FREE IELTS LESSON - THE GENERAL TRAINING READING TEST

The IELTS General Training Reading Test is quite a lot to do in an hour, but, if you concentrate hard and are used to the tasks set through practice with good IELTS practice tests, then it can be done without too much difficulty.

The Test Format

The IELTS General Training Reading Test has 3 sections. You have 60 minutes to complete the test. There is NO extra time at the end of the test to transfer your answers to the answer paper (you get 10 extra minutes in the listening test only); your answers must be on the answer paper at the end of the 60 minutes. The test has 40 questions based on a series of texts. The total length of all the texts put together will be between 2000 and 2750 words. As in all the different parts of IELTS, the IELTS General Training Reading Test gets progressively harder through the paper. Possible formats of texts could be: notices, advertisements, newspapers, instruction manuals, leaflets, timetables, books and magazines. Getting used to the types of questions by using IELTS practice tests is an important strategy to doing well in this section of the test.

Section 1
Section 1 will normally have 2 or maybe 3 "texts" with 13 or maybe 14 questions to answer in 2 or 3 sets of differing formats. We will look at the types of question that you will meet later. Section 1 tests the candidate on "social survival" in an English speaking country. The questions usually involve the candidate finding and providing factual information from a variety of texts. Texts in section 1 are relatively short and there may be a number of "mini texts' to look through, eg: a series of advertisements on similar subjects.

Section 2
Section 2 again usually has 2 texts with 13 or maybe 14 questions to answer. Section 2 concentrates on the context of training and welfare in an English speaking country. The texts here will be more complicated using more intricate language and structure.

Section 3
Section 3 will have 1 text with 13 or maybe 14 questions to answer. Section 3 tests candidates' ability to deal with longer pieces of writing. The reading passage will again involve more complex language than the 2 previous sections.
Marking

There are 40 questions in the IELTS General Training Reading Test and 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer. There are no half marks. Your final mark out of 40 is then converted to a band from 1 - 9 using a converting table and this band is then averaged with the other 3 parts of the test to give your final IELTS band. Band scores for the reading test and the final band are given as a whole band or a half band. The converting table used to change your mark out of 40 to the band out of 9 changes with every test. However, below you can see a rough guide which you can use to assess your practice. This is no guarantee that you will perform the same in the real test itself as the test converters vary with each test, but it can be a guide to your progress. You can also grade your results in IELTS practice tests with the scale below.
IELTS General Training Reading Test Marks, Bands and Results - Rough Guide Converter

Score Band
1 - 2 1
3 - 5 2
6 - 11 3
12 - 17 4
18 - 25 5
26 - 33 6
34 - 37 7
38 - 39 8
40 9
Question Types

Below is a list of the types of question that you could meet in the IELTS General Training Reading Test. It's useful to read the list of course, but the only way to really be familiar with the types of question is through practice with IELTS practice tests.
Multiple choice questions
Short answer questions
Completion questions: Completing sentences
Completing notes
Completing a summary (no word bank)
Completing a summary (with word bank)
Completing a diagram
Completing a flow chart
Completing a table
Matching a bank of headings to identify paragraphs or parts of text
Matching a bank of writers' views/claims/information with the writer
Identification of information in the text: yes/no/not given questions
true/false/not given questions
Matching lists/phrases
Classification questions
Some Tips for the IELTS General Training Reading Test

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 practising your techniques is the key, so get some IELTS practice tests and see which techniques work best for you.

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 too 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 IELTS General Training Reading 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 on IELTS practice tests you will soon know how long things take you and be able to manage your time well.

As I just said, 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....
Reading Techniques - Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and scanning are the two main techniques that people use to read and answer IELTS reading tests. It's not a question of using one or the other but you will need both methods in doing the test. Let's have a look at the two techniques in turn.
Skimming

Skimming is reading fast to get the "gist" or the general idea of the text. There are different techniques of doing skimming. You can run your eyes over the text getting the general meaning, not stopping at words that you don't understand as this will slow you down.

