Why You Should Not Overlook the IELTS Reading Test

Most students avoid the activity of reading unless it is a magazine or a comic book. People generally find reading when all they see are printed words on a paper. Some people are very visual that they enjoy reading when pictures go along with it. However, when you take an English proficiency examination, reading passages do not have any pictures and you do not have any choice but to read the whole passage or get a failing score in the reading section.

The IELTS reading test is something most candidates should be careful with. It is a challenging section of the test – most especially to those taking the Academic reading test. Generally, the reading test last for an hour to complete with three different sections with a total of forty questions. The content is different for both Academic and General Training modules. In the Academic reading test, passages are longer. These passages usually come from books, magazines, newspapers and even journals and are often authentic. The texts used are made sure to be appropriate for university students and professionals and the content ranges from descriptive and factual to discursive and analytical. On the other hand, the General Training uses shorter factual texts such as hotel advertisements, job applications or training manuals. The topics are commonly read as an everyday life situation in an English-speaking country.

Listed below are the types of questions used in the reading. Candidates are suggested to be familiar with the following for they can be tricky and pretty challenging.
Short answer questions
Sentence completion
Summary/diagram/chart completion
Matching information
Sentence endings
Identifying information
Identifying main idea and key points

Since limited time is given to read and answer the questions, two skills that candidates should improve are skimming and scanning. In skimming, candidates just run through the reading passage finding the main idea and its key points. The scanning, on the other hand, is searching for key words from the questions and into the reading passage which is likely to be the correct response to the tasks. These two may look easy but it actually takes time to develop. Hence, it is important for IELTS test candidates to devote time and hard work in reviewing for the test. In addition, here are some tips for candidate to excel in the reading test:

Make sure you understand the task given and follow instructions carefully.
If you are not sure with your answer on a particular number, move on to the next one. Go back to that number after you have finished answering all the items. This will save you time.
Do not spend too much time reading on a passage. Learn skimming and scanning.
Check the spelling of your responses.
Singular and plural nouns should be observed seriously.
Word limit should be followed. Failure to do so means a mistake in the exam.

With these tips and the right amount of reviewing, getting a good score in the IELTS exam is surely a piece of cake.

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