How To Develop Your Reading Skills
This article is a continuation on how to improve IELTS score by focusing on your reading skills.
Improving your IELTS score by developing your reading skills is a crucial step towards achieving success in the International English Language Testing System. As one of the main components of the IELTS exam, the reading section demands not only comprehension but also efficient time management. Strengthening your reading abilities will not only enhance your understanding of complex texts but also enable you to identify key information quickly, facilitating accurate answers within the allotted time. This follow-up article aims to explore essential strategies and techniques that can significantly boost your reading proficiency, helping you approach the IELTS reading section with confidence and achieve the score you desire.
So, without further ado, let’s explore the tips to improve and how you can get that IELTS reading score you desire in the IELTS exams.
To start with, you need to read the question and understand exactly what piece of information you are looking for. Highlight the keywords in the question and find that date, word or synonym, in the text.
Let’s Practice! Remember, Practice Makes Perfect.
Let’s practice your reading speed and time management skills. And remember, don’t forget to read the question carefully. Take a look at the extract below from an article about the author, Charles Dickens and practice finding the dates/names and then match to the correct answer.
In which year (1855, 1857 or 1858) did Dickens:
Meet Maria Beadnell?
Meet Ellen Ternan?
Separate from Catherine?
Want To Practice Some More? We’ve Got More Samples And Tips.
In the next paragraph, find the answer to the following question:
How many months was Dickens’ tour? (Remember to ask yourself, what kind of information am I looking for – a name, a date, a number, a word?) and then scan the text to find that type of word. Then see if it gives you the answer to the question.
The last skill you need to master is reading for detail where you are reading with a specific aim in mind and this matches questions in the IELTS reading paper such as True/False/Not Given or summarising questions. These kinds of tasks require you to use skimming or scanning to find the location of the possible answer, then read for detail in the part of the passage you are looking for the answer in.
Of course, you will need to be able to use this skill for most of the test as you use your skills to find the area of the passage you are looking for and then read the sentences around to see if it answers your question. If it doesn’t, move on to the next area you find. Skimming and scanning will help you find the part of the text you want and reading for detail will help you get the answer to the question.
Master The Different Techniques To The Right Questions
Remember, though, we are discussing and practising reading skills in general and questions in the IELTS exam require different skills. Once you have practised skimming, scanning and reading for detail in general, you can then look at applying these different techniques to the right questions. We will discuss the different approaches and the questions they apply to in future articles.
Look at this extract again. Read the questions, identify the keywords and the kind of information you are looking for and try to answer the questions.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Which of the artefacts mentioned is the oldest?
When was the material the archaeologists originally made?
What two common materials did ancient humans use to obtain their ochre?
What did ancient people use to keep their ochre mixture in?
Apart from painting, what else might ancient humans have used ochre for?
If you need help on how to improve your IELTS score preparations, and you want to progress with a highly-experienced UK IELTS teacher, go to our website to find out more. Or you can check out our IELTS Exam Resources.
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