§ General => specific

§ Listing (in order of importance: Least => Most, Most =>

Least)
§ Chronological order (time order)
§ Cause + effect
§ Problem + solution
§ Question + answer
§ Compare + contrast(Point-by-Point, Block)
§ For + against
§ Description + evaluation
§ Try to FIND, not to understand
§ Find what?
• name (CAPITAL LETTERS)
• numbers
• list (“:” “;” “,” “First(ly)/Second(ly))
• subject-specific words (in ITALIC, “”)
• ‘irregular words’ (having no regular affixes such as -
ment, -tion, -ance...)
§ Scan MANY LINES at one time
§ How to know when I’ve found the correct place:
when you see many synonyms and paraphrasing
between the questions and the text
§ Sentence completion
§ Summary completion
§ Whole passage
§ A section of the passage

§ Diagram completion
§ Flowchart completion
§ Table completion
§ Check WORD LIMIT
• one word and/or a number?
• “5” or “five”?
• Hyphenated words?(ex: state-of-the-art)

§ Read questions + underline KEY WORDS

§ Guess word form (N, V, adj, adv, singular, plural)
§ Locate information
• Based on PASSAGE STRUCTURE and KEY WORDS
to narrow down the “searching” area
• SCAN for key words and/or their PARAPHRASING
§ Once you locate the relevant part of the passage,
read AROUND this place VERY CAREFULLY
§ Choose the suitable word(s) to answer the question
• The words in your answer must be taken from the
passage
• Double check grammar
• Double check spelling

§ Questions often follow passage order

§ Read questions + underline KEY WORDS
• (Look at SCANNING to see what to underline)
§ Scan
§ Compare between question & text
• Identify FOCUS of question
Ex: There may be genetic causes for the differences in how
young the skin of identical twins looks.
• Decide T/F/NG
vNG không có nghĩa là không có thông tin trong bài
vQ: Twins are at greater risk of developing certain illnesses
than non-twins.
Text: If identical twins are more similar to each other with
respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then
vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in
heredity.
§ Underline ALWAYS, NEVER, ONLY, ALL, THE MOST...
§ Try to understand the MAIN IDEA, and see TEXT
STRUCTURE
§ Only read the CORE of the sentence, don’t read:
§ Extension part: Mr. X, a historian at ABC university ...,
§ Subordinate clause: Because [clause 1], [clause 2]
§ Extension part BEFORE/AFTER the main noun in a
noun phrase: an incredibly beautiful girl who appeared
on the live show yesterday
§ Adverbs ending with “ly”

§ Skim faster: Read the SUBJECT + VERB of each

sentence => see text structure
Traditional ways of teaching form the basis of the lesson
and the remarkably quiet classes take their own notes of
the points made and the examples demonstrated.
Everyone has their own copy of the textbook supplied by
the central education authority, Monbusho, as part of the
concept of free compulsory education up to the age of 15.
These textbooks are, on the whole, small, presumably
inexpensive to produce, but well set out and logically
developed. (One teacher was particularly keen to
introduce colour and pictures into maths textbooks: he
felt this would make them more accessible to pupils
brought up in a cartoon culture.) Besides approving
textbooks, Monbusho also decides the highly centralised
national curriculum and how it is to be delivered.
Traditional ways of teaching form the basis of the
lesson and the remarkably quiet classes take their own
notes of the points made and the examples
demonstrated. Everyone has their own copy of the
textbook supplied by the central education authority,
Monbusho, as part of the concept of free compulsory
education up to the age of 15. These textbooks are, on
the whole, small, presumably inexpensive to produce,
but well set out and logically developed. (One teacher
was particularly keen to introduce colour and pictures
into maths textbooks: he felt this would make them more
accessible to pupils brought up in a cartoon culture.)
Besides approving textbooks, Monbusho also decides
the highly centralised national curriculum and how it is
to be delivered.
§ Read ALL headings + Underline key words. Cross
out EXAMPLE
§ Read the text.
§ Skim EVERY sentence, but FOCUS most on First + Last
sentences
§ Underline key words saying main ideas
§ If topic idea is clear right in the first sentence, keep
skimming the whole paragraph to double check
§ Eliminate WRONG answers => that leaves the right
answer
§ Never choose answer just by seeing IDENTICAL
words between the text and the question
§ Well,...
§ Personally,...
§ Honestly,.../Frankly speaking,.../To be
honest,.../Actually,...
§ Basically,.../Generally speaking,...
§ Absolutely!/Definitely!/Certainly!Obviously!
1. Describe a person
2. Describe an object
3. Describe an activity
4. Describe an event
5. Describe a place
6. Describe a favourite
1. Opening
2. Body: GENERAL >> SPECIFIC
§ Background (who, what, when, where)
§ Describe and tell stories (how)
§ Why
3. Ending
§ Take note: ideas (why) + topic vocabulary
§ Clear structure: Opening-Body-Ending
§ Tell stories, be DETAILED as much as possible
§ Always paraphrase
§ Use linking words (Firstly, In addition…)
§ KEEP TALKING
§ Answer each cue question
§ Only note key words
§ Note WHY ideas
§ There are many..., but the one I would like to talk about is,
who/which...
o There are many kinds of sports on my favourite list, but the
one I would like to talk about today is yoga, which I’ve been
practising for over 2 years.
§ What I would like to talk about is…, which…
o What I would like to talk about is yoga, my favourite sport
which I’ve been practising for over 2 years.
§ ... is the ... that I would like to share with you today.
o Yoga is my all-time favourite sport that I would like to share
with you today.
1. Opening
§ There are many... ,but the one I would like to talk
about is, which …
2. Body (what, when, where, who, how, why)
§ Background
§ Describe the activity
§ Why
3. Ending
§ That’s all I want to talk about …
1. Comparison
2. Prediction
3. Explanation (why)
4. Advantages/Disadvantages
5. Problems
6. Solutions
1. Direct answer
2. Explain
3. Example
4. Opposite or Alternative
§ How important is customer service for you?
§ (Direct answer) Customer service is really
important for me because I like to feel welcome and
valued as a customer. (Explain) If companies want
us to use their products or services, I believe they
should treat us well and therefore encourage us to
return. (Example) For example, I have a favourite
cafe where I like to go, and the friendly staff are the
main reason that I’ve become a loyal customer.
§ Do you think it's ever worth hiring a professional
photographer?
§ (Direct answer) Yes, for certain special occasions I
definitely think it's best to pay a professional to take
photos. (Explain) A professional photographer is likely to
have a better camera and related equipment, and you
would hope that the end result will be a set of stunning
photographs. (Personal example) Thinking back to a
wedding that I attended last summer, I remember that the
photographer knew exactly what he was doing, and he
took some great pictures of the bride, groom and
guests. (Opposite or alternative) Without a paid
professional, you would have to rely on a friend or family
member to take photos, and I think this would be risky. I
don't think you can trust an amateur when it's a once-in-a-
lifetime event.
• Ex: The government should support local businesses.
1. Passive <-> Active
• Local companies should be assisted by the authorities.
2. Word forms
• The authorities should provide support/aid/help/assistance for
local companies.
3. Dummy subjects (It, There)
• It is necessary/important/vital for the authorities to provide
assistance for local companies.
4. Synonyms/definition
• It is vital for national leaders to provide assistance for local
companies.
• Ex: The position of women in society has changed greatly in the
past 20 years.
5. Change word order
• Women’s position in society has changed greatly in the past 20
years.