How to manage time in IELTS Reading:
IELTS Reading where you have three passages to read and locate information from them and answer 40 questions based on the information. The thing which is hectic in this module is to answer 40 questions in just 60 minutes as most of the candidates find this task challenging because they cannot manage the time properly. So, this article we will discuss How to manage time efficiently in IELTS Reading.
1. Don’t read every word.
In IELTS Reading there are three passages in IELTS Academic and 3 – 5 passages in General IELTS with the total of around 2500-3000 words which is very hard to read and if you try to understand each and every word in the passage you will definitely run out of time. To tackle this you should adopt skimming and scanning technique in which there is no need to read every word just takes an overview or the gist of the passage to locate the answer. This will enhance your speed and save your time.
2. Predict.
To save your valuable time it is necessary to predict the upcoming content. You should read the first two or three lines to get a general idea about the whole text. This will help you to judge that the information you want is in the passage or not. One other thing that you can do is to read all the questions quickly.
3. Mark or underline keywords.
Underline the important words that you think can help you in locating the answers. Underlining the keywords helps you to relocate the information when needed.
4. Learn synonyms.
In the Reading test you will not get the same words as in the question as the examiner always set a trap by using different synonyms. If you want to locate the answers easily you should learn the synonyms and good vocabulary. You can learn this by using different techniques.
5. Time bond practicing.
60 minutes are allowed to complete your Reading tasks in IELTS so if you want to complete your task in the given time you should practice as per the exam level. During practice sessions keep an eye on the watch and try to complete the reading in 60 minutes. If you are spending more time on any specific question type work on it so that you can learn easy approach to the question.
6. When stuck in one question, move on to the next one.
You can spend around 80 seconds on one question and in this time you are not able to locate the answer just leaves it and move on to the other one. You cannot afford spending much time on a single question mark the unanswered question and come back to it at the end of the test.
7. Answers are in sequence
In IELTS Reading you get the answers in sequence in the passage which means you will get answer of question 4 between 3 and 5 there is very less chances that this sequence breaks.
8. Mark titles in different questions (summary completion, diagram completion etc.).
Some questions such as summary completion, diagram completion etc. may have a title. This title can save some time for you if you are careful to mark them. They guide you to find the concerning paragraphs where you can find the answers.
9. Transfer the answers to the answer sheet when you find them instantly.
As in Listening you will not get extra time to transfer your answers to the answers sheet so you should write the answers directly on the answer sheets and not on the question paper.
Thank You 🙂
