Ielts Reading

INTRO TO IELTS
FORMAT (READING)
Prepared by : Aqeela
Academic Reading Paper
◦ 60 minutes
◦ 40 questions
◦ 3 reading passages
◦ 2150 – 2750 words total
◦ Progressively becomes more difficult
◦ Authentic readings from books, newspapers, magazines
and journals
What skills are going to be tested?
Tell the difference
Completing a
between main Find specific
diagram, table or
ideas and information
summary
supporting details
Identify the Follows key Identify the

writer’s opinion arguments writer’s purpose
Type of questions
Matching sentence True, false, not

Matching headings Yes, no, not given
endings given
Sentence,
summary, note,
Matching
table, flow-chart, Multiple choice
information
diagram label
completion
Completion of sentence, summary,
table, flow-chart, diagram – labeling
Summary, note, table, flow-chart
completion
Strategy
◦ Look for the instructions and check how many words you must write
◦ Underline key words in each sentence. Decide what kind of word you
need for each gap.
◦ If you are completing notes on a diagram, are there any visual clues
that can help you locate the answer? In a table, think carefully about
the headings given. These can help you to locate the area of the text
where the answer is given and answer correctly.
◦ Mark the words you need in the text
◦ Copy them exactly and make sure the spelling is correct
Multiple choice
Strategy
◦ Read the questions carefully.
◦ Skim the text to get the general meaning.
◦ Underline any keywords in the question and think about any synonyms that might
appear in the text.
◦ Read the choices and underline any keywords. Think about the difference in meaning
between the different choices.
◦ Predict the correct answer.
◦ Read the text and using keywords and synonyms locate the part containing the
answers.
◦ Read that part of the text very carefully, thinking about the difference in meanings.
◦ Think about not only which options are correct but how the other options are wrong.
◦ Go back and read the question again and mark your final choice.
Matching information
Strategy
◦ Read the instructions carefully.
◦ Read the questions first. Think about synonyms and how you could paraphrase the
statements. This will help you identify the answer. Saying each statement in your
own words can help do this.
◦ Quickly skim the reading text to try to understand the general meaning of the text.
◦ Read the question statements again and predict which paragraph contains the
answer.
◦ Scan the text paragraphs you think might contain the answer for synonyms. If you
find a possible answer underline it.
◦ Check back with the question statement and mark the answer if correct. If not,
move on to other paragraphs.
Matching headings
Strategy
◦ If this type of question is on the test, do it first.
◦ Don’t look at the headings.
◦ Read the first one or two sentences and the last sentence of each paragraph to
understand the general meaning of the paragraph. Don’t worry about highlighting
keywords in the test. Try to sum up the general meaning of each paragraph in one or
two words.
◦ Look at the headings and identify keywords within each heading.
◦ Match any headings that are very obvious and you are sure about.
◦ For the others, write 2 or 3 headings beside the paragraph. Identify the difference
between each of the headings. Establish if there are any synonyms in the paragraph to
keywords in the headings.
◦ If you still can’t pick one, move one. The answer will often reveal itself later.
◦ Repeat until finished.
Matching sentence ending
Strategy
◦ Read the question carefully.
◦ Read the incomplete sentences first and don’t look at the endings yet. Try to understand
what they mean and highlight any keywords especially names, places or dates.
◦ Predict what the endings might be before looking at them. Think about what word type
(verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs) makes the sentence grammatically correct.
◦ Look at the endings but not in too much detail. Try to see if there are any obvious answers.
◦ Eliminate endings that definitely cannot match. Think about grammar, collocations, and
meaning.
◦ Match the endings you think might be correct. Write two or three options if necessary.
◦ Find the correct part of the reading text for each incomplete sentence. Be careful with
synonyms and paraphrases.
◦ Understand the meaning of that part of the text and choose the correct answer.
True, false, not given / Yes, no, not
given
Strategy
◦ Always read the instructions carefully and make sure you know if it is a TRUE/FALSE/NOT
GIVEN or YES/NO/NOT GIVEN question.
◦ Read all the statements carefully, trying to understand what the whole sentence means
rather than simply highlighting keywords. Watch out for qualifying words such as some or
always.
◦ Try to think of what synonyms might be in the text. This will help you identify the matching
part of the text.
◦ Match the statement with the correct part of the text.
◦ Focus on the statement again and then carefully read the matching part of the text to
establish if it is true or false. Remember the meaning should exactly match that of the
statement if it is true.
◦ Underline the words that give you the answer, this will help you focus and you can check
back later. Again, be careful there are no qualifying words in the text.
◦ If you can’t find the answer, mark it as ‘not given’ and move on to the next question.
◦ If you are really unsure or can’t find the answer, mark it as ‘not given’.
IELTS Reading: when are the answers
in order?
For the following question types, the answers are usually (almost always) in order in the
passage:
◦ All types of gap-fill (sentences, summaries, diagrams etc.)
◦ True, false, not given
◦ Yes, no, not given
◦ Multiple choice
◦ Matching sentence endings
◦ 'Short answer' questions
However, answers to the following question types are never in order:

◦ Matching paragraph headings
◦ Which paragraph contains the information?
◦ Matching names with statements or information

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INTRO TO IELTS

Identify the Follows key Identify the

Matching sentence True, false, not

However, answers to the following question types are never in order:

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