The important thing with skimming is speed. Another way to skim is to just read the first and last paragraphs of a text and summaries as well. You could also just read the title, subtitles and illustrations if there are any. I prefer for IELTS the first way - reading it all quickly to get the general meaning, but of course it depends on your reading speed. If you are a slow reader in English, you really need to practise to improve.You can practise with any English texts, but, nearer the exam, you should do your practice on IELTS practice tests. To start with though, you don't need IELTS specific texts for this. A good English newspaper is fine. Get one every day and read the articles as quickly as you can. Do this with as many articles as possible every day and your speed will quickly improve. But, don't forget to use IELTS practice tests nearer the exam, so you can be used to the style of texts and the types of question.
Scanning

This is another very important technique for the IELTS Reading Tests. This is the technique that you use when you are reading a telephone book or a dictionary. You are not starting at the top and reading every line back and forth as you would read a novel.

You are moving your eyes around the text, back and across and up and down. You are searching for some specific information: a word or name. This is an important technique in IELTS reading as you are often searching for some specific information. You read the question and then you search for key words or ideas associated with the question.

This is a bit more difficult to practise than skimming. You get long texts (from newspapers, magazines or other sources) and get a friend to read it and then ask you to find key ideas or words as quickly as possible.

Again, if you do this frequently, your speed will quickly improve.

If you want to improve, there's no secret. Practice. Practice. Practice. You won't get better sitting and doing nothing. Even good English users need practice for the IELTS exam. It could make all the difference between your getting the band that you need, and getting half a band less than you need and having to do the exam again.

Finally, there are no correct answers or methods. Here I've given you some ideas to guide you and hopefully to help you but the questions can be answered well in different ways. Good luck with the IELTS General Training Reading Test. I hope that this free tutorial has helped you.

Read more »

FREE IELTS LESSON - THE ACADEMIC READING TEST

The Test Format

The IELTS Academic Reading Test has 3 sections. You have 60 minutes to complete the test. There is NO extra time at the end of the test to transfer your answers to the answer paper (you get 10 extra minutes in the listening test only); your answers must be on the answer paper at the end of the 60 minutes. The test has 40 questions based on a series of 3 texts. The total length of all the texts put together will be between 2000 and 2750 words. As in all the different parts of IELTS, the Academic Reading Test gets progressively harder through the paper. In each section of the Academic Reading Test there will be 1 text with 13 or maybe 14 questions to answer in 2 or 3 sets of differing formats. We will look at the types of question that you will meet later. The texts will come from magazines, books and journals and are written for general interest or for an academic though non-specialist reader. At least one text will contain a logical argument. One text may contain non-verbal materials such as a diagram, graph or illustration. If there are any words or terms of a specialist technical nature which candidates would not be expected to know, then a short glossary will be provided. To prepare properly for the reading test, you should read as widely as possible as many different types of "academic" style texts as possible and practice on good quality IELTS practice tests.
Marking

There are 40 questions in the IELTS Academic Reading Test and 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer. There are no half marks. Your final mark out of 40 is then converted to a band from 1 - 9 using a converting table and this band is then averaged with the other 3 parts of the test to give your final IELTS band. Band scores for the reading test and the final band are given as a whole band or a half band. The converting table used to change your mark out of 40 to the band out of 9 changes with every test. However, below you can see a rough guide that you can use to assess your practice on the IELTS practice tests that you use. There is no guarantee that you will perform the same in the real test itself as the test converters vary with each test, but it can be a guide to your progress.
IELTS Academic Reading Test Marks, Bands and Results - Rough Guide Converter Score Band
1
2-3
4-9
10-15
16-22
23-28
29-35
36-38
39-40
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

IELTS Academic Reading Test Question Types

Below is a list of the types of question that you could meet in the IELTS Academic Reading Test. It's useful to read the list of course, but the only way to really be familiar with the types of question is through practice on good quaity IELTS practice tests. Click here to go to the Home Page where you will have access to our free samples and our IELTS practice tests.
Multiple choice questions
Short answer questions
Completion questions: Completing sentences
Completing notes
Completing a summary (no word bank)
Completing a summary (with word bank)
Completing a diagram
Completing a flow chart
Completing a table
Matching a bank of headings to identify paragraphs or parts of text
Matching a bank of writers' views/claims/information with the writer
Identification of information in the text: yes/no/not given questions
true/false/not given questions
Matching lists/phrases
Classification questions
Some Tips for the IELTS Academic Reading Test

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 practising your techniques with good quality IELTS practice tests is the key.

