GENERAL UNDERSTANDING: WHAT IS THE IELTS?

IELTS, which stands for International English Language Testing System, is

commonly taken by people who want to certify their English proficiency
level for several reasons: educational, vocational and immigration
purposes. Based on its usage requirements, IELTS is divided into two types,
Academic Test and General Training Test, which every of each measures
English ability through written skill (reading, listening and writing) and
oral skill (speaking). All the written test must be completed on the same
day and there is no break during this test, candidates are allowed to go to
the toilet only by permission of the committee. Whilst, oral test may be
scheduled by the committee within the period of seven days before or
after the written test.

Since IELTS is developed and delivered through the partnership among

University of Cambridge ESOL Examination, British Council and IDP
Education Australia, the test itself could be taken in local branch
administrations of each partner which also conducts for the recruitment,
training and monitoring IELTS examiners.

The schedules of the tests are authorized under the local administrations.
The results are available within two weeks after the test. Every candidate
only receives one copy of Test Report Form (TRF) which usually will be
delivered to the specified mailing address, yet candidates are allowed to
ask additional copy of the TRF to be sent to the purposed institutions.
There are no restrictions on retaking the test.

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ACADEMIC TEST VS GENERAL TRAINING TEST

The Academic Test for IELTS is taken by people who intend to enrol in
various academic fields, it may be used to register for undergraduate and
postgraduate courses or to undertake works which are related to academic
requirements.

The General Training Test is taken by those who want to go to English-

speaking countries in a long duration for any purposes other than
academic, such as working, involved in training programmes or planning
to immigrate to Australia, New Zealand or Canada.

During the test, both Academic and General Training Tests candidates will
take the same Listening and Speaking test. However, the Reading and
Writing tests will be different in some aspects - the type of questions and
also the scoring system.

The Reading component of the Academic and General Training tests is

differentiated in term of:
 The choice of texts (topic, genre, length, number, etc.)
 The level of difficulty within 40 questions. The Academic Reading
component has more items pitched at bands 5-8, whereas the
General Training has more items pitched at bands 3-6. This is a
reflection of the different demands of Academic and General
Training.

However, given the level of differentiation described above, this does not
mean that the scores across Academic and General Training Reading or
Writing components are interchangeable.

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The table below lists the main format between Academic and General
Training Tests that should be highlighted.

Source: www.ielts.org

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ABOUT READING TEST FOR IELTS

The IELTS Reading test consist of 40 questions with variety of task types
from three passages – about 2,000 words in total. It will last 60 minutes
including the time for transferring the answers to the answer sheet, it
means that the candidates will not be given extra time at the end of the
Reading test (unlike the Listening test).

OVERVIEW THE TEST FORMAT

a. Short Answer Questions

Questions commonly focus on factual information which requires you
to choose several words from the text for your answer and you must
not exceed the stated number of words, it may vary from one up to
three words depends on each instruction. The answer isn’t located in
an exact place and may spread widely within the text.
b. Completion Tasks
These tasks require you to complete the blank space in the questions
with the correct answer. Completion tasks divided into several forms;
(1) sentence completion, (2) summary completion, (3) table
completion, (4) note completion and (5) flow-chart completion.
Preselected answer may be provided or not, but the last three
mentioned are rarely found with list of answers.
c. Labelling Diagram
This task typically come up in the text that describe about devices or
processes. The diagram may relate to one section or several
paragraphs of the text with several labels provided to indicate the
other answers.

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d. Matching
Matching in the Reading test include a variety of types. You can be
asked to match the headings for each paragraph of the passage, to find
information for certain ideas or discoveries and also to choose which
paragraph contains data in the question.
e. Multiple Choice
This type of questions may focus on main ideas, details or write’s
opinion. You can be asked to answer either with a single answer or
with multiple answers. Information for multiple choice questions may
be found from one section of the text or the whole passage. As with
other question types, you should look for keywords in the questions
and the answer choices before you scan the text for answer.
f. True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given
These questions focus on factual information that require you to read
carefully about the statement in the questions and compare it with the
data/information given in the text, then you need to decide whether
the statement agree or contradict with the information in the text or
whether there is no information provided in the text regarding the
statement.
g. Classification
In this task, you will be given a list of categories and a number of
statements that need to be matched according to the information from
the text. The categories are all of the same type, for example,
countries, period of times, opinions or names. Whilst, the statements
are paraphrased from what you find on the text.

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TOPICS AND MARKING

Topics for the Academic Reading test are about issues which are
interesting, recognisably appropriate, accessible and relatable to test
takers entering undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeking
professional registration. The style for the reading passage may vary from
narrative, descriptive or argumentative/discursive. Texts may contain
non-verbal material such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts
contain technical terms, a simple glossary will be provided.

