The Reading Components & How to Approach Questions

The IELTS reading test takes one hour. In this time you are required to read three texts of
between 700 and 900 words each. The texts and questions increase in difficulty. There will be
around 40 questions to answer and record on the answer sheet within the 60 minutes.
Most students come out of the reading test feeling that there wasnt enough time to complete the
exam paper. For this reason it is very important that you take a number of timed practice
reading tests before the actual exam day to develop the skills of skimming and scanning and
other timesaving strategies. In the following pages you will find how to approach questions to
prepare you to answer some of the most common types of question in the reading test:

= Summary completion
= Matching headings to paragraphs
= Identifying the writers views
= Multiple choice
= Selecting factors
= Table completion
= Matching causes and effects
= Sentence completion
= Short answer questions

How to approach summary completion questions
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that in this case you have to choose your answers
from the words provided. Also note that in this case you can use any word more than once.
Remember though that every IELTS test is different. So make sure that you read the instructions
carefully even if you have practiced the type of question before.
Step 2: Skim through the summary to get an idea of the topic. In this case the summary refers
generally to peoples views about the Titanic in terms of safety.
Step 3: Decide which section of the text the summary covers. In some cases the summary may
cover the whole text.
Step 4: Read through the summary, referring to the list of words each time you reach a gap.
Select one or more possible words from the list to fill each gap. Reject any words that do
not fit grammatically, even if the meaning seems correct. Confirm your choice by referring to the
relevant sections of the text.
Step 5: Quickly read through your completed summary to check that it makes sense.

How to approach matching headings to paragraphs
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that the heading you choose should sum up the
main idea of the paragraph. Also note which paragraphs you need to look at, as you are often
not required to do them all.
Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the list of paragraph headings by skimming through them
quickly.
Step 3: Read through the first paragraph for which you have to find a heading. Remember that
you are reading to find out the main idea of the paragraph. Concentrate on the main idea or
focus of the paragraph and try not to be distracted by details or by unfamiliar vocabulary.
Step 4: Choose the heading from the list which best sums up the main point of the paragraph you
have just read. If you cant choose between two headings, go on to the next paragraph
you can come back to that question later. But dont forget to make a choice before the end of
the test because if you leave a blank or you have marked two answers on your answer sheet, you
will be graded as incorrect for that question.

How to approach questions requiring you to identify the writer's views
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that you are asked to identify the writers opinion,
which may not necessarily be the same as the facts. Note also the difference between the
three categories you have to use, particularly:
No The statement contradicts the writer.
Not Given The writer does not give an opinion on this point.
Step 2: Skim through all of the statements to get an idea of the topics you will be searching for in
your reading of the text.
Step 3: Read the first statement again more carefully. Note the main point or opinion given in
the statement.
Step 4: Skim the text for the section which refers to that idea. If you come across information
relating to other statements, put a mark beside the section so that you can find it quickly again
later.
Step 5: Once you have found the appropriate section of the text, read more carefully. Decide if
the statement agrees with the view of the author (mark Yes on your answer sheet) or disagrees
with the author (mark No on your answer sheet). If the author doesnt give an opinion which
agrees or disagrees with the statement then mark Not Given on your answer sheet.

How to approach multiple choice questions
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully
Step 2: Skim all the questions briefly to get an idea of the topics for which you will be searching
when reading the text.
Step 3: Read the first question again more carefully. Decide what you will need to read to
answer the question. Is the question asking you
for a particular detail that you need to find in the text? Or is the question asking you for an
answer which requires a global understanding of the whole text?
Step 4: Once you have decided the best strategy for dealing with the question (as above), you
will need to proceed to read the text in the appropriate manner, for example reading for gist,
reading for detail etc.

How to approach questions where you have to select factors
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that only three of the factors are correct. Note also
that the instructions in this sample task tell you what topic to focus on. In this case the
instructions tell you to focus on poor communication as a contributing factor in the disaster.
Although other factors may have contributed to the disaster (such as A and C) only the
three correct answers focus on poor communication as a contributing factor.
Step 2: Read through the list of factors.
Step 3: Scan the text and find the sections or paragraphs which discuss poor communication.
Step 4: Read those sections carefully and select the appropriate three factors.

How to approach table completion tasks
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that in the sample task you may use your own
words if you wish, based on the information in the reading text. In other cases you will be
instructed to use the words from the reading text only. Note also that here you may write only
three words or fewer.
Step 2: Look at the table and especially any headings. Decide which is the most useful way to
read the table. In this case you need to read it horizontally to answer the questions. Glance
at the other information given in the table to get an idea of what information you will be
searching for when you read.
Step 3: Look at the first row under the headings. Decide what key ideas you will need to search
for as you skim the reading text. Decide also what information you will need to complete
the first gap. For example, in the sample task you will skim for a paragraph or section discussing
icebergs not being plotted because something was scattered all over the ship.
What was that something?
Step 4: Skim the text for the appropriate paragraph or section.
Step 5: Read that section more carefully and decide on the best word or words to fill the gap.
Remember that you will need to use the appropriate form of any verbs.

