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IELTS Reading Tips: Strategies, Practice Papers, Sample Answers
IELTS reading tips teach the aspirants how well one can comprehend long passages and different types of questions. Each IELTS reading question needs to be answered in a specific manner. For a non-native English speaker, securing a high IELTS band score is difficult. To ensure a high band score, IELTS reading techniques like skimming and scanning, knowing tricky vocabulary words, speeding up the reading skills are a few of the IELTS reading tips.
Check: Get Free IELTS Sample Papers
Before learning the IELTS reading tricks, knowing the motive behind the reading questions is necessary:
- Identifying the author’s opinion
- Following the key/main argument
- Identifying the author’s purpose
- Completing a summary, table, or a diagram
- Difference between the central idea and supporting ideas
IELTS Reading Tips
Below are some of the most helpful IELTS reading preparation tips to guide the test-takers through the preparation process.
IELTS Reading Strategies to Answer IELTS Reading Question Types
IELTS reading comprises 14 question types each of which has distinctive techniques to be answered:
| IELTS Reading Question Types | IELTS Reading Strategies to Answer |
|---|---|
| Matching Headings | Start with reading the heading then the passage |
| Study the headings before matching them | |
| The answers are generally in numerical | |
| True False Not Given/Yes No Not Given Questions | Yes/true: similar information is present in the passage No/false: contradictory information is found in the passage Not given: the information is not present in the passage |
| Matching paragraph information | Make paraphrases of information in the question |
| Look for information in the passage | |
| Every para will not be used | |
| Summary Completion Question | Figure out the type of word required for each gap (verb/noun/adjective) |
| Look for the information in the passage to select the right word | |
| A summary should be grammatically accurate to guide in choosing the right word | |
| Sentence Completion Questions | Identification of right words for each gap |
| Figure out the information from the passage to fill up the gap | |
| The answers are generally not in order | |
| Multiple Choice Questions | Paraphrase information in questions and options |
| Look for clear information in the passage | |
| Here answers are found in order | |
| List Selection | Go through the list and prepare paraphrases |
| Go through questions and recognize keywords | |
| Look for information in the passage | |
| Choosing a title | Locate differences between similar titles |
| Pay differences between the opening and closing paragraphs of the passage | |
| This question is only 1 point | |
| Classification Questions | Locate information in the passage |
| Look for the information’s category | |
| Locate paraphrases | |
| Matching Sentence Endings | Read sentences and possible conclusions |
| Locate information in paraphrases | |
| Look for the best conclusion from the passage | |
| It has more conclusions than required | |
| Table Completion | Read column headings |
| Recognize the type of word required for each part of the table | |
| Scan the passage, answers are present in selected parts of the passage | |
| Flow Chart Completion | Look for the word type for each section of the flow chart |
| Use the directions of arrows and boxes for answering | |
| Select the correct words from the passage | |
| Diagram Completion | Recognize words for the answer (noun/verb/adjective) |
| Information is present in the selected passage | |
| Notice the word count | |
| Short Answer Questions | Paraphrase vocabulary in questions |
| Look for information in the passage | |
| Check the word count |
Do not try to know each word in IELTS Reading Passages
Accessing the dictionary for every unknown word doesn’t help to improve IELTS reading score. You can look at the words and sentences around it to assume a rough meaning. In this way you can have a gist of the sentence and what is it trying to say. You don’t have to understand the meaning of each word. Even IELTS teachers and other native speakers don’t know every word in the reading test.
Check IELTS Academic Reading Score
Ignore the Previous Knowledge about the IELTS Reading Topic
You are tested only on the basis of your understanding of the given text and not your knowledge of the IELTS reading topic. Similar to this, also don’t make unnecessary assumptions to support any argument. This will also lead to marking the incorrect answer based on the false assumption. The next IELTS reading tips and tricks state to ignore the previous knowledge of the subject and only answer based on the facts given in the passage.
Carefully transfer the IELTS Reading Answers
A common mistake that candidates do is to leave very little time for the transfer of answers. This creates a lot of silly errors since the students come under pressure and panic. One of the proven IELTS reading test tips is to practice with an IELTS answer sheet and check how much time it takes to transfer all their answers. This will make you more comfortable with the process and you will have good judgment on the test day.
Manage Time during IELTS Reading Test
Spending too much time on a single question will result in less time for the rest of the questions and ultimately leading to silly errors. The IELTS reading test tip is to get each section finished in 20 minutes. This can be divided into 16 minutes of reading time and 4 minutes of transferring and verifying your answers.
Skimming and Scanning during IELTS Reading Test
Skimming is the process of gathering the general idea about the IELTS reading passage in 2 to 3 minutes. The IELTS general reading tips as well as academic state to skim before answering questions. Scanning is another IELTS reading tip that requires the candidate to locate a specific keyword or portion in the passage.
Speed up your IELTS Reading
Since there is a time constraint, most of the IELTS academic and IELTS general tips and tricks state to quickly scan the passage. Gaining information that will help in answering is the most important task.
Focus on Learning vocabulary
Especially for non-native English speakers, IELTS reading tips and techniques suggest gaining knowledge about vocabulary. The IELTS reading passages contain some difficult vocabulary that requires daily reading practice from proper sources.
IELTS Reading Preparation Books
Both IELTS reading tips and tricks academic and general require candidates to study from the best IELTS reading books. Only books having detailed guidelines, tricks, authentic question types, and numerous IELTS reading practice papers can help. Here we have listed the best IELTS preparation books:
- The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS –Check PDF
- Cambridge IELTS’ Book 14 for Academic with Answers –Check PDF
- Official IELTS Practice Materials –Check PDF
- Barron’s IELTS Superpack –Check PDF
- Target Band 7 –Check PDF
These are books that will help in IELTS reading tips and tricks academic PDF and general as well.
IELTS Reading Practice Papers
The best general and IELTS academic reading tips include daily practicing of IELTS sample questions.
IELTS Reading Sample Answers
The IELTS reading preparation includes referring IELTS reading sample answers. These are answers that contain the structure, and format of answering the IELTS reading questions.
The IELTS reading tips ask candidates to daily read from magazines, journals, newspapers, and books to improve your IELTS reading skill.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College
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