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 on realistic IELTS practice tests, you will soon know how long things take you, and be able to manage your time well.

As I just said, 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....
Reading Techniques - Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and scanning are the two main techniques that people use to read and answer IELTS reading tests. It's not a question of using one or the other but you will need both methods in doing the test. Let's have a look at the two techniques in turn.
Skimming

Skimming is reading fast to get the "gist" or the general idea of the text. There are different techniques of doing skimming. You can run your eyes over the text getting the general meaning, not stopping at words that you don't understand as this will slow you down. The important thing with skimming is speed. Another way to skim is to just read the first and last paragraphs of a text and summaries as well. You could also just read the title, subtitles and illustrations if there are any. I prefer for IELTS the first way - reading it all quickly to get the general meaning, but of course it depends on your reading speed. If you are a slow reader in English you really need to practise to improve. You don't need IELTS specific texts for this. A good English newspaper is fine. Get one every day and read the articles as quickly as you can. Do this with as many articles as possible every day and your speed will quickly improve. Using IELTS practice tests is of course the best way to practice.
Scanning

This is another very important technique for the IELTS Reading Tests. This is the technique that you use when you are reading a telephone book or a dictionary. You are not starting at the top and reading every line back and forth as you would read a novel. You are moving your eyes around the text, back and across and up and down. You are searching for some specific information: a word or name. This is an important technique in IELTS reading as you are often searching for some specific information. You read the question and then you search for key words or ideas associated with the question. This is a bit more difficult to practise than skimming. You get long texts (from newspapers, magazines, IELTS practice tests, or other sources) and get a friend to read it and then ask you to find key ideas or words as quickly as possible. Again, if you do this frequently, your speed will quickly improve.

If you want to improve, there's no secret. Practice. Practice. Practice. You won't get better sitting and doing nothing. Even good English users need practice for the IELTS exam. Doing plenty of challenging reading and doing IELTS practice tests could make all the difference between your getting the band that you need, and getting half a band less than you need and having to do the exam again.

Finally, there are no correct answers or methods. Here I've given you some ideas to guide you and hopefully to help you but the questions can be answered well in different ways. Good luck with the IELTS Academic Listening Test! I hope that this tutorial has helped you. Below are the links to the other free Academic tutorials. We strongly recommend that you practice for the tests with good IELTS practice tests. Of course, we would like you to use ours as we believe ours are excellent and the cheapest on the market, but any good IELTS practice tests will do.

Read more »

FREE IELTS LESSON - THE ACADEMIC READING TEST

The Test Format

The IELTS Academic Reading Test has 3 sections. You have 60 minutes to complete the test. There is NO extra time at the end of the test to transfer your answers to the answer paper (you get 10 extra minutes in the listening test only); your answers must be on the answer paper at the end of the 60 minutes. The test has 40 questions based on a series of 3 texts. The total length of all the texts put together will be between 2000 and 2750 words. As in all the different parts of IELTS, the Academic Reading Test gets progressively harder through the paper. In each section of the Academic Reading Test there will be 1 text with 13 or maybe 14 questions to answer in 2 or 3 sets of differing formats. We will look at the types of question that you will meet later. The texts will come from magazines, books and journals and are written for general interest or for an academic though non-specialist reader. At least one text will contain a logical argument. One text may contain non-verbal materials such as a diagram, graph or illustration. If there are any words or terms of a specialist technical nature which candidates would not be expected to know, then a short glossary will be provided. To prepare properly for the reading test, you should read as widely as possible as many different types of "academic" style texts as possible and practice on good quality IELTS practice tests.
Marking

There are 40 questions in the IELTS Academic Reading Test and 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer. There are no half marks. Your final mark out of 40 is then converted to a band from 1 - 9 using a converting table and this band is then averaged with the other 3 parts of the test to give your final IELTS band. Band scores for the reading test and the final band are given as a whole band or a half band. The converting table used to change your mark out of 40 to the band out of 9 changes with every test. However, below you can see a rough guide that you can use to assess your practice on the IELTS practice tests that you use. There is no guarantee that you will perform the same in the real test itself as the test converters vary with each test, but it can be a guide to your progress.
IELTS Academic Reading Test Marks, Bands and Results - Rough Guide Converter Score Band
1
2-3
4-9
10-15
16-22
23-28
29-35
36-38
39-40
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