The Reading test is marked by certified markers who are regularly

monitored to ensure reliability. After marking at the test centre, all
answer sheets are returned to Cambridge English Language Assessment for
Analysis.

A Mark is given for every correct answer. Remember that spelling is very
important, a spelling mistake counts as a wrong answer. Grammar is also
important, for example, writing a singular instead of a plural noun counts
as a wrong answer. Candidates need and have to write answer clearly –
illegible handwriting counts as a wrong answer.

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ANSWERING TECHNIQUES

GENERAL TIPS

 Read the titles of all the reading passage first to help you decide
which passage you will go with. Remember to choose the easiest
one first.
 Underline the keywords - names or numbers - from the questions as
you read through the passage to ease you locating the information.
Don’t worry, you are allowed to make notes during the test.
 Read instructions for each task thoroughly and make sure to follow
them. Pay attention to the maximum number of words you may use
in your answer.
 Try to guess what the topic of each passage will be by reading the
title, subheadings and introduction.
 Build a mental map by skimming the text, make notes about the
main idea of each paragraph if necessary.
 Skim actively and don’t bother about new words you don’t
understand, make intelligent guesses about the meaning of words
you know nothing about. Make sure you read the first sentence of
each paragraph.
 Make sure you don’t spend more than 1 minute on each question.
You should spend around 20 minutes completing the answers to
each of three passages, don’t dare to spend too much time on any
one question.
 Come back to more difficult questions after you answer ones you
know better. Don’t leave any answer blank. There isn’t a penalty
for wrong answer. Just guess based on the evidence.
 Transfer your answers as you go because you will not be given
additional time to do so. However, you are allowed to transfer them
later or anytime as long as within 60 minutes of the test period.

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SPECIFIC TRICKS

The Reading test for IELTS has three main tips:

1. Understanding Concept
How could you have the correct answers for your targeted band score
(X out of 40). You should also understand about the combination of the
types of questions:
a. Completion / Short Answer (50% - 55%)
 note / sentence completion
 summary completion (with list / without list)
 diagram / table / picture completion
 short answer
b. Matching (30% - 40%)
 matching heading (always attested)
 matching features
 matching ending
 matching cause-effect
c. True / False / Not Given or Yes / No / Not Given (20% - 25%)
d. Multiple Choice (5% - 10%)

2. Understanding the Tips and Tricks

There are several basic techniques that must be understood:

a. Keywords
The main words / important words in a sentence that should be
underlined. Understanding the keywords will help your skimming
and scanning skill. Keywords can be either:
1. Proper Noun (indicated by capital letter)
 Name: British Council
 Term: Biology
 Name of …
2. Number

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  Ordinal: 1st, 2nd, third, two times, …
 Cardinal: 1, 2, three, four, …
 A thousand of years
 Millennium
3. Subject & Object (noun)
 subject & object that focused on sentence.
4. Connector or Transition Words
 while, but, however, nonetheless, nevertheless
(comparison)
 and, also, in addition, moreover, furthermore
 consequently, as a result, so, so that, hence, thus (summary)
5. Style of Words
 Bold
 Italic
 Underline
 “term”

b. Skimming and Scanning

Both skimming and scanning involve reading a text quickly which
will be very useful skill to use on the IELTS exam. However, they
are used for different type of questions.
a. Skimming
Means to read the text quickly as a technique that involves
selective reading of the most important part of the text to know
how text is organised and to gain the gist (general
understanding) / idea (finding useful keywords). Don’t underline
when you’re skimming text.
b. Scanning
Fast reading technique to get something specific and
recognisable to search particular information. Scanning is done
by looking for a few words rather than reading the whole text.
Doing a scanning need your ability to find the keywords or the

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 main words that will be needed on answering the question. You
cannot pick any words you want. Learn to look at the words of
the text from left to right is a good way to improve you scanning
skill, it helps you to avoid reading the text since most people
don’t read backwards.
c. Skim & Read: Technique to skim first to find particular points,
then use the keywords on the questions to guide you read the
text.
d. Skim & Scan: Technique to skim first to find related words, then
scan carefully to find the right answer.

On practicing these skills, you need to:

 Have good eyes and mind
 Be able to see / read at least 250 – 300 words in a minute
 Memorise the keywords you’ve underlined before.

c. Paraphrasing
Paraphrase is defined as re-expressing a concept in other ways
without changing the meaning. There are four types of paraphrase:
b. words x word
c. phrase x word
d. sentence x word
e. paragraph x word

d. Eliminating
Elimination is used by removing the most incorrect answer as well
as the dubious choices in order to find the most correct answer.

3. Practicing with Time

You should accustom yourself to practice on the questions with time
management, spend at maximum 20 minutes for each passage.

