Things to know about IELTS Reading
Procedure of the test
In the exam reading test comes on the second place after listening. To complete this test you are given 60 minutes and no extra time is given to transfer answers from question paper so it is highly recommended to directly write the answers on the answer sheets.
Structure of the test
The test consists of three sections with around 10-15 questions each and 40 questions on the whole . Each section has a reading passage with questions. Questions can be before or after the passage the topic of the passage is derived from general interest and usually come from journals, magazines, books and newspapers. The difficulty level increases with the section and the third section is considered as the most difficult one.
General Tips – Reading
Before the Exam
First think is to practice a lot before the exam makes sure you get familiar with every type of question so in the exam you don’t have to think what to do of this question.
Doing practice papers is not more enough to get prepared also read newspapers, books and magazines this will enhance your reading skills.
Read as much as you can and also try to guess the meaning of new or unknown words.
• Read newspaper articles and practice the following:
Skimming and scanning technique
Finding headings
Writing summaries
Find the meaning of new words
Predicting what will come in the next paragraph after reading the first one
During the Exam
Take a look on the whole test first
Quickly look at the titles, headings, sub headings, diagrams in the text.
How to prepare for IELTS – Reading
Read the questions first and identify their type and locate the answer accordingly.
Don’t spend too long on one question.
If it’s take too long go with guess work as there is no negative marking.
Make sure you copy all words correctly from the passage as you will be penalized for spelling mistakes.
Make sure your answer is grammatically right.
Highlight key words in the text so that you feel ease to find them while locating the answers.
Don’t look for the same word in the text as in question because many synonyms are used in it
Marking
You are given a mark for each of the 40 questions. Your result is converted into a score which corresponds to one of the bands from 1-9. You will see the band on your result sheet. You can be awarded a whole band or a half band for the reading section.