IELTS Academic Reading Test Question Types

Below is a list of the types of question that you could meet in the IELTS Academic Reading Test. It's useful to read the list of course, but the only way to really be familiar with the types of question is through practice on good quaity IELTS practice tests. Click here to go to the Home Page where you will have access to our free samples and our IELTS practice tests.
Multiple choice questions
Short answer questions
Completion questions: Completing sentences
Completing notes
Completing a summary (no word bank)
Completing a summary (with word bank)
Completing a diagram
Completing a flow chart
Completing a table
Matching a bank of headings to identify paragraphs or parts of text
Matching a bank of writers' views/claims/information with the writer
Identification of information in the text: yes/no/not given questions
true/false/not given questions
Matching lists/phrases
Classification questions
Some Tips for the IELTS Academic Reading Test

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 practising your techniques with good quality IELTS practice tests is the key.

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 on realistic IELTS practice tests, you will soon know how long things take you, and be able to manage your time well.

As I just said, 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....
Reading Techniques - Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and scanning are the two main techniques that people use to read and answer IELTS reading tests. It's not a question of using one or the other but you will need both methods in doing the test. Let's have a look at the two techniques in turn.
Skimming

Skimming is reading fast to get the "gist" or the general idea of the text. There are different techniques of doing skimming. You can run your eyes over the text getting the general meaning, not stopping at words that you don't understand as this will slow you down. The important thing with skimming is speed. Another way to skim is to just read the first and last paragraphs of a text and summaries as well. You could also just read the title, subtitles and illustrations if there are any. I prefer for IELTS the first way - reading it all quickly to get the general meaning, but of course it depends on your reading speed. If you are a slow reader in English you really need to practise to improve. You don't need IELTS specific texts for this. A good English newspaper is fine. Get one every day and read the articles as quickly as you can. Do this with as many articles as possible every day and your speed will quickly improve. Using IELTS practice tests is of course the best way to practice.
Scanning

This is another very important technique for the IELTS Reading Tests. This is the technique that you use when you are reading a telephone book or a dictionary. You are not starting at the top and reading every line back and forth as you would read a novel. You are moving your eyes around the text, back and across and up and down. You are searching for some specific information: a word or name. This is an important technique in IELTS reading as you are often searching for some specific information. You read the question and then you search for key words or ideas associated with the question. This is a bit more difficult to practise than skimming. You get long texts (from newspapers, magazines, IELTS practice tests, or other sources) and get a friend to read it and then ask you to find key ideas or words as quickly as possible. Again, if you do this frequently, your speed will quickly improve.

If you want to improve, there's no secret. Practice. Practice. Practice. You won't get better sitting and doing nothing. Even good English users need practice for the IELTS exam. Doing plenty of challenging reading and doing IELTS practice tests could make all the difference between your getting the band that you need, and getting half a band less than you need and having to do the exam again.

Finally, there are no correct answers or methods. Here I've given you some ideas to guide you and hopefully to help you but the questions can be answered well in different ways. Good luck with the IELTS Academic Listening Test! I hope that this tutorial has helped you. Below are the links to the other free Academic tutorials. We strongly recommend that you practice for the tests with good IELTS practice tests. Of course, we would like you to use ours as we believe ours are excellent and the cheapest on the market, but any good IELTS practice tests will do.

Read more »

IELTS Academic Reading Tips for Teachers- Matching headings to paragraphs task

IELTS Academic Reading Tips for Teachers- Matching headings to paragraphs task

In this task type, which often appears in the exam, students are given a text with 5 to 7 paragraph headings missing. They must select the right paragraph headings from a list. There are always more paragraph headings than paragraphs (so that students can’t fill in the last one by a process of elimination).

