To score band 7 or 8 in IELTS reading section, completing the reading section in the allocated time is crucial. One thing that you need to meticulously practice is to put into effect a strict time allotment to each section. If you are unable to complete all the questions in the requisite time, you are involuntarily reducing the total possible score. So, for example, if you fail to complete the last 5 questions (something many students report to me) or simply guess them then your final score is now out of a possible 35 or so as the final passage is the most challenging and the chances of guessing correctly are reduced.
Here are the three secrets to complete IELTS reading in 50 minutes:
1READING HABITS
Enjoying reading as a hobby and for pleasure, attributes greatly to a high score in IELTS reading section. Being a good reader gives you an advantage of understanding the organization of text and framework of words. They are well versed and hence their instincts work better and faster than those of non-readers even despite varied ideologies behind the comprehensions and unknown vocabulary. Most importantly, their love for reading makes the task 10 times easier in their heads and hence stress doesn’t undermine their capabilities.
In contrary, the non- readers experience a sense of undue anxiety, which lowers their confidence and hence their ability to concentrate. Because of which, they spend more time than necessary on the task.
So,try to develop an interest in reading; it will vividly help in improving your IELTS reading scores and the overall timings to solve each question.
2READING STRATEGY
No matter how much reading the whole passage vigilantly seems gratifying, it is not ideal to do so in IELTS reading section. Strategy to manage your time efficiently includes enforcing the technique of skim and scan as your fashion of working. Reading the passage word to word not only consumes your precious time for a lost cause, but also confuses you while finding answers to the asked questions.
Skimming The strategy best implied, is to skim the introductory paragraph for an overview. Then read the questions, and be aware of what you are looking for in the passage. As the next step, encircle the key words and look for the synonyms and paraphrased text in the passage. Just read the text associated with the questions.
Scanning Scan for all the keywords you identified in the questions, and once you find them do the thorough reading of those lines to write the detailed answer.
1-minute per question Next part of the strategy is to bound one minute for each question. Moving on to another question may seem difficult to digest but is obligatory. Another option is to decide as an interim measure on the most probable answer or simply leaving the question unanswered and coming back to it, if in case there is time to spare.
Remember, hard work alone won’t make your score card good but smart work will.
3PRACTICE
One cannot stress enough on the importance of practice to score well in IELTS Reading exam. It is important to work in tandem with your trainer or yourstudy buddy to understand your errors, re-work on them and then again getting the answers reviewed with the trainer. As IELTS training is all about language development, it is important to practice the RIGHT things. Practicing the WRONG things will lead you in the wrong direction and away from a good band score.
Please ensure:
- Do the right things that help you improve
- Identify the right techniques, and practice them repeatedly
- Things will take time to improve –don’t expect miracles overnight
- Carry drinking water in the exam to keep calm – do not abandon these techniques during the exam.
Push yourself a little more, and focus on not only these techniques but go out of your comfort zone to find other strategies that work specifically for you.
GOOD LUCK!
Originally posted 2018-03-12 10:46:37.