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WARM UP EXCERCISE

 Exercise 1: Try Not to Read the Reading Passage!

If you did read the whole text (and it is much smaller than texts in the
real test) you would have taken longer to get the answer (sixty miles) than
if you had used one very important reading skill that you need to learn –
skimming or scanning.

Remember: Looking is a lot quicker than reading 😊

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Look at the previous text again and look for the words in List One below.
Take one word at a time and try to find it very quickly. DO NOT mark
where you find the words in the text.

Now use the same text and try to find all of the words from List Two. Again
look for one word at a time and DO NOT mark where you find the words
in the text.

Note: You probably found that words from List One were generally easier
to find than words from List Two. Therefore, it is usually better to pick
keywords like those in List One when trying to find answers from a
reading passage.

 Exercise 2: Combining Scanning and Skimming Skills

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Even if you do not know exactly what the paragraph is talking about,
spending a little time on skimming and scanning will give you some useful
information.

Remember that the more you know about the structure of each passage
you read, the more chance for you to know where to look for answers.
This will save you a lot of time that you can spend more effectively on
detailed reading of the sentences where the answers are likely to be.

A possible summary on the tea trade text could be:

This paragraph is about the tea trade in the late 18th and early 19th
century and the rivalry between America and Britain. The East India
Company created a tea monopoly which resulted in very high prices in
London.

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 Exercise 3: Involving the Keywords

Any word that you choose from a question to help you find the answer can
be called a keyword. The selection of good keywords is an essential part
of finding answers more quickly and more accurately. This unit, therefore,
will make you practice in a little more detail how to select good keywords.

Instructions: Look at the questions below that go with the text on previous
page and underline what you think is the best keyword for each question.
Then write down what type of answer you expect to find.

DO NOT turn the page. Only look at the question sentences on this page
when you are selecting the keywords.

Now find the answers from the reading passage below. There are eight
questions and so it should (on average) take twelve minutes to complete.
Don't forget to quickly scan the text first for proper nouns and numbers
and underline what you find.

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A review of the Oldest Shoe exercise

Did you find that the keywords you chose helped you? Did you find it easier
to find the questions when you knew the kind of information you were
looking for? Also, if you scanned the text first for proper nouns and
numbers, you could have found four of the answers before you had even
read the questions. These would have been Question 1 (5,500 years old),
Question 5 (600-700 years old), Question 7 (Ms. Diana Zardaryan) and
Question 8 (1950s). The selection of good keywords and scanning can be a
very quick and efficient way of getting information. As soon as you know
that you are looking for a name of a person, a city, a country - indeed any
kind of proper noun - or a number of some kind, you can rescan the text
looking at what you have underlined. No reading required. Detailed
reading of only one sentence might be necessary so that you can check
that the word you have found is the correct one and fits the question.

Selecting the best Keywords

As you have already seen, the best keywords to take from a question are
usually proper nouns and numbers. There are times, however, when both

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proper nouns and figures are more difficult to find. Can you think why this
might happen?

Proper Nouns

The first situation to cause problems is when the proper noun is the
subject of the text. For example, you might see a question in a reading
passage entitled, “Paris in the modern world”, that asks:

What are some of major industries in Paris?

Unless you scan the text before reading the question, you do not know
how many times the word Paris appears in the text. It is possible, because
Paris seems to be the focus of the topic, that the word will appear many
times. Imagine a situation where the text has the word Paris in eight
different sentences. Which sentence should you read to get the answer?
Do any of the sentences have the answer? Maybe you read all eight
sentences and end up with no answer. Imagine how much time you have
wasted. What would be a better keyword to pick from the question above?

Scanning the text might already have told you that several paragraphs
focused on jobs or the economy in Paris. Words you might have underlined
could have been percentages relating to the economy and names of
companies relating to jobs. The best keyword to have picked from this
question would have been - industries.

Remember: Picking keywords from the heading (or sub-heading) are

probably going to waste time.

Numbers

Like proper nouns, numbers can be seen very quickly when scanning a
text. If you don't agree then this is a sign that you must keep practicing
the scanning exercises introduced to you in Unit One. There are some
situations, however, when numbers become harder to see. The main
problem is when the number has been changed from numerals like (1, 2,

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3, 4, 5 and so on) to actual letters (one, two, three, four, five). It is
obvious which ones are easier to see. If you don't believe this, then scan
the paragraph below and underline any numbers you see.

Did you find all of the numbers? There are nine of them altogether.

Little tricks that might confuse you

Another problem is when the question states something like:

What happened in the middle of the 20th Century to

greatly influence the American civil rights movement?

The answer you are looking for might be in a sentence stating:

The assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968 had a

profound effect on the civil rights movement in America.