Teaching tips:

This task type is the best one to start with when practising and teaching IELTS reading for the first time, as doing the task doesn’t usually rely on knowing specific vocabulary and there may be several cues in each paragraph that match each paragraph heading. It can, however, still be a shock for students seeing a real IELTS reading for the first time, so it is best to simplify the task the first few times they see it. The ideas below can also be used later in the course to give students hints before you go through the answers.

An easy start

1. Give the students the texts and paragraph headings cut up so they can physically match them up
2. Give the paragraph headings in order and the text mixed up or cut up and get them to match them
3. Give a real exam task, but without the extra distracting paragraph headings
4. Instead of mixed up paragraph headings, give the students two or more options for each paragraph heading, using the distractors and some of the other paragraph headings as the extra choices
5. Give the students the exam task with the parts of the text that have the important information in already underlined
6. Get the students to do one of the fun tasks below, e.g. where they write their own paragraph headings, before you give them the real exam task, so that they already know the text well

Fun practice

1. Give the students an exam task with the paragraph headings mixed up but no extra distractor headings. Get students to write out the distractor paragraph headings for a task they will then give another team to try and answer (they will need to copy out the real paragraph headings by hand as well so the other group can’t easily see which headings they have written).
2. Give them a task with no headings and get them to write all the mixed up headings for another team to try to match up.
3. Do the task as a running dictation. One student has just the mixed up paragraph headings. The other student runs back and forward to the texts, which are stuck on a wall, and describes what is written to their seated partner. The person seated can only say “Okay” when they think they have enough information about one paragraph to match it to one of the paragraph headings they have been given or “More” if they want their partner to run back and get them more details. The first team to finish the task correctly is the winner.
4. Cut up one exam text between the paragraphs and put all the paragraphs up on various places on the walls around the room with envelopes below each one. Photocopy and cut up the paragraph headings (without the distactors) so there are at least 4 headings per student. Mix them up and give out one cut up paragraph heading to each student. They should stand up, walk around and find the correct paragraph for the heading they have been given, write their name on the back of the paragraph heading paper, put it in the right envelope and go to the teacher to ask for another one. When the time limit is up or all the paragraph heading slips of paper have been used up, the student with the most paragraph headings in the right envelopes is the winner.
5. Give one paragraph heading to each group and ask them to write the text for that paragraph heading. Shuffle up the finished texts and the paragraph headings, give each team someone else’s text and someone else’s paragraph heading (that doesn’t match that text) and then the whole class tries to match them up. This can be done either by showing them to each other or describing them to each other (a bit like a Find Someone Who mingling activity). Obviously people cannot help match the texts and paragraphs that they wrote.

The next step

• The task which is most similar to this but a step up is the “Locating Information” task, where the sentences given match some information somewhere in a particular paragraph (rather than summarizing the whole paragraph like this task).

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FREE Reading Test Tips

Like the listening test, there are no short cuts to a good reading test score - the only route is hard work. However, with the reading test, there are no excuses; you can practice reading where you want and when you want. However, the following tips will help you approach the reading test.   

1. Just having a very basic gist of what a text is about before you start reading will make it easier to understand. Looking at graphs, tables and any illustrations will often give you a good idea of the topic of the text. 

2. Remember - there is no transfer time for the reading test. Make sure you put your answers down on the answer sheet - not the question paper. (See an example of the answer sheet below.)

3. The reading test is designed to be general and designed for people with a variety of educational backgrounds. This means you don't need any specialist knowledge to understand any of the texts. However, some readings may be more familiar than others. 

4. If you are reading and answering texts out of sequence, take special care to ensure you don't write your answers in the wrong places on the answer sheet.  

5. If you are not sure of the answer to a question, it is natural to read text carefully to try to find the answer. If you dwell on a question in this way, you may run out of time. Remember, the reading test is 60 minutes long and there are 40 questions. If you spend one minute of each question that gives you 20 minutes to read a lot of text. If you really can not find the answer to a question easily, move on to the next question. 

6. Although there is no grammar component to the IELTS Test, grammar is important. As with the listening test, you can predict possible answers using the grammar of a question and using the reading text to check which answer is correct. Look at this example. 

There have been at least 500 ........... to correct this problem. 

a) Attempts b) Versions c) Tries d) Table Monolith 

The fact that '500' precedes the missing word might suggest it should be a plural noun or an adjective. There are no adjectives in the answers and only three plural nouns: Attempts, Versions, and Tries. Now you can use the text to check the answer.  
  
