Improve IELTS Reading Task
Every time you start doing a task, be sure to read the instructions and examples carefully. Most of the tasks look similar, so you’ll recognize them at first sight after doing some practice tests. However, there are several facts that you need to pay special care to. Here in this article, you know how to improve your IELTS reading tasks for overseas study.
IELTS Reading Task
Score High in IELTS Reading Task
1. Use Time to Your Advantage
Fill In the Test Answer Sheet as You Want
So, what we advise you to do is to fill in the test answer sheet as you want, not at the end. Have the booklet in front of you so you can read the texts and questions comfortably, and also keep the answer sheet handy so you can write down all the correct answers as you go through the task.
Leave The Tough Questions for Last
If you spend a lot of time on questions that you find difficult, you will lose valuable exam time. You won’t be able to answer all of the easier questions and you will lose points! If you don’t answer some of the questions correctly, leave them out and move on. This way you can attention to all the questions you know the all-right answers to. You can come back to the difficult questions at the end if you have time.
Do Not Start Reading the Text Until You Have Looked at The Tasks
When you start reading, you should do so with a few questions in mind. Otherwise, you will read the text, then the questions, then the text again. You will end up reading the texts too many times, and you just don’t have time for that. Read the tasks and questions first, before you read, and think about what information you need to find to answer those questions as you read.
Practice Doing Lots of Reading Tests
It’s the best way to use your time before the exam! You will learn how to take the test before you take the real test. You will know where your strengths and weaknesses are. Also, you will also know what to do for each task and how to answer each type of question. That way, you’ll know how to best allocate your time and won’t worry too much about working against the clock.
2. Read the Task Carefully
Every time you start doing a task, be sure to read the instructions and examples carefully.
Most of the tasks look similar, so you’ll recognize them at first sight after doing some practice tests. However, there are several facts that you need to pay special care to.
Here’s what to watch out for in three of the most common task types:
True/False/Not given:
If you select “true”, the entire sentence must be true. There are a few tricky questions in which not all details are true. Approximately may be true or correct while others are false or wrong. In these cases, the answer will be “false”.
Related Tasks:
Do not cross out options you have already used. It may seem like a quick way to do the task, but it can lead to errors. Instead, reconsider all options for each question. This way you will have the opportunity to correct your own mistakes by seeing if each word option is better suited to another question.
Gap-Filling Tasks:
Be sure not to exceed the word limit for each space.
- Improve Scanning
Scanning is a reading method that permits you to find data quicker. When scanning, you no extended read all word to word. You simply move your eyes over the text smoothly in a wave-like motion. You don’t stop to read the details and you don’t waste time with useless information. It’s a great way to understand the main ideas of a text and find the information you want to read in more detail.
When you really want to understand a text, you will want to understand what each paragraph says. Each paragraph has a main idea and this idea is expressed in the topic sentence. You don’t have time to read all the details and that’s okay because most of them aren’t necessary to answer the questions correctly. What you really need to understand in each paragraph is the information in the topic sentence.
So Where Do You Find the Topic Sentence?
Usually, it is the first sentence of the paragraph, but it can also appear at the end. This is the sentence that expresses the main idea of the whole paragraph. Topic phrases are easy to recognize because they sound like announcing what is to come. Something like “There are many benefits to using intranets in business these days” is the topic sentence of a paragraph that will discuss the benefits of intranets. To maximize your time, look for it in the first sentence, then the second, and finally the last. Do it while you read.
Scanning can also help you fast discover keywords and numbers. Although numbers are usually easy to locate, with keywords you should use your memory to find the approximate location where you read this earlier, and then search for the discussed word in more detail. You should also search for keywords and numbers in figures, diagrams, and footnotes.
4. Be Cool with Vocabulary
Don’t panic if you come across unfamiliar words.
Even native speakers don’t understand every word of every text they read and that’s okay because not all of those words matter most of the time.
Remember, this is not a vocabulary test!
You should practice reading faster and understanding the general ideas of the texts. You can understand the meaning of a sentence or a paragraph even if you don’t know every word!
If you want to improve your vocabulary, you can work on it separately after completing the IELTS reading practice test you are working on. There are texts with really important words which are considered as specific knowledge of a certain field and which are given in a glossary at the end of the text. Every time you see a glossary, you should read it to improve your understanding of these texts.
Learn as much vocabulary as possible, but don’t worry if you don’t know every word in a text.
5. Improve Your Reading Speed
There’s only one way to do it and there’s no hiding it: the more you read, the better and faster you read.
You may already have your favorite reading sources, but it’s a good idea to read texts and articles that are more like IELTS texts in length and complexity. Discover some scientific or economic and political articles which are also perfect to stay up to date with the news.
Reading training for IELTS will do wonders for your reading skills whether you are still studying or already working.
The reading test is a great way to improve a skill you’ll use for a lifetime.
You will most likely find that you understand everything you read much better!
Also, you can join IELTS coaching in Lucknow for more as you need professional help also. If you Don’t want to shift to Jaipur you can ask your overseas education consultants to suggest for best IELTS coaching near you.
