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Let’s learn the best IELTS Reading-Tips and Tricks.
You will be asked with a sentence whether it is True or False or Not given!
True: If the sentence “agrees” with the information in the given paragraph/passage, then you have to write True. Write it on the answer sheet. Straight! Isn’t it?
False: Write this when the information given in the sentence speaks in an “opposite” tone to the information given in the passage/paragraph.
Not given: Not given can be used when the information given in a sentence does not say “agree” or “contradict” with the information given in the passage/paragraph or if it is not possible to extract from the paragraph that the sentence is true/false
What mistakes the candidates make:
Many people first try to find the keyword from the sentence in the paragraph. But almost always the word is not there. Synonyms are given. So be careful!
Many people just take the word as true. This is a big mistake. You need to read the whole sentence to understand what is being said. Just finding the Key Word can not be True.
Special Caution: You may have extra information or general knowledge on a topic. But never use that information in the test book. Only work according to the information given in the passage or paragraph.
What skills are tested with this type of question is: How quickly you can realize by reading paragraphs/passages whether any information is correct/incorrect or not.
So how do you answer? Tips:
If you already know something about the given sentence, keep it out of your mind. See what’s in the paragraph.
If you can’t find the information in the sentence in the paragraph, give Not given.
If you do not read the paragraph, the sentence is True / False, then Not given.
Read the sentence and try to understand the full meaning. Then look in the paragraph to see if anything matches that feeling. Don’t waste time just running after the keyword. What the whole sentence says is more important.
See if there are any such words in the sentence. E.g., some, all, only, mainly, often, always, occasionally, claimed, believed, etc. For example, the EU often buys products from Bangladesh.
And the EU only buys products from Bangladesh. The meaning of these two sentences is not the same.
He believed that Rony is a tailor. And Rony is a tailor. The meaning of these two sentences is not the same.
Usually, there will be at least one True / False / Not given among the answers. If at least one True / False / Not given, then you may be making a mistake.
How to match the last part of the sentence? (Matching Sentence Endings)
This type of question usually consists of the first part of a few sentences. Then there is more than one blank in the question.
From there you have to mark the correct answer and write it in the answer sheet. This kind of question does not come up frequently in the reading section. Nevertheless, not practicing would be foolish.
This type of question usually tests the examinee’s ability to quickly understand what he is reading.
What mistakes the candidates make:
Many people try to start the answer without reading the text. This is a big mistake. Because just grammar will not be correct. The questioner can trick you this way. Be careful!
Like every time again, find synonyms. The chances of giving the exact word or sentence are very low. So don’t waste time.
So how do you answer? Tips:
This type of question has a huge advantage. What is that?
The questions will come serially. This means that if the answer to the first question is in line 10 of your reading text, then the answer to the second question will never be from any line before line 10.
Rather it will come from any of the next lines. So you don’t have to waste time thinking that the questions will come from before and after. You can find out the answer only after reading the serial.
So always start answering the first question.
Read the question carefully first. Then look forth. Because the answer will contain multiple phrases that cannot be used. So it is foolish to read the answer in the first part.
Next, select some phrases. You can do it easily. Because not all phrases will be grammatically correct in sentence structure. Suppose, as the last part of the first sentence, you think C, E, and F can be grammatically correct.
Now mark those “Key-Word”. Many times you will not get the exact word. So synonyms can come, keep that in mind too.
Now find out from the reading text which one really matches C, E, or F.
See if the sentence has a date, place name, etc. If there is, it is quite an advantage. These can be easily found in the reading text.
It may take some time to match the last part of the first sentence. Don’t be upset. Because after that you easily know which part you don’t have to read anymore. Or where the rest of the questions will continue to come from.
The most crucial IELTS Reading Tips
How to match headings?
First, let’s see how the question is. Here are a few paragraphs. Then some headlines will be written in the question and you have to say which headline matches which paragraph. It is very simple. Isn’t it?
Here are some steps you can take to begin the process of preparation for heading matching.
Step 1: Read the headings.
Step 2: Read the paragraph.
Step 3: Now, look at the headings again and think about them. (E.g. red under each heading below)
What mistakes do the IELTS candidates make?
1. Not being able to find the time to read the whole paragraph.
2. Spending too much time figuring out the heading of a paragraph.
3. Trying in vain to match the headline by reading only the first sentence.
4. Multiple headlines mean to look the same. (Hesitation)
5. With one / more words in the headline to see if it matches the paragraph. Because if one or two “keywords” match, it may not be the answer. (100% sure if there are tricks here!)
Remember, the same heading is not usually used twice. So keep an eye on which ones are used.
So how do you answer? Tips:
1. First read the headlines given in the questions. Don’t memorize. Just go through once.
2. Then start reading the paragraphs slowly. First, read the paragraph that is the shortest.
When you have finished reading each paragraph, write down in pencil your personal opinion which should be the headline. At the end of the reading, check if your ideas match the headlines.
3. Remember, you are not looking for a specific word. You will understand the main idea of the paragraph and match the heading.
4. Tricks: Not all headings may be used. So be careful.
5. The headings are given with i, ii, iii, iv, etc. If the answer is ii then write only ii in the answer sheet, not the full heading. Be careful!
6. If time is very short, read the first three lines and the last three lines of each paragraph. Use this method only if you do not have time.
How to match information?
In this type of question, you have to find a piece of specific information from the given paragraph/section/passage. Paragraphs/sections are named with different types of letters, such as A, B, C, etc.
You need to write the name of the correct paragraph/section (e.g. if the answer is A, then write A) in your answer sheet. In this type of question, a paragraph/section may be used more than once, while some paragraphs/sections may not be used at all.
Remember, if a paragraph/section is used more than once, it will be written in the question that if you want in the answer sheet you can say more than one paragraph.
What skills are tested with this type of question is the ability to carefully study paragraphs/passages, to find the exact source of the information provided.
What mistakes do IELTS candidates make?
The question that has been asked can be from anywhere in the paragraph. So read the entire passage/paragraph, it is clear whether it belongs to that paragraph/passage.
The question may be from before-after. This means that the answers can be A, D, C, A, B, etc., instead of A, B, C, D. So it is not right to think that the answer will be gradual.
Sometimes multiple answers can come from the same paragraph/passage. So there is no question that B will not come again because B has been used once!
After reading the first or last line of a paragraph/passage, many people try to get the idea that the sentence is in that paragraph.
But this kind of question is not about understanding the meaning in paragraphs or passages, but about finding the source of the information. So be careful.
Then how to answer
Read the question carefully. Read not only the question but also the rest of the instructions given with the question.
There are many mistakes that students make due to not reading questions well.
Then quickly read the paragraphs once. As soon as you read the question, you may be able to easily match the answer.
It is foolish to try to find exactly what is said in the question in the paragraph/passage. Instead, find out if there are synonymous/synonymous sentences that mean the same thing.
For example, if the question is, “Karim loves cooking.” Then the paragraph might say, “Karim developed an affection for cooking and does it every day with a lot of love.” So, understand and detect the right answer!