7. As with the listening test, do not deduce the answer. This is especially true in True / False Not given questions. The answers are in the text, you do not need to work them out. For example: 

"The introduction of new government policies gave people better lives: they had jobs and more money to spend." 

Now look at the answer: 

The introduction of new government policies had positive long-term benefits on peoples' lives. True / False / Not given 

If people had jobs and more money, surely this is better for them, and so it is natural to consider this a 'true' statement. However, the key here is 'long-term'. From the text, it is impossible to say whether the new jobs lasted 20 years or one day. If you don't make assumptions it is impossible to answer question. As a result the correct answer should be: Not given.  

8. True / False / Not given questions are by far the most difficult types of question to answer as they are designed to trick people into thinking about the answer and giving their deduction as an answer. 

9. Many students are generally very good at reading tests - they are very good at spotting the key words in a question, finding those keywords in a text, reading around the key words and finding the answer to the question. However, as with the listening test, in the IELTS reading test the words in the questions are often not the words you will find in the answer. As a result you have to look for synonyms of key words as well as the actual keywords. Consider a word like 'correct' - among others, possible synonyms include: 

a. Right 
b. Accurate 
c. Exact 
d. Truthful 
e. Spot on 
f. Proper 
g. Acceptable 
h. Accepted 

Depending on the context, only some of these synonyms might apply. You need to be aware of for these words as well as the keywords you are looking for. In addition, consider antonyms - words with the opposite meanings. A sentence like 'It wouldn't be wrong' would mean 'correct' in certain contexts. As you can see, you will need a fairly deep understanding of vocabulary. 

10. If aren't going to finish, guess some of the answers. It is surprising how many students leave multiple choice answers blank because they don't know the answer. If you have the choice of A, B, C or D, you have a 20% chance of getting the question right so just put one of the answers in!

11. If you really don't know the answer to a True / False / Not given question, and you want to guess the answer, DON'T choose "Not given" - it's the least frequent answer. 

12. If a reading text is very specific in topic (e.g. the development of the computer chip), don't think to yourself that you don't know anything about that topic and therefore can't answer the questions - the more specific the topic, the more factual and straightforward it will to allow everyone to have a chance at answering the questions. 

13. Some texts contain an opinion which you have to recognize. Remember that sentences starting with phrases like 'While it can be argued that…' do NOT express the author's opinion, they are more often a statement of someone else's opinion.

14. You might get a text with masses and masses of long, complicated words. Very often these words are key to the meaning of a sentence and therefore key to answering a question. However, equally often these words are unnecessary - they are adjectives or adverbs that provide greater description rather than play a part in meaning. If you start focusing on words you don't understand, you will run out of time. If the some words are too difficult, ignore them. Try this as an exercise - get a copy of an English language newspaper and find an article with lots of words in it you don't understand. Physically cross all the words out and then read the article to see if you can understand it. Chances are you will be able to.

15. If you get a text with a lot of dates, circle them as you go along - chances are the dates are going to be important. If you circle them you can find them again easily.

16. Likewise with names; even if there aren't a lot of names, circle the ones you find so you can find them again easily.

17. Don't worry about writing on the question paper if you need to.

18. The biggest tip of all: read a lot. Every day read something. The more you read the easier it will be. Study the sentence structure and punctuation of what you read, but most of all, try to grasp the ideas in what you read. Look at a piece of writing and write down some predictions about what the reading will be about. As you read check off these predictions - which ones were right and which ones wrong?

19. If you are really running out of time leave all the True / False / Not given and Multiple Choice questions until the end because you don't have to read anything to answer them. 

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IELTS; Free Online Mock Reading Test

RxPG Sections of IELTS Reading Test is a free online mock trial. Explanatory patterns and answer five questions in the IELTS passge are provided when you mark your answer is followed by.Test to try to "read more" link below.

