IELTS READING TIPS(NEPAL)

Question types:

1)      Yes, No, Not Given

2)      True, False, Not Given

3)      Multiple choices

4)      Short answer questions

5)      Gap-filling

6)      Note completion

7)      Summary completion

8)      Flow-chart completion

9)      Table completion

10)    Labeling

11)    Matching Headings

How to approach Reading?

    1.       Look at the passage headings and try to predict the content or the subject matter of each passage. What might the passage be about? Is it something you already know? Is it something that interests you?

    2.       If you feel that a particular passage might be familiar to you (or might interest you even) go for it first. Remember, a good and confident beginning is a vehicle to a good end. 

  

     However, if all the three passages seem utterly unknown to you, go with the order in which the passages are given.

      Depending on your strengths and weaknesses(in relation to accuracy on the question types) you might want to consider what questions you want to do first and which ones you want to attempt in the end.

     For instance, many students find ‘heading matching questions’ to be the most difficult ones. Yet, they spend a lot of valuable time trying to answer these questions accurately; they read the text again and again, to the point where it’s frustrating.

Think about it: “What is the point trying to answer 5 questions (without a guarantee that you will have 100 % accuracy) when you could be utilizing that same time in order to answer 10 ‘Yes, No, Not Given’ or ‘gap filling questions’ instead?”

So if ‘heading matching’ is your weakness, do it last. On the other hand, ‘summary completion questions’ which give you a gist about the passage in general, could be the ones you want to attempt first. Doing so will help you familiarize yourself with the content of the passage, hence increasing your probability of answering the remaining questions (related to that particular passage) correctly.

Over the course of my teaching practice in Nepal( as a CELTA certified IELTS instructor), I have come across some sound techniques to effectively approach IELTS reading. This will work as a solid foundation for students who are new to the IELTS passages(I will be discussing this in a separate section). 

The key, however, is to try these strategies and customize it to meet your needs. Remember, no one other than you yourself, can tell what is working for you.

When is the statement TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN? 

When is the statement YES, NO or NOT GIVEN? 

TRUE/YES: When the information given in the question agrees (in meaning) with the information given in the passage, the statement is ‘TRUE’ or 'YES'. Remember, you are looking for a ‘matching meaning’ and not exact words.

FALSE/NO: ‘False’ or 'NO' means the passage contradicts the information given in the question. But you should be clear about one thing: you are not only looking for opposite meaning, you are also looking for contradicting information. 

NOT GIVEN: When no information is given in the passage for us to accurately identify if the statement in the question is right or wrong, it’s NOT GIVEN. Remember, it’s vital to look at the entire statement in the question and not just a part of it; sometimes the same words can be used but the meaning might not necessarily be the same.

Note:

·   Watch out for ‘negative words’: never, seldom, etc (these words tend to alter meaning).

·   Watch out for frequency words: always, rarely, often, etc (these words tend to change meaning of the sentences).

Skimming

Skimming is a reading strategy. When skimming, you read the text in order to gain an understanding of the text in general. This reading strategy is also called ‘gist reading’. The main objective of skimming is to read the text provided to you as quickly as possible such that you get the ‘theme’ or the ‘main idea’ of the text. It helps a great deal if you run your finger along the text as you skim. This has proven to increase ‘reading speed’.

Note: You don’t have to remember everything that is in the text, but only identify the general idea or the main theme. However, there are certain things that you must pay close attention to as you are skimming for the general idea of the passage.

·         Heading(s)

·         Sub-heading(s)

·         Keywords (words that give out important information)

·         Topic sentence (the first sentence of each paragraph)

The plan is to get as much information in the least possible time.

Scanning

Scanning is another reading strategy that can be effectively used in the context of IELTS reading.

Scanning is done in order to find a particular detail or to locate ‘specific information’. For instance, say your question inquires about a name, number or a date. The idea is to go back to the IELTS reading passage and scan for that particular name, number or date. Once you find what you are looking for, you should circle it. And Bingo! You answer should be right there, in that very location.

Intensive reading

Intensive reading is another reading strategy that can be effectively used in the context of IELTS reading. ‘Intensive reading’ is also called ‘reading for detail’.

Many IELTS teachers recommend that you should not be intensively reading in IELTS at all. However, this is only partially true.

In fact, reading the text intensively in the IELTS increases your ‘reading time’, consequently, hindering you from attempting all the questions in the reading test. Yet, there are two times when attempting the reading passage when ‘intensive reading’ becomes a compulsion. Firstly: when you are reading your question, and secondly: when you have found the location of your answer. At these times, it is absolutely vital that you read closely; you are, after all, getting points for ‘accuracy’.

Remember, intensive reading takes time and should only be done in the two cases mentioned earlier. At other times, skimming and scanning should use up most of your reading time. This will help you to accomplish all the 40 questions in the IELTS reading exam on time, hence increasing your probability of getting a good score.