READING TIPS.

To ensure you can accurately answer a range of question types in the 60 minutes, below are some tips.

Skim and scanning through the passage

Skimming.

The task has 3 different reading passages. You can quickly skim through the entire passage to understand the gist. Learn to skim and scan. These reading techniques use rapid eye movement and keywords so that you are able to move fast through text. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material.

It is time consuming and unnecessary to read every sentence in details because it will take you a lot of time and thus you will not complete the task. Focus on headings, sub headings and look for main points that describe the passage. This will help later with finding answers.

1.    Read the first paragraph attentively to get an idea of what the text is about.

2.    Pay attention to the first few sentences of every paragraph, this will give you the main idea of the text.

3.    Always read the last paragraph thoroughly as this usually carries the summary.

Scanning:

Scanning is when you read rapidly to find specific facts.

Usually, IELTS reading task questions often include dates, names, numbers, and new terms that should be part of your answers.

So as you scan:

1.    Underline important specific information and numbers. You do not need to read every word, but look out for information like names, dates, figure, statistics etc

2.    Look at the question and identify the keyword and then scan the text for it, or its possible synonyms. In this way, you should be able to find the answer quickly.

3.    When scanning, you should be fast, focused and alert because you have limited time but many questions to answer.

The introduction and conclusion

You need to be so keen with the introduction and conclusion. The main view is usually imbedded in the introduction and conclusion. By reading the introduction and conclusion carefully, you can answer many of the questions presented . Skim through the body of the passage after you thoroughly go through the introduction and conclusion.

Identify key words and ideas

If you can identify a key word, then you can identify the concept associated with the passage. Underline or highlight the keywords when you skim through the passage.

For ideas, you should read and then rephrase it in your own words. Try to explain to yourself what you have read because this mini-analysis helps you to focus on the ideas, and the message. This is because the answer you are looking for might have been rephrased too.

For some correct answers in the options, there is a paraphrased fragment in the text that has the same meaning. This is because the IELTS reading test is intended to test your understanding of language complexities and ability to understand the same (or similar) ideas hidden behind different wordings and expressions.

Read all questions before you begin answering

First have a quick look at all the questions. Questions appear in groups of 3, or 4, or more, so read that group of questions before studying the text. Highlight the key information words in your questions and since you have already skimmed through the passage and identified key words, you will find the answers easily.

Answer every question and check your answers

You should always attempt all questions. Try to make a good guess if you are not sure of the answer.  Note that you will not be penalized for a wrong answer yet your guess might even turn out to be right. So leaving a question unanswered is a risk of losing marks.

Check your answers, making sure that you answer all questions.  Allocate at least 20 minutes for checking. You will need a lot of practice before you sit the final exam. The IELTS Reading section is the hardest for many test takers however, but preparation and time management practice can help you get a great one.

Practice makes perfect!

It is important to make a lot of practice before you sit the final IELTS exam. Prior preparation and time management will help. There are a number of IELTS reading tasks online that can be helpful.

To use the 60 minutes to complete your IELTS reading exam, improve your reading speed when you are preparing for the exam.

You thus need to:

Increase your reading gaze to include three words at a time, rather than bouncing from one word to the next. Catch three at a time and aim to expand it to about five words in each glance.

A pointer will help you increase your speed. The pointer will land between every three words. Moving it quicker through the text makes you progress faster.

However, do not sacrifice comprehension for speed. It is easy to speed-read through an article and then recall nothing. Avoid this by using your new speed-reading skills in online reading comprehension tests. Practice reading other non IELTS materials too.

Organise your reading time to improve your focus. Set a timer and read for that duration of time, 30 minutes is a good time to start with.

Allocate a reading time and space. Your focus will be infinitely stronger working from home with the phone in airplane mode and headphones on. Rather than reading a book at the train station that is so noisy.

Don’t panic over unknown words. Use context

You may not know all the words. Maybe the content of the sentence can help you deduce its meaning.

Prefixes can help, un- means cancel an action, re- means repeat, or -wise means referring to something.

Remember to do background work on expanding your vocabulary and understanding of prefixes and suffixes for your reading test.

If you totally fail to understand a word, do not panic. Just move on to the next question, and later return to the confusing part.