How to approach questions which ask you to match causes and effects
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully.
Step 2: Look at the table and decide which list you should work from. In most cases it would be
most efficient to work from the shorter list (usually the causes).
Step 3: Read the first cause.
Step 4: Briefly familiarize yourself with the effects list. Which effects seem possible at this stage?
Step 5: Skim the reading text to find the section which discusses the first cause.
Step 6: Read that section of the reading text carefully to find the effect.
Step 7: When you have found the effect in the reading passage, refer back to the effects list and
select the one which best paraphrases the information in the reading text. If none of the
effects listed seem to match, then keep reading the text, as it is not unusual for causes to have
more than one effect.

How to approach sentence completion questions
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that in the sample task you must only use words
from the reading passage, and that you may use no more than three words to complete each
Sentence.
Step 2: Briefly read through all the incomplete sentences to get an idea of what information you
will have to find in the text.
Step 3: Read the first sentence more carefully. Decide what information you will need. In this
case, you will look for a section discussing inquiries about improving safety procedures.
Step 4: Once you have found the relevant section of the reading text, look back at the incomplete
sentence and decide what specific information you need to complete it. In this case, you
need to find what was initiated.
Step 5: Read that part of the text more carefully to find the answer. Remember that the correct
answer you find in the text should
fit the incomplete sentence grammatically. If not, you may need to look for another answer.
In some IELTS tests the instructions will not say using words taken from the text, in which case
you can use your own words or change the form of the words in the reading text.

How to approach short answer questions
Step 1: Read the instructions carefully. Note that in the sample task you may use your own
words but you may not use more than three words for each answer.
Step 2: Briefly read through all of the questions to get an idea of what information you will have
to find in the text.
Step 3: Read the first question more carefully. Decide what information you will skim for. In this
case you will skim for reference to Alexander Carlisle.
Step 4: Once you have found the relevant section of the reading text, look back at the question
and decide what specific information you need to answer the question. In this case,
you need to find what the owners thought was less important than Titanics appearance.
Step 5: Read that part of the text more carefully to find the answer.
Step 6: Your answer does not need to be a complete sentence but it does need to make sense
grammatically.

Tips for IELTS Reading

1. Don't spend too long on a single question as that will lose you time for answering questions
that could be easier for you. Sometimes leaving a question and coming back later can help you
answer it too. Leave any questions that you have spent too long on, and come back at the end of
the test if you have time. Sometimes, if the question has a yes/no/not given answer, the answer
you are looking for does not exist as it could be a not given. Be aware so you don't waste time
looking for something that isn't there.

2. Read the questions and instructions so you don't make a silly mistake. For example, people
often will mix the yes/no answers with the true/false answers and write yes as an answer instead
of true or vice versa. Strictly speaking you are wrong although you have understood the question
and answer.

3. If the question asks for one answer then give one answer. Giving two is wrong as it asks for
one and you will be marked wrong. The type of question where this could happen would be: Give
one example of...Writing two examples, to show you really understand, is wrong.

4. If the question asks for no more than 3 words, use no more than 3 words. Writing 4 words or
more is wrong. You won't be asked to do it in 3 words or less unless it is possible so don't worry;
it can always be done.
5. One area that students don't like is that, in the reading test, good grammar and spelling are
important. The grammar part is not as important as you can't make many grammar errors in 3
words (the maximum you use in the reading test) but, if you spell something wrong, it will be
marked as wrong. People think, quite rightly in my opinion, that the reading should test whether
you understand what you read and not how you spell something but these are the rules. So, be
careful about your spelling!

6. One constant discussion I have had with students is whether to read the questions first and
then read the passage or read the passage first and then the questions. From my experience with
many students my conclusion is that there is no correct answer for this. It depends on a number
of variables. It can depend on the types of question and how difficult the questions are. It can
depend on how good and fast a reader you are. It can depend on the length of the text and how
much time you have. Let's look at these variables.

7. If the question type is difficult and asking something which is hard to answer then reading the
text first can help. Just a quick read through using a technique called skimming (see below for an
analysis of skimming) can give you the knowledge of the text that will help you find the answer
more easily.

8. If you are a good, fast reader, then you can read the text quickly, getting good knowledge of
the contents without using up too much precious time. This can help you answer the questions
better. If the texts are short then it doesn't take long to quickly read through them. On the other
hand, if the texts are short it is easier to find the answers so you may not have to waste time
reading the texts to find the answers quickly, especially if time is short.

9. If time is short then it doesn't matter how complex or long the texts are. You need to get some
answers on the answer sheet as quickly as possible. So, you can see that there is not one answer
to the problem of whether to read the texts or questions first. What I tell students is to experiment
in your practice and see what suits you for the different types of question in different situations.
As usual practicing your techniques is the key.

10. Time management is an important thing to be aware of. You have a number of texts to read
and 40 questions to answer in 1 hour. If you spend to long on one part, you may find that you
have not enough time to finish all the questions and some of those questions could be ones that
you could answer quite easily. As I said above, don't spend too long on a difficult answer but
also keep an eye on the clock. It's a good idea to have your watch or a small clock on your desk
so you know exactly how long you have left in the test at any given time. In addition to this, keep
control on how long you spend on each section. Remember the test gets more difficult as it goes
on so you will probably need more time for the questions at the end than for those at the start.
Maybe a guideline could be:
17 minutes on section 1.
20 minutes on section 2.
23 minutes on section 3.
(If you can do things more quickly all the better as that will give you time to look at questions
that you skipped and to check on your answers) With experience and practice you will soon know
how long things take you, and be able to manage your time well. If you have finished the exam
with time to spare, DON'T just sit there!! Check what you have done. If you have time after the
check, check again. And so on....



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