In the future, these people grow their own food. Scientists are getting ready for the future by the biosphere. In Arizona, scientists are building. In 1989, eight people will begin living within the biosphere. They will be sealed from the outside world. They grow their own food. A scientist, we will need some sort of system to another planet. It could be a test to see if it will be. The project is called the biosphere. Many different areas will be put in the biosphere. The oceans, tropical, and will mimic a rain forest.They will try to grow all the food they need.The idea has been tried already. Two years at a desk in an office, two small shrimp is a sealed world.

---

1) Many different areas will be put in the biosphere. It will copy the oceans, the tropics, and a ________________.

One answer only.

    A. valley

    B. house

    C. rain forest

---

2) If they can grow all of the food they need, then it could be done on another ______________ that does not have any plants growing on it

One answer only.

    A. planet

    B. backyard

    C. biosphere

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3) People who fly in space have to eat food that they bring from earth. In the future, these people will grow their own _____________.

One answer only.

    A. pets

    B. moss

    C. food

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4) A scientist said that on another planet, we will need some kind of __________________ .

One answer only.

    A. life system

    B. biosphere

    C. light source

---

5) Scientists are getting ready for the _______________ by making a biosphere.

One answer only.

    A. shrimp

    B. plants

    C. future

---

 

This test has been created by RxPG 

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IELTS Reading

In the reading section, the problem is the time. You are supposed to read three passages and to give a total of 40 answers. You have one hour. Therefore you can devote just 20 minutes for a passage, which is sometimes not enough time. First of all: use just 20 minutes for each section: if after 20 minutes you do not have some answers, guess and pass to the next question. Remember: you won't have extra-time at the end of the hour to transfer the answers to the answer sheet. Therefore write them on it at once: this is an important difference from the listening section, where you will be given time to transfer your answers.

Second: read  the questions carefully before reading the passage: this is very very important. If you read the passage without knowing the questions, you will waste your time. Here is a useful procedure: use 3-4 minutes to read the questions; use 10-12 minutes to read the passage and to answer where you can. In this way you should be able to find a lot of answers. Use the last minutes to find the answers in the text that you did not find when you first read the passage. Usually, but not always, you will find the answers in order.

Third: read the instructions given carefully: if you are asked to answer a question taking no more than two or three words from the text, then an answer with more words is definitely wrong. Sometimes you are given a sentence and you have to write YES if it is true according to the text, NO if it is not, NOT GIVEN if the information is not in the text. Remember: ACCORDING TO THE TEXT. You have to be very precise: sometimes just a word in the passage can make you have to decide between two alternatives. 

Other times the text is divided into a number of paragraphs and you are asked to choose a title for each paragraph from a list of possible titles. In the weeks before the exam, test when you read an article in a newspaper or in a magazine, try to give a title to each paragraph. The title is usually the main point of the paragraph. This will help you very much.

• Tip from Ros (May 2001):

Read the following text and try to answer the question you will find at the bottom.
One day my family and I decided to try windsurfing. We went for a few lessons first (only 5) which gave us some idea of the techniques to use when trying to windsurf. After our introductory course we hired a board and off we went for a day at the sea. Although we were not very good, we knew HOW to practice to improve. We only knew this because of our introductory lessons. Just watching others do it would not have been helpful at all, in fact we would have become frustrated and given up. Reading other peoples model essays is a bit like this. When you read it you think 'it seems so easy' but when you try you find out that it's exasperatingly, frustratingly, anxiety provokingly DIFFICULT. Like the poor people who had no lessons to learn to windsurf, you too feel like giving up. REMEMBER THIS: We only needed 5 lessons to learn enough to be able to HELP OURSELVES. We will never be champion windsurfers, just as you will most likely never be able to write English like me and I will never be able to write Chinese (which I am trying to learn) or any other language, like you. THE GOOD NEWS IS: you don't have to - you only have to get through the IELTS test. We didn't aim at being champion windsurfers - we only wanted to have fun. You, like us, only need to be given some techniques and away you will go. A WORD OF CAUTION: If I had only one hand, for example, I would not have been able to learn to windsurf. If you do not have the basics of English you will be in the same position. However, if you do have the basics all you need is the techniques to tackle the IELTS. MY VIDEO WILL HELP YOU WITH THIS.
 

After reading the message decide which of the following would be the best heading for it:

(a) The IELTS test and wind-surfing are similar.

(b) The best way to succeed in the IELTS is to get some help from an expert.

