IELTS READING AT A GLANCE – All You Need to

Know

IELTS Reading: General Directions:

 It is not a good idea to read the complete passage in the beginning as suggested by some
to get an overall idea about the passage. In my opinion, and supported by many, candidates
can at best find out at first how many paragraphs and questions the passage contains.
 It is also a good idea to have a look at the question types the passage includes, saving some
time extra as some questions are really helpful to understand the passage.
 Spend 20 minutes for each passage or section (in the case of GT). When you have already
spent that, it is wise to move to the nest passage / section.
 Always try to spend a certain amount of time on a type of question. For example, if
there are 5 heading matching questions and you can aim to spend at best 10 minutes on these
as they will allow you to get an overall picture of the passage contents. After 10 minutes it
is pointless to spend more time on this as you need to solve other questions too. As a matter
of fact, a question type’s difficulty does not put impact on your total band score.Remember
that, the number of correct answers guarantees your desired band score.
 Do not forget to read the direction of each type of question, it will save you from making
many grave mistakes such as looking for location in a wrong paragraph, writing yes/ no /
not given as true / false/ not given and writing answers not following the number of words
guideline mentioned in the direction.
 Always try to find out location by the name of an object or a person and numbers (if
any) mentioned in the question. While trying to locate something in the text, it is a good
idea to use the point of the pencil or pen as it makes you more alert and attentive to even
synonyms of that particular word. Remember, candidates tend to lose their focus while
solving subsequent passages under exam stress.
 Do not make careless mistakes in transferring answers to the answer sheet. In many
cases, candidates forget to include a word, write wrong spelling or completely miss out
the serial in the answer sheet.
 Do not declare war on a passage or a specific question type, it never helps you.
 Do not think about your end result in the exam hall, it tends to make you anxious or
nervous. Just concentrate on the question at your hand and answer.
 Never hesitate to guess an answer as there is no minus marking in the reading exam.
 Gone are the days when you could find an answer by reading one or two
sentences. Now, it is wise to read a certain portion, at least the part that involves your
question’s overall subject content and then you can decide.
IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks
IELTS Reading: The question types and their solution tips
 HEADING MATCHING:
 Read 2/3 sentences from the paragraph and then check in the list.
 If confused, read some more.
 If it is a small paragraph read the full Para.
 Check options in the list that contains plural such as – factors affecting NMVs. In that
case, the paragraph must include some or more than one factors that affect NMVs. Some
headings indicate – the thirsty sectors- then the paragraph must suggest two or more
sectors.
 Be careful of traps in the list. Remember, examples are not main ideas.
 many answers come in synonym forms. So, you may avoid those that copy words from the
passage directly.
 LOCATING INFORMATION IN A PARAGRAPH:
 It goes without saying that this is the most difficult question type and requires greater
reading ability and speed.
 Always look at the number of this questions and the number of paragraphs. It would be a
good idea to solve these questions at the end if there are a few of them in comparison to
the number of paragraphs. But, if there are as many questions as paragraphs in the passage
then solve them right in the beginning as it would give you the chance to guess the
location of the other questions.
 If there are as many questions as paragraphs in the passage, consider reading the small
paragraphs first, resulting in quick location of some questions.

MATCHING/ CLASSIFICATION:
 There will be some matching criterion and you need to find them in the passage and read,
then come back to decide the answer.
 If you do not find anything in the criterion then read the questions, at least two to start
with, and find location in the passage.

SENTENCE HALF MATCHING:

 Read at least two questions and try to locate in the passage. After locating, read the
portion and then read the answer options.
 Sometimes it helps if you look at the grammar accuracy of the answer and the question
part, in many cases they do not make any sense and you can ignore them.
 Never read the answer options before you read the passage portion that deals with the
questions.
 Some questions are really long and the answer options are too. One approach can be
leaving them till the end when you have solved the other questions and have a fair idea
about where to look for them in the passage.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:

 You should read two questions at a time and find locations.
 Never read the answer options before reading the text.
 If finding the location is difficult then solve at the end.
 You can expect to find location in serial.
 SHORT ANSWER QUESTION:
 You should read two questions at a time and find locations.
 you can expect to find location in serial.
 find location using the name of objects and person the question.
 FACTOR IDENTIFICATION:
 read the direction.
 look for words in the direction that can help you find location.
 sometimes it is difficult to find location as the direction does not give any solid idea but
asks you to get overall idea. In this case, you may solve it later.
 you can expect to get information in the passage in one or two paragraphs.

YES/ NO=/ NOT GIVEN OR TRUE/ FALSE/NOT GIVEN:

 You should read two questions at a time and find locations
 Find location using the name of objects and person in the question.
 You can expect to find location in serial.
 Be very careful in dealing questions that involve amount, number and comparison. I mean
read the question carefully and solve it carefully.
 If you do not have time to read ,you can answer all questions as YES/ TRUE, it may give
you some marks which is better than getting nothing.

FILL IN GAPS:
 You should read two questions at a time and find locations
 Find location using the name of objects and person in the question.
 You can expect to find location in serial (except table completion and summary with
clues)
 There are some variations in the question type:
 Notes completion: generally the answers are found in 1/2 paragraphs in the text.
 Sentence completion: you can expect to find location in serial.
 Table completion: read the column heading carefully, it helps to understand the question
overall.
 Diagram completion: locations can easily be found by using the names of object in the
diagram. You can expect to find all answers in one Para.
 Flow chart completion: locations can easily be found by using the names of object in the
diagram. You can expect to find all answers in one Para. Also, you need to understand the
stages in the flow chart properly.
 Summary completion: This question is generally difficult, particularly those with clues. A
serial may not be found in the text but you will find the answers in close 2/3 Para (if it is
summary with clues)

This is all you need to know about IELTS Reading. Practice Reading Passages. The
more you will practice the better chance to score high. So apply IELTS Reading Tips,
Tricks and Secrets. Definitely you can score more then you expected in IELTS
Reading Test.