能快速理解的生詞和插入語、括號內信息等細節的描述，抓住句子的主幹，從而理解句子乃至段落的大意。在此基礎上，如果看到段落中存在能夠概括整段意思的句子，可以找出來作為主題句。
之前聽到過很多人說在判斷段落大意時只需要找到中心句（Topic Sentence）即可。而中心句通常出現在每段的第一句或者最後一句或者第二句，所以只需要看這幾處就可以。因為西方作者的寫作思路比較簡單，通常在段落的開頭會進行總起，提出全段論點，後面再用例證來論證論點；或者在段落中先進行例證，再在段落的結尾進行總結；或者在開頭處承上啟下或提出一個錯誤論點，第二句才真正提出論點。
確實，在雅思的閱讀文章中，有很多如此展開的段落，但是筆者認為這樣的尋找段落大意的方法有失嚴謹。因為除了上面說到的三種情況之外，還有一種可能性就是在段落中作者沒有用任何一個單一的句子來總述主旨，段落的主旨大意還有可能需要依靠對於全段各句的大體理解才能夠準確判斷。而在略讀完全段之前，考生也很難判斷到底該段中是否會有明確的中心句存在。如劍橋雅思真題集5 Test 3 Passage 2的B段：
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Up to now, people have blamed this loss of delta land on the two large dams at Aswan in the south of Egypt, which hold back virtually all of the sediment that used to flow down the river. Before the dams were built, the Nile flowed freely, carrying huge quantities of sediment north from Africa's interior to be deposited on the Nile delta. This continued for 7,000 years, eventually covering a region of over 22,000 square kilometres with layers of fertile silt. Annual flooding brought in new, nutrient-rich soil to the delta region, replacing what had been washed away by the sea, and dispensing with the need for fertilizers in Egypt's richest food-growing area But when the Aswan dams were constructed in the 20th century to provide electricity and irrigation, and to protect the huge population centre of Cairo and its surrounding areas from annual flooding and drought, most of the sediment with its natural fertilizer accumulated up above the dam in the southern, upstream half of Lake Nasser, instead of passing down to the delta.
在上面的段落中，中心句並沒有出現在第一句、第二句或者最後一句中。該段的主旨信息“Interrupting a natural process”是需要依據各句的意思綜合考慮和判斷才能夠得出的。
另外，在有的文章中，需要判斷主旨的段落並非單一的自然段，而是由好幾個自然段組成的大段。在判斷這樣的大段主旨時，單看其中一段的意思是不夠的，而需要將各段的中心句都找到之後，整合在一起來判斷完整的段落大意。如劍橋雅思真題集5 Test 4 Passage 1的A段：
The market for tourism in remote areas is booming as never before. Countries all across the world are actively promoting their 'wilderness' regions - such as mountains, Arctic lands, deserts, small islands and wetlands — to high-spending tourists. The attraction of these areas is obvious: by definition, wilderness tourism requires little or no initial investment. But that does not mean that there is no cost. As the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recognized, these regions are fragile (i.e. highly vulnerable to abnormal pressures) not just in terms of their ecology, but also In terms of the culture of their inhabitants. The three most significant types of fragile environment in these respects, and also in terms of the proportion of the Earth's surface they cover, are deserts, mountains and Arctic areas. An important characteristic is their marked seasonality, with harsh conditions prevailing for many months each year. Consequently, most human activities, including tourism, are limited to quite clearly defined parts of the year.
Tourists are drawn to these regions by their natural landscape beauty and the unique cultures of their indigenous people. And poor governments in these Isolated areas have welcomed the new breed of 'adventure tourist', grateful for the hard currency they bring. For several years now, tourism has been the prime source of foreign exchange in Nepal and Bhutan. Tourism is also a key element in the economies of Arctic zones such as Lapland and Alaska and in desert areas such as Ayers Rock in Australia and Arizona's Monument Valley.
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該段由兩個自然段構成，在理解第一段的時候如果錯把第一句話當作是全段的主旨，外加錯誤理解了句中“remote”的含義，很多同學會誤認為答案是“The expansion of international tourism in recent years”。但是通過全面的閱讀我們可以瞭解到，第一個自然段主要是在定義fragile regions的概念，第二個自然段第一句話中提示我們本段是關於旅遊者們到這些fragile regions旅遊的原因。因此“Fragile regions and the reasons for the expansion of tourism there”才更能準確概括全段大意。
這種題型的難點主要在於思路上的轉換。在以細節題為主的雅思考試中，主旨題更能體現考生把握全局概念的能力。
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