IELTS Academic Reading test

IELTS Academic and IELTS General reading test is different .

Structure of academic reading test :

  1. 3 sections
  2. Questions: 40 questions (13-14 question in each section)
  3. Time allowed :60 minutes
  • Each section in reading have one long text.
  • Content are reliable and are taken from magazines, books, journals, and newspapers. They have been written for a non-specialist audience and are on academic topics of general interest
  • Content are appropriate to, and accessible to, candidates entering undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeking professional registration.
  • Texts range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical.
  • Texts may contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts contain technical terms, then a simple glossary is provided.
  • There are three section and 40 questions.
  • 13-14 question are in each section)

IELTS Reading Tips 7 Band

Below are some IELTS reading tips about how you can improve your band score. The tips include developing both IELTS reading exam skills and improving your English

1. You are not expected to understand the full passage

Most students have been taught to look up every word they don’t understand in a dictionary. The idea behind this is good, a vast vocabulary is one of the keys to getting a good score on the IELTS test, but being bothered about all the words you don’t understand in the reading exam Is going to affect you badly.

Your task is to locate the answers only. Most questions test your capacity to locate certain information given to you and for you to understand the sentence or sentences which contain that information. There are only two types of questions that will require a more thorough understanding of the full passage which are matching headings and choosing a title.

Note that when you worry about the meaning of the full passage, you start to get anxious and end up wasting too much time thinking about sentences that might have nothing to do with the question. Spend your time focusing on understanding only the information that is relevant to the question.

2. Develop your reading skills

It is very essential that you familiarise yourself with the IELTS reading test as well as IELTS reading tips and also gain an understanding of the different questions.
IELTS reading texts can be boring at times. But when you read about something you are interested in, you are more likely to read frequently, because reading for pleasure for a little while every day will not only help to enhance your English skills, and your speed level but also enhance your vocabulary. The reading test has a strict time limit which will challenge your ability to answer the questions quickly. To boost your reading speed you can read a wide range of blog articles, newspapers, magazines, and different books online that can help you to learn to read fast. Remember practice makes perfect.

3. Always read the instructions very carefully

So many easy marks can be lost if you neglect to read the instructions properly. This is particularly required in the reading and listening tests because they give very specific instructions. If you don’t follow these instructions exactly, you might get the question wrong.

For example, the instructions might state ‘write two words and/or two numbers. This could mean:

❖ One word, One word, a number and another number
❖ Two words, Two words, a number and another number If a number is written as a word it counts as a number e.g. forty-five is counted as 45. ‘Forty-five toys’ is one word and a number. If you don’t do this, as affirmed in the instructions, you will lose a mark.

If the answer asks for two words only and the answer is water and fire, you should write ‘water, fire’, not ‘water and fire’. Water, fire is two words. Water and fire are three and therefore inaccurate.

Finally, one word only means just one word. We should, therefore, be extremely cautious with articles like ‘a’ and ‘an’. For example, the text might say ‘an umbrella ’, but if it asks for one word simply write ‘umbrella’. ‘An umbrella’ is two words and is therefore incorrect.

4. Keywords

Each question has keywords that will help you locate the information in the passage and spot the right answer. You should learn to spot keywords and use them correctly. Some keywords can be obvious e.g dates, names, numbers, places. While some can be subtle. You will learn to use keywords correctly when you review your answers in the practice reading lessons.

5. Develop your vocabulary

A reading test is more of a vocabulary test than a reading test. They will use synonyms and paraphrase sentences to test how wide your vocabulary is. And this is why many students fail to get good scores because learning vocabulary is not only about learning the meaning of a word but it is also about learning when you can and can’t use a word. It is also about what collocations can be used with words, for example, verbs and matches nouns. Just as I mentioned earlier reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary. Memorising lists of words is not as helpful as seeing words in context. Whenever you see a new word you don’t understand, try to guess the meaning based on the words and sentences around it. So it is better you get your reading practice skills developed.

6. Be time conscious

Don’t spend too much time on one question, If you do you will leave less time for the other questions, also don’t try to do the test too quickly you will miss information and may get wrong answers

Try to get to each section finished in 20 minutes. This breaks down to 16-17 minutes to read and answer the questions and 3-4 minutes transferring and checking your answers.

You should pay close attention to your timing when practising. You will take note of which questions take you longer and which questions take you less time. This will give you the assurance to spend a little longer on specific questions. Everyone reads and answers questions at different speeds and styles, so work out what is best for you.

7. Plan your training for IELTS reading

Before the exams, you should spend time practising specific skills such as,

● Improving speed in locating information
● Acquiring vocabulary and paraphrasing limitation
● Practising particular types of questions
● Doing practice test but not under exam requirements so you can work on your skills
● Finally, doing a practice test under exam requirement to check your score and advancement

8. Know your weak point

You won’t be able to enhance your skills unless you know where you are lacking behind. You need to understand why you are getting your answers right or wrong. If you get wrong answers because you didn’t understand the passage then you improve your English skills, if you get wrong answers because you ran out of time or you couldn’t discover the information required or you didn’t understand the question then you should work on your manners of approach and strategies. Always spend time studying your performance before the main exams. Knowing your weakness helps you to develop and have better skills.

9. Make sure you do not leave a question unanswered.

This seems like one of the most noticeable IELTS reading tips but you would be surprised how many people leave blanks when they don’t know the answer to a question. Even if you don’t know the answer, make sure you attempt every question. You might end up getting the answer correctly and besides, you have nothing to lose.

10. You must prepare.

Just like other tests, you must prepare. Every Native speakers prepares by learning about the different types of questions and developing the right set of skills. So you shouldn’t be left out.