{"id":4285,"date":"2021-07-22T18:03:34","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T01:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/ielts\/?p=4285"},"modified":"2021-07-23T16:44:50","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T23:44:50","slug":"ielts-reading-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/ielts\/ielts-reading-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 4 IELTS Reading Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What’s your IELTS Reading strategy? It’s not an easy question to answer is it? Sometimes it’s hard to find the very best approach for your prep. That’s where we come in. In this article, we’ll give you four winning strategies to help you craft the perfect approach to IELTS Reading!<\/p>\n

IELTS Reading Strategies and Techniques<\/h2>\n

The IELTS Reading exam is probably different than the English reading tests you\u2019ve taken in school. Most of the time, reading exams involve carefully reading a passage from beginning to end and then answering comprehension questions about it. In theory, this is also what you should do on the IELTS Reading paper.<\/p>\n

In practice, this approach doesn\u2019t work very well for most people. The reason is simple—there simply isn\u2019t enough time on the IELTS Reading paper to read each passage slowly and carefully AND answer all of the questions. This is especially true on the Academic IELTS, where you only have 60 minutes to read 3 long and complex passages. On the General Training IELTS, it may be possible to read each passage carefully if you are a proficient reader. Nevertheless, I still recommend a different approach. Try these strategies as you practice:<\/p>\n

IELTS Reading Strategy 1: Skim Each Passage Before Looking at the Questions.<\/h3>\n

Learning to skim a passage effectively can save you a lot of time. To skim, take 3 to 5 minutes to look over each paragraph quickly, but in a strategic way. You should read the first line or two of each paragraph normally, but then you should go over the rest much faster. As you skim, you\u2019re trying to notice words that stand out because they seem important. This helps you to get the \u201cgist,\u201d or the basic sense of each paragraph.
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\nThe ultimate goal of skimming is to notice things in the text that will help you answer questions. You may find people\u2019s names, or important dates. You may also figure out how a passage is organized.<\/p>\n

For example, imagine you are reading a historical text. Often, historical passages are organized chronologically, from the beginning of a time period to the end. Skimming effectively will help you to notice this organizational pattern, and this knowledge will most likely help you to find answers to questions more quickly. Any time you get a question that includes a date or time reference, you\u2019ll know where to look because you\u2019ve skimmed the passage effectively.
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\nHere is a summary of the key skimming techniques you should master:
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  1. Notice the title of the passage.<\/strong> It often gives you a general idea about the main idea of the text.<\/li>\n
  2. Read the first sentence or two of each paragraph. <\/strong>Often, this is where the main idea of each paragraph is located.<\/li>\n
  3. Underline words that stand out to you as important <\/strong>(or highlight the words onscreen if you are taking the computer-delivered IELTS<\/a>). This will help you get a general idea of what is being talked about.<\/li>\n
  4. Pick out words that have something in common<\/strong> (i.e., airports, passengers, lounge, fly).<\/li>\n
  5. Ignore words that you do not know.<\/strong> Focusing on words that are unfamiliar to you will slow you down.<\/li>\n
  6. At all times, try not to get caught up in the detail when you skim!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Now try it yourself! <\/span><\/p>\n

    Take a look at this Academic Reading passage from British Council<\/a>. Can you tell what the passage is mainly about? Could you take a guess at the main idea of each paragraph?\n<\/div>\n

    Strategies 2 and 3: Underline or Highlight Key Words As You Skim and Take Short Notes<\/h3>\n

    Strategies 2 and 3 work together with the skimming strategy above. Basically, the goal of \u201cunderlining\u201d and taking \u201cnotes\u201d as you skim is that this helps you remember what you learned when you go to answer questions. It\u2019s very simple. Here\u2019s what you should do:
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    \nIELTS Reading Strategy 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

    As you skim, quickly underline or highlight each word that seems important in your Question Booklet (which contains your Reading passage). In other words, don\u2019t just skim with your eyes. Use your pencil or the highlight function (if taking the computer IELTS) to underline or highlight things that stand out as you skim the passage. <\/p>\n

    IELTS Reading Strategy 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Secondly, as you skim, quickly write very short notes (2-5 words) next to each paragraph with your best guess<\/em> about the main idea of that paragraph. You don\u2019t have to be comprehensive or even 100% right about your \u201cguess\u201d in order for it to be useful.<\/em> To be sure, if you had time to read the paragraph carefully, you could almost certainly come up with very good and accurate summary notes. But you might be surprised how close you can come to the main idea of each paragraph just from skimming. Again, this technique works for both the paper-based and computer-delivered IELTS; on the computerized IELTS, there’s actually an onscreen note-taking function.
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    \nWe’ll continue using the IELTS Reading passage from Strategy 1 as an example.<\/p>\n

    Write a few notes next to both paragraphs with your best guess about each one\u2019s main idea. Try it, and then look at the examples provided immediately below.
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    \nHere are some example notes: <\/p>\n

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