(c) The IELTS Tutor will help you to do well in the IELTS

Which one is the best heading (a), (b) or (c). 

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Skills for the Reading Module

One of the main difficulties experienced by students doing the Reading Module is not having enough time to complete the test. It is, therefore, essential to read both efficiently and effectively.

There are a few main skills that you will need in order to do well in the IELTS Reading Module. It is useful to use the following procedure for each text that is given.

Previewing (about 2 minutes for each passage)

(a) Study the passage by noting:

• titles
• headings
• illustrations
• diagrams
• any print in bold type or italics.

(b) Study key parts of the passage by skimming. Read the first paragraph which often focuses on the main idea. The first sentence of each paragraph usually expresses the key points of the paragraph. Generally, the concluding paragraph provides a summary of the given passage. You may wish to highlight these with a pen.

Interpreting the instructions and questions (about 2 minutes)

Read each word in the instructions carefully and ensure that you understand exactly what is required and in what form. For example, the instructions may say, ‘Choose no more than three words from the passage for each answer'. In this situation, it would not be acceptable to write four or more words. Often students find the right answer but present it in the wrong form and, unfortunately, do not score any marks for that answer. Understanding what is required, therefore, is just as important as finding the right answer in the passage.

When you are looking at the questions, you need to recognise:

• what type of question you have to answer (is it gap-filling, multiple choice, matching information, etc?)
• whether or not the question requires a specific or general answer
• what form the answer should take (is it a number, date, reason, etc?)

Scanning the text for specific answers (about 1 minute per question)

Use your time wisely. Spend no longer than one minute on finding each answer. Only look in the given text, table, diagram or graph for the answer required. Locate key words in the question and find them, or synonyms for them, in the text. The sentences around these words are most likely to contain the answers you need.

If you are still unsure of the answer after you have spent approximately one minute on the question, make a sensible guess in the appropriate form. You may wish to mark the answers you are unsure of in some way so that, if you do have time at the end of the Reading Module, you can check these answers again.

Checking your answers (about 3 minutes)

After you have completed your answers for each section, you need to check them. Check that you have followed the instructions exactly. If you have time, return to the answers you marked because you were unsure and see if the answers you have given are the best ones.

    Do not leave any answers blank as you do not lose marks for incorrect answers. 

Helpful hints for the Practice Reading Module There may be some words in the passage with which you are unfamiliar. Use the strategies explained in the section, ‘Working out unfamiliar vocabulary' to help you work out the meanings of these words. Be aware of the use of connective words. These will help you with the general meaning of the text. If you are unsure of any answers, check the table of common connective words. Note if there is a glossary accompanying the passage. Follow the instructions carefully. A correct response will be marked wrong if it is written in the wrong form.

Working out unfamiliar vocabulary

When reading a passage in the IELTS test, it is most likely that you will come across words with which you are unfamiliar. Be prepared for this. You may not need to understand the exact meaning of an unknown word, unless there is a question directly related to it.

If you do need to know the meaning of an unfamiliar word, don't panic. There are various strategies that you can use to work out the meaning of the unknown words.

Check the context

Are there any clues in the surrounding words or phrases? Look particularly at the words just before and just after the unfamiliar words.

Look for a definition

Sometimes the writers realise that the word is an uncommon one so they define, restate, explain or give an example of it. Words that signal meaning often include ‘is', ‘means', ‘refers to', ‘that is', ‘consists of'. For example, ‘Snoring is a noise generated by vibrations of the soft parts of the throat during sleep.' The word ‘is' signals a definition.

Remember, too, to check if there is a glossary.

Identify the word's place and purpose

Is it a noun, adjective, verb or adverb in the sentence? Are there any punctuation clues, for example, semicolons or question marks?

Look for connective words

They are often near the unknown words and will usually help to identify the general direction of the argument which will help to give some understanding of the unknown word.

Break the word down into syllables

Sometimes knowledge of common roots, affixes and possible similarity of words in your own language can help you to identify the meaning.

Treat the unknown word as an algebraic entity ‘X'

Observe the relationship of the unknown word,‘X', to other words and concepts with which you are more familiar. Often this is enough to answer questions that include‘X'.

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