Top IELTS Tips for Reading: Boost Your Score with These Proven Strategies

ielts tips for reading

Have you ever wondered why students find the IELTS reading test difficult?  The reason is that the time is less, but the exercise is more. You will read three passages and answer 40 questions in 1 hour; it takes work.   You have to prove the test how much you can extract the primary information from the passage in a short time.   So, how do you do well on the reading test?   You can quickly find the main keywords in the reading test by following some IELTS tips for reading tests and exam hacks.  If you can gather the keyword, you can easily take the IELTS exam in 1 hour.  

This article will share some top-listed tips that are unknown to others.  But if you know what, you will become successful in the IELTS reading test.  Also, by reading this article, you can take your time with the IELTS reading test as if you are short on time.

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    Understanding the IELTS Reading test format

    The IELTS reading part, while challenging, is manageable. It consists of 3 passages with a total of 40 questions.   You have a generous 1 hour for the reading test,   with each question carrying one mark.  These questions usually come from books, magazines, newspapers, and journals.  Below are the three passages of the reading section:

    • Passage 1: This passage is relatively easy compared to other passages. This passage 1 contains 13 questions.  The questions are under the individual sections.   
    • Passage 2: This passage is more complex than the first one. There will also be 13 questions.  
    • Passage 3: Passage 3 is the most difficult.  So try to finish Passage 1 and Passage 2 quickly and give Passage 3 a little more time.  Here, you see 14 questions. Several sections will include 14 questions.  In this section, you will get the MCQ part.

    The reading test format for IELTS general training and academics is the same.

    Importance of time management in the IELTS Reading test

    The IELTS reading test is a test of both speed and comprehension.  Students have less than 1 minute for each question,  and within 60 minutes, they must read and understand 3 passages and answer 40 questions. This underscores the importance of effective time management in ensuring a thorough understanding of the passages.   

    You can give 20 minutes for each question.   However, since the first passage is comparatively more straightforward than the other passages, give a little less time to the first passage and provide a little more time to the remaining two passages.

    Top IELTS reading test tips

    Top IELTS reading test tips

    Here are the top listing IELTS tips for reading tests:

    Do you know all the word meanings?
    1. It is wrong to expect you to know every word’s meaning.  When you do not understand the meaning of a word, try to understand the words around that word.  By knowing the surrounding words, you can guess the unknown word to some extent.  
    2. And if you can’t think of the word, then skip it. 
    3. Always try to focus on the words related to the question.  
    To improve your reading skills: 
    1. Practice reading more and more.  
    2. Don’t just limit yourself to reading IELTS books; practice reading a lot daily.  Read newspapers, magazines, reports, storybooks, and articles, and practice English daily.
     Read Instructions:
    1. Read each instruction very carefully. Such as No More than two words, No More than three words, No More than two words, and the number. Keep an eye on these types of instructions.  
    2. You will not get marks if you do not follow instructions.  
    Vocabulary: 

    You can follow three tricks in vocabulary 

    • Read
    • note 
    • review
    Time is most important: 
    1. Keep time in mind while taking reading tests because each time is essential to your IELTS reading test.  
    Passage: 

    Remember not to rely on your prior knowledge when taking a question for a passage something other than you are familiar with.  Based on the information in the passage, you should base your answer on it.

    Some also extra tips for the IELTS reading test:

    1. Do not write multiple numbers in the answer; your answer will be a number like (I, II, III, IV)
    2. After answering one question, immediately go to another question.  
    3. One mark for a question, so skip if a question is difficult to understand.  Otherwise, you will be unable to answer many questions later due to lack of time.  
    4. Negative marks do not matter in IELTS scores. So, if you are (40 – 50)% sure about any question, then you will attempt to answer it.
    5. It would help if you used a pencil while writing. First, write your answers to the questions with a pencil and then transfer them accurately to the answer sheet. 
    6. The reading tests do not give extra time for transferring answers on the answer sheet.  So attempt the exam within 1 hour to complete.

    Developing effective skimming and scanning techniques

    Developing effective skimming and scanning techniques

    IELTS Reading Test Asha questions affect a person’s two types of reading operations: intensive and careful reading.  

    Intensive Reading Operations 

    Skimming, which focuses on the main points of the passage,  is a practical technique that allows you to grasp the essence of the passage in a short time. Scanning: Having the ability to find answers to questions quickly and, for example, having the ability to quickly identify place names, specific words or phrases, numbers, years, and dates. 

