Basics of IELTS Reading
– There is not any syllabus in reading, it is a practice, so students should read more English newspapers, articles to improve reading skills.
– Reading test has 40 questions, three passages.
– Whole test should be completed within 60 minutes. So try to give appropriate time to each paragraph. Like maximum 20 minutes.
– Students must follow the strategy of skimming and scanning.
– First learn how to do reading.
– Avoid spending much time on single question if you have stuck into find single answer, then skip it and go ahead.
– Find out your answer orderly, means first complete your one passage then start second one.
– First read your questions and pick up the [key words] from those and then go to the paragraph and think about the synonyms.
– Do not Read word to word just scan it and find the location and relate the location.
– You need to be familiar with synonyms.
– You should be good in grammar
– Manage your time
TYPES OF READING
1. There are 11 types of question in reading – True / False / Not given
2. Yes / No / Not given
3. Fill ups
4. Table completion
5. Flow
6. MCQ
7. List of heading
8. Sentence ending
9. Paragraph Selection
10. Matching statement
11. Summary completion
Now we will look at them in detail-
1. True / False / Not Given
True – If the whole information is given
False – If any part is opposite (pay attention on contradictory even helping verb)
Not Given –If any part is missing
2. Fill ups / Fill in the blanks
A. Read your question carefully and pick up the key words before and after the blanks, then go to the paragraph and locate the key words
B. Focus on grammar and prepositions.
For e.g.: – I want to ……….Market. (Go, going, went, buy)
So, after ‘to’ we win fill ‘go’ (verb)
C. Check the missing part like noun, verb, adjective even adverb.
D. Focus on the requirement /demand of question.
2. MCQ –
A. First read given statement carefully and pick-up key words. Don’t read the given A, B, C, D options then go to the paragraph and find the locations with the help of key words.
B. Circle the main words where you find the information and understand properly what are they talking about?
(it would be better if you translate it)
C. Now read the options and eliminate the not given options. Keep in mind, do not find which often is given you must apply the elimination strategy.
3. List of Headings –
A. Read all headings from the list and pick up the key words, after that make difference among all options. It would be better If you translate it.
B. Do not read paragraph first
C. Read paragraph and think what information is given. Do not forget to highlight this linkers, connectors and contradicted words.
D. Check the condition also of given headings like is it in present, past future. It is must important.
4. Yes / No / Not given
– It is little bit different to true, false, not given. As you need to identify writers’ views.
Yes – It agrees with the view of write
No – It disagrees with or contradicts what writer thinks
NG – It is impossible to know what the writer point of view is?
5. Summary Completion: -in this question you are asked it complete a summary of text.
A. no need to read single words go directly on key words.
B. Keep in mind, the answers may not be in a sequence always
C. Check before and after the Gap
6. Matching Statements –
– In this type there is list of alternatives indicated by letter. The alternative usually, indicate people, places, dates.
– The answers in our text go in the different order from the order of statement.
– First find out the given feature name, dates.
– Then read given statement and pick up the keywords and familiar with the synonyms.
– Then go to the paragraph and read carefully what scientist, people (name) are talking about and translate it into your own language. It would be better to relate the question statement
– Don’t Read paragraph first.
7. Paragraph Selections –
– In this type you have some statements in question and you need to match with paragraph.
– First read the statement carefully and underline the keywords + helping verbs and also think about the synonyms of key words.
– Then go to the paragraph and scan it and pick-up specific words.
– Skim read for general meaning. In order to get a general meaning of each paragraph.
8. Table completion –
You may be asked either,
1. To select words from the test
2. To select from a list of answers
– First make it clear from the instructions how many words should be used in their answer, e.g. – no more than three / two / one word.
(Hyphenated words count as a single word.
– These type of question can usually be completed quite quickly, so do this first.
– You must make a grammatically correct sentence sometimes you need to after a word from the text to make it fit grammatically.
– Underline the key words in the table
– Look at the heading of column or row.
– Check the surrounding words to complete the gap ( article, prepositions, terms)
9. Flow chart completion –
– It is a kind of representation in two form of a series of steps which are represented one below the other. There are an excellent way to describe a process in detail
– First scan the information than go to paragraphs. It is important that you read in details not only one or two words.
– Read the whole flow-chart carefully, try to understand it.
– So spend 1-2 minutes to look at the flow chart and check the missing and given steps.
10. Sentence Ending–
– In this types question you have some statements and also some options like A-H
– First read this options A-H And pick up the main word from the options. It would be better if you can understand the synonyms of main words and translate them
– Then read your first questions and check the ending of your question and meaning what is given (H.V, Noun, Verb, Adjective) and try to combine it with given options and find out the location.
