IELTS Reading Strategy

Keino Campbell: Ph: 832-755-2986 Email: keinolaw@msn.com Website: www.tiexams.com

Test Structure
Structure of the test The test is divided into three sections. You are given a reading passage with questions in each section. The questions can be both before and after the passages. The topics of the passages are of general interest and come from magazines, journals, books and newspapers. At least one of the passages will present a logical argument. The texts increase in difficulty as the test progresses. There may be a glossary of technical words.

Time Management
Time management experiment to see what works Because the texts are so long you need to have a definite strategy for how you manage your time in the exam to make sure you finish on time. This means deciding: how long you look at the text before answering questions how long you spend on each question how long you spend on each group of questions how long you spend on each text do you leave time at the end to go back at look at unanswered questions?

Skimming and Scanning

Improve key skills skimming and scanning and reading in detail A major problem in the exam is the length of the texts and you will not have time to read them all carefully. You need to train your speed reading skills so that you can read as efficiently as possible. 2 skills here are skimming which is reading quickly for general meaning and scanning which is looking for specific information.

Question types* The types of tasks are: 1. Multiple Choice 2. Short-answer questions 3. Sentence completion 4. Notes/table/summary flow-chart/diagram completion 5. Yes, no, not given or True, false, not given 6. Classification 7. Matching lists/phrases 8. Choosing headings for paragraphs/sections of a text 9. Scanning and identifying location of information 10. Labelling a diagram which has numbered parts

 There are 40 questions in total. Each of the three sections has around 10-15 questions and there are at least two types of questions in each section.

Multiple Choice Questions

Suggested procedure Look at the questions first to see what topics you need to look for be aware you may need to look for synonyms Skim the text to identify the correct paragraphs to read: the questions will go in order so question 5 will come between 4 and 6 Read the paragraph carefully and then re-read the question Ask yourself if you are looking for fact or opinion Delete the answers you know to be incorrect underline the words in the text that give you the answer

Multiple Choice Questions

The Question Types 1. Multiple Choice The Questions There are three types of multiple choice questions in the IELTS reading exam. Type 1. Where there is one possible answer. Type 2. Where there are multiple answers for only one mark. Type 3. Where there are multiple answers and one mark for each.

For these questions you may be given the start of a sentence which you have to complete with one out of four choices. Or you may be presented with a question and asked to find two, three or four items in a list of answers.

Multiple Choice Example

Type 1 Questions 1-3 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet. 1 A B C D 2 A B C D According to information in the text, asparagine is poisonous. can cause cancer. is harmless unless heated. should only be eaten in small amounts. According to information in the text, acrylamide has been found in lots of fried food. has been found in snacks in Sweden. is only found in western cooking. is in water.

3 According to information in the text, pro

Multiple Choice Example

Type 3 Questions 5 - 7 The list below gives some of the problems for dieters raised by Dr Jones. Which THREE of these problems are mentioned by the writer of text? A Accessible junk food. B Coffee bars and after-work drinks. C Partners. D Stress & emotional situations. E Saboteurs and false friends. F Weakened resolve.

Also note that you ma

Multiple Choice Strategy

How to do the multiple choice questions Read the instructions carefully and check how many letters you need to circle. Skim all the questions and the answer choices quickly. As you do this, v underline the key words (the words that give you the most information). v try to get an idea of the topic you will be reading about from the vocabulary of the questions. v look at any illustrations or diagrams that go with the text.

Continued
Go back to the first question. Decide if you are looking for specific information or whether the question requires you to understand text . Then either scan or skim the text, as appropriate, to find the answer. Read the relevant part of the text very carefully. Dont leave any questions unanswered. Remember to read the stem or question carefully. to eliminate unlikely answers.

Short Answer Questions

2. Short answer questions The Questions There are two types of short answer questions in the IELTS reading exam. Type 1. Questions Type 2. Lists These questions will usually tell you to write your answers in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. So you can answer with one word, two words

Short Answer Example

Type 1 Questions 1 and 2 Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, answering the following questions. Write your answers in boxes 1 and 2 on your answer sheet.

1 How old was Spencer when he did his first degree?

2 Which teacher was instrumental in Spencers success?

Short Answer Example

Type 2 Questions 3 - 5 List FOUR reasons for Spencer being a child prodigy.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 3-5 on your answer sheet. 3 . 4 . 5 ..

Skim all the questions quickly. As you do this: v underline the key words. v decide what information you need to find in the text. v look out for question words like where and who which indicate you should listen for specific things like places and people. Go back to the first question and decide what part of the text you need to read. Read the part carefully to find the answer. You may use your own words. You dont have to write a complete sentence but it does have to be grammatically correct.

Sentence Completion Question

3. Sentence completion questions The questions There are two types of sentence completion questions in the reading exam. Type 1. With a selection of possible answers. Type 2. Without a choice of possible answers.

Sentence Completion
These questions require you to complete the end of a sentence. The questions appear in the same order as the information in the text. Type 2 questions are similar to the short answer questions in that they will always tell you to write your answers in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. So you can answer with one word, two words or three words but not more. They will also tell you to use words from the reading

Sentence Completion
Questions 4-6 Complete the sentences below with words taken from the passage.

Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 4-6 on your answer sheet.

4. Bulbs should be stored . . 5. Seeds may deteriorate if exposed to . . 6. Summer flowering annuals should not be planted until after .

How to Do Sentence Completion

How to do sentence completion questions Read the instructions carefully. Quickly read through all the sentences halves. As you do this v underline the key words. v try to work out what information you need. v think about the grammatical form as well as the vocabulary that should follow immediately from the stem. Go back to the first sentence and decide what information you need to complete it. Find the place where the information should be in the text and read it carefully. Look out for synonyms and parallel expressions because the questions are not likely to use the same words as those in the text.