    Sun Education University researches IELTS reading scanning and skimming techniques on their students. They noticed these two types of techniques were beneficial for them.

    Careful Reading Operations: 
    1. They recognize an author’s argument by acknowledging the factual views contained in the IELTS test text.  Candidates take tests on their ability to distinguish points they understand from the text. 
    2.  Understanding the Question by Guessing: Some questions may appear different from the original text.  Candidates need to answer these questions with a clear understanding of their meaning. Guessing unknown words: The text contains many words with some unknown words that you need to be able to guess the correct answer.

    Methods for tackling different types of questions in the IELTS Reading test

    The characteristics of the IELTS reading test in each section are different.  So be careful while answering each question.  Below is some discussion about the question:

    Matching Information: 
    1. There will be many headings in the question.
    2. Read the heading before reading the passage.  
    3. Find the main idea of ​​the passage 
    4. Try to understand the heading, then match it with the passage. 
    5. Match the sentence ending.  
    Multiple choice question
    1. MCQ may have four or more numerical options.  
    2. Sometimes, an MCQ may have 2 to 3 or more correct answers.  
    3. Marks are higher in MCQ and have multiple options.  
    4. It means that if there are two or three answers in an MCQ, then there are two or three marks in that MCQ.
    True, false, and not given
    1. Confirmed: If the answer matches what the writer said, then the answer will be accurate. 
    2. False: If the answer does not match what the writer said, then the answer will be false.  
    3. Not given: If the statement in question is such that it is impossible to say the writer, then the answer will not given.
    Sentence completion
    1. Find the keyword in the question so that it becomes easier to extract the answer from the passage. 
    2. Try to locate the information near the question in the passage.
    3. After getting the information, before writing in the answer sheet, you must understand whether the answer’s grammar matches the question’s gap.
    4. If you find any location, year, date, or number in the passage, mark it. 
    5. Qazi Mutabeen Noor, a student at McMaster University, said that students will find information quickly on the IELTS reading test if they read the questions or passage first and find out the keywords.

    Explanation of instructions (Questions)

    Some instructions for the IELTS test

    1. The instructions read attentively, such as Fill in the Gap question: No More Than Two/Three words. In this case,  you can use 2 or 3. We will deduct the number if you use more than the word in the question instruction.  
    2. A number counts as a word.  That is, the number 72 means it is one word.
    3. If many words connect with a hyphen, the word count is one word, like state-of-the-art here, which is a one-word count.
    4. You must avoid paraphrasing words and not use outside of the word in the paragraph. 

    Enhancing your vocabulary for the IELTS Reading test

    IELTS reading test vocabulary is essential. If you don’t understand the meaning of a word, then you will never understand a sentence. So, by following some strategies, you can strengthen your vocabulary. Below are some tips:

    1. Create a handmade vocabulary notebook where you can find new words with Bangla meanings every time is noted every time. 
    2. To increase your vocabulary, always read books, newspapers, magazines, etc.
    3. There is a lot of material on online platforms. If you have trouble pronouncing any word, you can use Google Translate. 
    4. Try to watch English movies and TV series with subtitles. It helps with the IELTS reading and listening test.
    5. Writing skill habits help you to improve your IELTS exam.  Write your whole day in a daily diary following the writer’s writing strategy, where you will write daily life descriptions.
    6. You are speaking English in front of the mirror, and trying to talk to communicate with other people in English can build confidence. 
    7. Remember to vocabulary use flashcards and vocabulary apps. These tools use the repetition techniques. 

    China researched vocabulary for the IELTS reading test in depth. 62 Chinese students researched vocabulary size tests, depth tests, and reading tests. In the end, the result was unbelievable. Vocabulary makes your IELTS exam result too good.

    Practicing with past IELTS Reading test papers

    Reviewing past questions is very important for IELTS exam preparation.  By looking at the past questions, you can understand the pattern of the previous years.  It will benefit you if you can solve the questions of the past 7,8 years.  You will get an idea about the IELTS reading test type of questions.  Solving the questions on time will help you prepare better for the IELTS reading test day.  Match the solve after answering each question.   Try to understand the questions in which the answers are wrong.  Solving this question will give you two benefits: 

    • You will learn some new words.   
    • You can answer faster than others on the day of the main exam.

    Conclusion

    We have shared the hacks in each part of this article. We hope you will get more help after reading this article. Remember the IELTS reading test: Do not panic. Panicking will save your exam time.