Looking for either 20th or Century would not have helped you and would
have wasted time. Also, you can see that 1968 is not exactly in the middle
of the 20th Century but around “the middle”. This type of situation can
happen in the IELTS reading test and, although there is no way of telling
when this might happen, you must always be prepared. Time can be lost
if you are not prepared for these little tricks that might be used to hide
the answer.

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It is possible that the answer to this type of question would be made easier
if you scan the text before answering the question as it might show that
information is in chronological (time) order.

 Exercise 4: Scan to Choose the Easiest Question

After you have scanned the text and underlined proper nouns and
numbers, look at the seven questions below. Select the best keyword from
each question and decide which THREE questions you will do first. Always
keep in mind to read the questions first rather than the text, so here I
put the question before the text to help you practice.

DO NOT LOOK FOR THE ANSWER YET.

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One possible way to do these questions

To show you the advantages of doing most of these question types out of
order, lets imagine that you have decided that the best keywords for each
question (and the question order for the first three questions) are:

Remember, answers can often be found with more than one keyword. This
means that not everyone will pick the same keyword but still get the
correct answer. However, look at what has been picked here and see if
you agree. The order of answering the questions is based on how good you
think the keywords are, how easy you think the keywords are to find, and
how easy you think the answers are to find. Answers for both questions 1
and 6 are likely to be proper nouns.

Questions 1, 5 and 6

Go back to previous page and do the first three questions in the order
suggested in the table above – Questions 1, 5 and 6. DO NOT look for
Questions 2, 3, 4 and 7 first. Also, measure how long it takes you to find
these three questions.

OK. How long did it take you to find questions 1, 5 and 6? If it took you
less than three minutes, you did very well. The text will be shown again
on next page. Notice that four different types of information have been
scanned and underlined and not just proper nouns and numbers.

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  Proper nouns – e.g. Mauritius, Lewis Carroll, Europe
 Numbers – e.g. 1598, 150 years, 1991
 Words in italics – e.g. 'dodoor', 'valghvogel'
 Words or short phrases in quotation marks – e.g. “The race is
over”, 'Didus ineptus'

You will notice that in the case of the examples for words in italics, they
are also in quotation marks.

By scanning for these four types of information, you can already tell that
the text mentions:

 People – e.g. Jan Savery

 Years and periods of time – e.g. 1601, 1589-1654
 Buildings – e.g. Royal Museum of Scotland
 Countries, Cities, Places – e.g. Oxford
 Different names for the dodo – e.g. 'Raphus Cuculatus'

This is a huge help in deciding what information each paragraph contains.

You can now see the highlighted results of the three answers for Questions
1, 5 and 6 in The Dodo (stage Two) on next page.

You should have found that the answers were:

- Question 1 – Mauritius
- Question 5 – museum
- Question 6 – naturalists

You need to write - Naturalists - with a capital letter in the answer sheet
because it comes at the beginning of the sentence in the question.

You can now be fairly certain that:

- Questions 2, 3 and 4 are between answers 1 and 5

- Question 7 is after question 6

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This means that all of the questions still to answer have become easier
because their general position in the text has been located.

Remember - answers for most question types are in order.

Now try to find the four other questions – 2, 3, 4 and 7 – using the keywords
that you picked from the text. Try to find all four answers in six minutes
or less. Remember, on average you have one and a half minutes per
question.

Now - turn to next page and answer questions 2, 3, 4 and 7

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FAMILIARISE QUESTIONS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH

1. Short Answer Questions

This type of questions usually gives you detail instruction of maximum

words allowed to fill in the answers. You need to know that the
answer for IELTS Reading test rarely to be hyphenated word (e.g.
non-smoker) and should not require a contraction (e.g. You’ve). The
answer can be number (e.g. 10), words (e.g. ten) or combination
(e.g. 10 billion) of both, you should pay attention to what’s
instructed!

Short answer questions in the IELTS reading test are commonly given
in two types:

Type 1: Tasks in the form of questions

Type 2: Tasks in the form of lists

Example of each type is given below:

Type 1

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 Type 2

Tips and Tricks to answer Short Answer Questions are to use

skimming and scanning techniques and by doing these steps:
 Underline the keywords in the questions.
 Look out for question words like ‘who’ and ‘where’ to indicate
what kind of words you need to look for in the text.
 Use the keywords from the questions to decide which part of
the text contains the same keywords, then scan on it. Keywords
will drive you to find the most possible answer.
 In some cases, answer may be written on your own words but
still have to be grammatically correct.

Remember:
 Each question may have some associated meanings or vocabularies
to help you understand or guess unknown words.
 If you find the answer is in four or more words, it may be wrong -
since the answers never be more than three words.
 Always check whether you can leave the articles or auxiliary verbs
when your answer exceed number of words allowed.

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