IELTS

Reading
 Format
• 60 minutes (no transfer time)
• The IELTS reading test lasts for 60 minutes
• You will need to answer all questions and mark answers on a separate answer
sheet.
• You will not be given extra time to transfer your answers to the answers sheet, so
it may be good to write your answers on the answer sheet at the same time.
What is being tested?
• The reading section consists of 40 questions, designed to test a wide
range of reading skills. These include;
• reading for gist
• reading for main ideas
• reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and
recognising writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose.
Academic and General

IELTS Academic test - this includes three long texts which range from
the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These are
taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers.  They have
been selected for a non-specialist audience but are appropriate for
people entering university courses or seeking professional registration.

IELTS General Training test - this includes extracts from books,

magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks
and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter on a
daily basis in an English-speaking environment.
Calculating Band Scores
Skimming and reading for detail
• The most difficult part for the reading test is managing time.
• To make this easier we use a technique called skimming to read
quicker.
• Skimming helps us to get an overview or the gist of the text we are
reading.
• This helps us to understand the content of the passages we are
reading prior to answering the questions.
To skim a reading
• You read the whole first paragraph
• Read the first sentence of each paragraph (which is known as the topic
sentence). Sometimes a paragraph can consist of only one sentence.
• Then you read the last line of the last paragraph (because the last line
summarises what the whole text is about). Sometimes you can read
the entire last paragraph because it is often short.
• After skimming you look at the questions and underline key words.
• You come back to the reading and re-read the paragraphs where you
think the answer is in detail.
Scanning
• The technique of scanning is used to find specific information in the
text.
• For example, if you are looking for a specific number, date or name of
country.
• We scan the text and find the portion of the text that matches the
underlined keywords from the questions.
• Both scanning and skimming along with reading in detail can help us
to locate the answers quicker in the reading text.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtcXr0_201A
Matching Features
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