IELTS Reading test: how to practice smarter
Well, IELTS is getting closer and you are practicing harder, solving more IELTS exams, reading passages, etc. But is it the most efficient way of practicing?
The best tip I can share with you is this: when you check your answers versus the correct ones, pay special attention to those you did WRONG. There always will be a chance to congratulate yourself later for those you’ve got right.
When you are going over the wrong questions one by one, try to understand why your answer is wrong, why the answer from the answer key is correct, and most importantly - why you made that mistake. Remember it and make sure you never make it again.
See what trap you walked in, what are your “weaknesses”, what type of task is the hardest for you. If, for instance, most of your mistakes are in “True/False/Not Given” task - double-check your answers there. Or may be your problem is “Matching heading” task? Then pay extra attention to that kind of questions.
IELTS Reading tips: True, False, Not Given
Every IELTS Reading test, no matter Academic or General has tasks of this kind. Lots of students tell me (and I agree) that this is a very confusing task.
For those who has no idea what I am talking about, I’ll explain - this task has a statement, and your job is to say is it True, False or Not Given in the reading passage.
How do you “attack” it? First learn the rule:
· If the statement clearly appears in text - it is True
· If the text clearly says the opposite of statement - it is False
· If you didn’t find the statement to be True or False - it is Not Given
For example:“Smoking is dangerous and can lead to cancer” - T, F, NG
1) If the text clearly says that “smoking is dangerous and leads to cancer” than the answer is T.
2) If the text says that “No research showed evidence that smoking is dangerous and leads to cancer” than the answer is F.
3) If the text says “The research included smoking people of both genders of ages 30 to 45″ and nothing else about smoking - your answer is NG.
Don’t make these mistakes:
· Don’t assume anything based on your knowledge and experience, read the text! It is the oldest trick in the book and they use it a lot in IELTS.
· Don’t “over think” your answer - you could start building long logical sequences that will take you to the wrong answer.
A few Academic Reading tips
Academic Reading module is a little bit different from General Training - instead of 4 or 5 it has only 3 passages (more difficult ones). Actually the first passage is usually the easiest and then they become more and more difficult. With that said, here come the tips:
First of all - don’t read the whole passage. Train yourself to scan and notice only the important information. After you go over the text for the first time, you should know what each paragraph is about, what its main idea. This way of “reading” saves you a lot of priceless time.
Second, watch your time closely. Don’t divide the 60 minutes you have into 3 equal parts of 20 minute. Why? Because the last passage is the hardest and you are going to need more than 20 minutes to crack it. So I suggest 15 - 20 - 25, but feel free to look for any other timing that works for you.
Third, don’t forget to copy your answers to Answer Sheet. You can write them in the booklet as you read the passage, but you get your score based on what is written in the Answer Sheet.
Forth, if you can’t find an answer to certain question - mark it with big fat ??? so you can easily see it later and move on to the next one, don’t get stuck. Later you can get back and try it again if you have time left.
Fifth, count your words - if instructions say “answer in 3 words” - you need to answer in EXACTLY 3 WORDS, when even “a” and “the” count as a word!
When you practice, read your passage, answer the questions, compare your answers to the Answer Sheet and pay special attention to the wrong answers. You need to understand WHY you made those mistakes and remember them so you won’t make them again.