IELTS Reading Tips: 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid
July 05, 2021
An inescapable fact is: reading is fundamental. IELTS Reading is a 60-minute exam with 40 questions drawn from newspapers, magazines, journals, reports, and books. Each of the three sections progress in difficulty, but the answers are in order from the texts. The Academic IELTS test challenges candidates who may not be accustomed to reading university-level materials.
Improving your reading skills for a higher test score is one of the best moves you can make. More broadly, the faster you can read, the faster you can process information on the exam, and get to the answer. Below, we will share common mistakes to avoid and IELTS Reading tips to apply.
IELTS Reading Mistakes to Avoid
Not developing a strong reading habit.
Start your IELTS preparation by developing a reading routine. Read widely and outside your comfort zone. If you’re really interested in medicine, that’s great, but you need to find other topics too! Reading international newspapers online is a good choice – you can read about many topics from finance to travel (for free!) all on one website. The Economist is written in UK English and covers economic, political, and social affairs which could help you broaden your vocabulary.
Not skimming or scanning.
Two of three reading skills for the exam are skimming and scanning. Skimming is a quick read of a text to understand its gist – the main idea. Scanning is a deliberate read to find specific information in a text. Skimming and scanning together help you understand the IELTS text and where to locate the answer to the questions.
Remember – the keywords in the question will not match exactly those in the text. You will need to paraphrase the words in the questions to find your answers.
Not learning to chunk for faster reading speed.
Another skill to use in combination with skimming and scanning is chunking. Chunking is for consuming non-fiction text at a rapid rate – ideal for the IELTS! Reading quickly, as mentioned above, helps you to process English faster on the exam and thus allows you to get an answer rapidly.
Fluency is a challenge for reading more complex texts. Build both your fluency and comprehension of texts by chunking text into small, meaningful phrases. These bite-sized phrases broken into logical units is a more natural way of consuming texts in English at a faster speed.
Thus, in conjunction with skimming and scanning, chunking helps you quickly locate the answer to IELTS Reading questions!
IELTS Reading Tips
Apply the following IELTS Reading tips and avoid the three (3) IELTS Reading mistakes discussed above, to be better prepared to maximize your score on exam day.
- Make reading an enjoyable part of your IELTS preparation.
- Start a routine of reading daily for at least five (5) minutes and increase the time as you deem appropriate.
- Practice chunking to test how fast you can consume material and test your comprehension as you go.
- Faster reading can not only help you get a high score on the IELTS exam but turn you into a life-long learner.
Conclusion
By avoiding the three mistakes listed in today's article, and utilizing the IELTS reading tips shared, you can improve your reading skills and score high on the IELTS Academic. Start applying these IELTS Reading Tips today!
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