The IELTS reading section is an important part of the IELTS exam, that is designed to evaluate a candidate’s reading comprehension skills. It has 40 questions in total, all need to be done within a 60-minute time limit. In addition, having a better understanding of this section is vital for scholars to score well on the exam. Many times, most of the students lose marks because of less preparation for the reading section. Thus, this blog covers the most useful and reliable IELTS reading tips which will help you to ace the IELTS exam on first attempt. So let’s dive in with the blog.
Table of Contents
The second module of the IELTS test is the Reading section. It comes after the Listening section, followed by the writing and then speaking portions. You will get 60 minutes to read 3 texts and answer 40 questions in the IELTS reading section. However, the IELTS exam syllabus for the reading portion varies from the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training versions. In addition, the table has provided the structure for the reading section of IELTS exam.
| IELTS Reading | Structure |
| Format | 3 reading passages, from easy to hard levelTaken from books, magazines, and newspapers1 hour to answer 40 questions |
| Questions | 40 questions, based on the given texts, in a range of formats.-Matching Headings-Matching Paragraph Information-Matching Features-Matching Sentence Endings-True, False, Not Given-Multiple Choice-List Selection-Choosing a Title-Short Answer Questions-Sentence Completion-Summary Completion-Table Completion-Flow Chart Completion-Diagram Label Completion |
Overall, this is the format and structure of the IELTS reading section. In the next section, we will talk in brief about the tips for the IELTS reading section that will help you enhance your score.
Must Read: IELTS Reading Question Types
Whether you are appearing for the IELTS Academic or General Training test, you will need practice to get the required band score. Thus, below we have provided the best IELTS reading tips through which you can improve your score. These tips will not only help you enhance your reading skills but also improve your English level. Take a look at the below image of the IELTS reading tips and be familiar with them to succeed.
Now let’s understand each one of the tips in detail.
One of the well-known IELTS reading tips is Skimming & Scanning. Skimming is a technique to get an overview or a general idea of the content. This is preferred to do before you read all the questions. You don’t need to try to understand the passage. This technique is used to get a sense of the topic and layout. You must skim the whole passage in 2 to 3 minutes- not longer than that. At the same time, you should also look for specific information, such as a number, name, or date. This is referred to as Scanning. Through scanning, you don’t need to read the whole passage as you already know where this particular line or information is stated.
In the IELTS reading passages, you will have keywords that help you locate the information in the passage to spot the right answer. Therefore, you should know how to find the specific keywords and use them correctly. Further, you must also check whether the keyword can be paraphrased or not. With regular practice of the reading passages, you will learn to use keywords correctly. However, some keywords are obvious, for instance, names, dates, numbers, places etc. Other keywords are more indefinite to find. However, the IELTS reading keyword technique helps you locate the text where the answer lies.
In the reading section of IELTS, you don’t need to read the full passage as your task is to find the answers only. Most of the questions assess your ability to find the specific information given to you and then understand the sentence or sentences that contain the information. However, there are only two types of questions that will need more detailed understanding- matching headings and choosing a title. Besides these two, all other questions are based on marking the right information. Thus, it is advised to the students that stop reading the complete passage and instead look for the main information or points.
One of the most preferred IELTS reading tips is to work on your vocabulary. Learning vocabulary for IELTS reading is not just about understanding a word, it is about when you can and can’t use a word. It is also about how collocations can be used with words, for example, verbs and matching nouns. You should know about the words that have common paraphrases and synonyms which will help you find the answer in time. You can do this by learning vocabulary from practising reading passages. For IELTS reading, it is all about improving your vocabulary and learning to cross through different languages.
IELTS has a strict time limit that will challenge your ability to complete the questions in the given time. So students need to work on their speed to find the answers quickly. This means that you must be able to scan the passage speedily to locate the information. For this, always set a timer and keep an eye on the watch. However, to check your speed you can also go with the IELTS reading practice test and can examine your speed of answering the questions.
Improving your grammar skills takes time and practice, so you should be dedicated to a study plan. It is important to follow the grammar rules and develop fluency. There are questions in reading passages such as summary completion and sentence completion that will require the sentence to be grammatically correct. Grammar can help you to find the right answer. You will see an improvement in your grammar when you do regular practice reading lessons.
One of the well-known IELTS reading tips is to read as much as you can, like books, newspaper articles, online publications, academic materials, and social media. The topics in IELTS reading come from different sources, as reading the different content types and styles will help you prepare efficiently. It can also improve your reading comprehension and enhance your English-language vocabulary. Also, you will get to know about the new slang and several speaking patterns. Thus, it is beneficial for students to read the different types of media content which will help them in the IELTS reading section.
As there are different IELTS reading question types, students need to practice reading in English and become aware of unfamiliar words. You must highlight or underline the confusing words or phrases. Then, look for the meanings in the dictionary to learn what they mean. This will help you avoid slipping across a word you don’t recognize during the test. Students should implement this tip in the exam for a better score.
There is no specific spelling or vocabulary test in IELTS, but that doesn’t mean that spelling is not evaluated. In the IELTS reading section, scholars need to check the spelling they have written in their answers. However, you don’t lose marks for the wrong spellings, but if you’re not sure how to spell a word, then there is no point. Thus, IELTS aspirants must check the spelling before finalizing their answers.
The most important IELTS reading tips is to divide your time evenly as per the questions. In the reading section, you will have three different passages, so it is better to spend around 20 minutes on each one. This is not enough time, but you need to complete it in 60 minutes. So by splitting your time evenly, you will have the best chance of overall success.
Overall, these are the IELTS reading tips and tricks that will help you enhance your overall score. Now our next section talks about the common mistakes that you must avoid in the IELTS reading section.
The IELTS reading test is tough but also the major scoring module of the IELTS exam. Thus, we have discussed above the best IELTS reading tips which will help students to achieve good marks in exams. But, after proper planning and preparation, scholars still make some common mistakes in the reading section of IELTS. So before working on the IELTS reading mistakes, it is first advisable to understand the common errors that candidates should not make. Let’s have a look below.
Also Read: IELTS General Reading Score
To conclude, we talked about IELTS reading tips that can enhance your chances of getting a high score. These 10 tips and tricks help the students to learn everything about the reading section. In addition, we also had a look at some of the common mistakes that students can avoid in the reading section. However, if you’re still in confusion regarding this section then you are at the right place! Connect with Gradding.com and take our IELTS practice test of the reading section and see your score.
To acquire the IELTS master reading, follow the given points.
It is very rare to find repetitions in IELTS reading and listening. This is more common in the General Training Reading section.
Below mentioned are some tips for IELTS reading section.
In the reading section, the marks you need to get a level of 7 bands actually depend on what type of test you are giving. For the academic test, you will need to get 30 to 32 out of 40 to get a band 7.
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