Notes, Table, Form Diagram

The questions These questions ask for specific information. There are two types of these completion questions in the IELTS reading exam. Type 1. With a selection of possible answers. Type 2. Without a choice of possible answers.

Note, Table, Form Diagram

These questions require you to: insert a word or phrase in the middle of a sentence insert a word in the middle and another word at the end of a sentence write words or phrases that are not in sentences write a letter that represents a word or phrase

Example Question
Health Problem Food High blood pressure & cholesterol Cancer of the colon (1) .. (2) .. Heart Disease (3) .. Infections (4) .. Diabetes (5) .. A B C D E F G oats & rice honey corn & wheat spices nuts & seeds herbs oils

How to do these completion questions

Read the instructions carefully. Look at the table or form etc carefully: v examine any headings or subheadings. v try to get an idea of the topic. v decide what section of the passage the exercise covers. v anticipate grammatical form as well as vocabulary. v if a box of answers is given, see if you can guess any of the matches & eliminate unlikely answers. v if the question is in the form of a table, work out which way it is best to read it horizontally or vertically. v If the question is in the form of a summary, read through it first and see if you can guess any of the missing words. Take each gap one by one and search the text for the best word(s) to

Yes, No, Not Given

5. Yes, no, not given or True, false, not given The questions These tasks either ask you to identify the writers views or claims in the text or identify information in the text.

You will be given a list of statements which are either opinions or facts and you have to decide for: Type 1 if they are opinions, whether they are the opinions of the writer or not or not given in the text. Type 2 if they are facts, whether they are true, false or not given in the text.

Example Question
Do the following statements reflect the situation as described by the writer in the reading passage? In boxes 13 on your answer sheet write YES if the statement reflects the situation as described by the writer NO if the statement contradicts the writer NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to know what the situation is from the passage

1 Increasing the tunnel toll of the new tunnel will result in more people using the other tunnels. 2 The congestion at peak hours was worse before the new tunnel was built. 3 The cost of running a car does not deter purchasing.

Yes, No, Not Given Strategy

Read the instructions carefully. Quickly read through all the statements to get an idea about the topic. Read the first statement more carefully. Underline the key words so you understand the main point. Search for the section of the text which deals with the idea or fact.

Classification Question
The questions These questions ask you to classify information given in the reading text.

Classifications are often according to the writers opinion or according to a period of time or place.
You will be asked to identify a letter which represents one of the classifications for each item in a list of statements.

Example
Classify the following statements as referring to US J G or UK the United States Japan Germany the United Kingdom

Write the appropriate letters in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any answer more than once. 1 The biggest spenders on personal travel. 2 Had the greatest number of international travellers in 2002. 3 Take the majority of their holidays in Western Europe. 4 Employ the most people in the tourist industry.

Classification Strategy
Read the instructions carefully. Make sure you know how many classifications there are and what letters you have to use. (E.g. US, J, G & UK in the exercise above.) Read the classifications carefully and make sure you dont confuse the letters which represent each one. Read the statements/phrases or words beside the question numbers and underline key words. Start with the first statement and work your way through them one by one, searching the text to find where the information is mentioned. The questions will not necessarily be in the same order as the text and the wording will probably be different in the text so look out for synonyms and parallel expressions.

Matching Questions
The questions These questions require you to match a list of opinions to sources mentioned in the text. These questions are used with texts which present a number of different peoples opinions.

The sources are usually numbered and the opinions are given a letter each. In the answer booklet you write the letter(s) beside the numbers. There could be more opinions than sources. If so, you will need to write more than one letter beside the question in the answer booklet. If there are more sources than opinions, then one of more or the opinions will be used more than once.

Matching Strategy
Read the instructions carefully. Take the names of the sources one by one and find them in the text and underline them. When you have located a name, read carefully to see what is said about his/her opinions. Look at the list of opinions and see if you can make a match. Remember that the text is not likely to use the same words as the questions, so look for synonyms and parallel expressions. Also, be aware that the sources may be referred to in more than one place in the text. The opinions in the task are not listed in the same order as they appear in the text. Phrases like he said or in his opinion should help you locate the arguments.

Headings Question
The questions There are two types of headings questions. Type 1. Choosing headings for paragraphs or sections of a text. Type 2. Choosing a heading for the whole text. Type 1 questions require you to sum up the meaning of a paragraph in order to match it to a bank of possible headings. You may be asked to match every paragraph or section of the text or just a selection of paragraphs. Type 2 questions require you to sum up the whole text.

Headings Strategy
Read the instructions carefully. Make sure you know which paragraphs or sections you have to sum up. Read the first sentence (or two) of the paragraph or section and try to sum up, in your own words, what it is about. Then search through the bank of headings for the best answer. Make sure the heading you have chosen sums up the entire paragraph and not just one idea within it.

Scanning and Identifying Location

The questions These questions require you to scan the text to find the location of information. You will be given a set of statements and you need to find the paragraph each one comes from.

Example
The passage has ten paragraphs labelled A-J. Which paragraphs contain the following information? Write the appropriate letters A-J in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

1 Concern that recycling is not profitable. 2 Explanation of why fees for dumping waste should be increased. 3 The best way to deal with garbage.

Identifying Strategy
Read the instructions carefully. Quickly read the statements to get an idea of what the text is about. Take the statements one by one. Underline the key words. Next search the text to find where the information is mentioned. Remember to look for synonyms and parallel expressions because it is likely that the statements express the ideas differently to the way they are expressed in the text.