Study Reading DIYHow to use thi:This book will give you a thorough understanding of what is involved and howto perform well in the reading section of the IELTS exam.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A comprehensive list of FAQs has been compiled by IELTS teachers andIELTS students that answer a lot of questions which many students have foundhard to get a response for. The goal of this book is to ensure that none of yourqueries go unanswered so that you can go into the test with full understandingand confidence.This section was compiled to help students with their study plan and IELTSpreparation. A good student knows that you can never do enough practice. Thetips in this section will ensure that you can practise as much as possible in avariety of ways in order to suit every learning style. The benefits of extensivereading are far reaching. Prolific readers will generally do better in the writingsection also.

Short Cut to Success

This section guides the students who are short of preparation time throughthe book in a way that addresses their major weaknesses first. This canprovide more focus to students who only have a few days before they takethe official IELTS test. For

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those who are not short of time, studying the entire book is highlyrecommended.

Diagnostic TestT!5oThis is a test that incorporates all the reading skills needed and all the questiontypes encountered in the reading section of the IELTS. It will highlight yourweaknesses so you can have a better idea on what you need to focus on whenpreparing for the test.

Explanatory Answer KeyThey are provided to highlight the correct answers and also explain why otherchoices are wrong or clarify certain parts of a passage that may have beenconfusing for students. The explanatory answer key for the diagnostic test alsoincludes Short Cut to Success Advice Boxes.

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Overview of Reading Skills and Question Typesl«ti,

hslThis section explains which skills are needed and what question types are usedto test these skills. It will also provide some background information on thequestion types such as frequency of testing and number of questions used inthe test.

Question Types, Reading Skills & StrategiesThis part will give students the opportunity to practise all the reading skillsneeded and question types encountered in the reading section of the IELTS. Itwill also provide step-by-step strategies on how to approach the question types.

Achievement Tests 1 & 2

These tests provide unassisted practice for students. They should only beattempted once all the previous sections of the book have been completed,time for consolidation on what you have learnt has taken place and confidenceis up high enough to take this final test. The first test is for those taking theAcademic Module of the exam. The second test is for those taking the GeneralTraining Module of the

A glossary of Key Vocabulary has been compiled with page number,phonemics, part of speech, translation and example sentence as vocabulary isa key factor for success in the reading section of IELTS. Whenever you havespare time, go through the words to ensure you can still remember them. Theeasiest way to remember them is to try to use them in speaking or writing.

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Master IELTS 6

IELTS PRECISE READING

Acknowledgements How to use thisbook About IELTS

Introduction

IELTS Reading Introduction 2Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 4Study Reading DIY _ _ 9Overview of Reading Skills & Question Types 12Short Cut to Success JiiUfliftJifi 19Diagnostic Test i£#r/)!li£ 20Explanatory Answer Key i&WSlWiS 42Diagnostic Test Translation 52

Question Types, Reading Skills & Strategies MiSL

Article 1Briefing 60Flow Chart Completion SSffiiteM 63Matching Statements to Paragraphs 66

True/False/Not Given S/^/5fcSt.S.fI 69Multiple Choice (Main Idea)Si¥lS(±B) 72 Article 2Briefing 75Multiple Choice (Specific Information)i£SI5( £E8t? ) 78Sentence Completion ■qfftES®! 83 Article 3Briefing 4S3? 86Table Completion 89Summary Completion 93Multiple Choice (Inference) JSfMljHjrtfe) 97

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Article 4Briefing 99Matching Headings to Paragraphs

102Short Answers fair® 106Multiple Choice (Main Idea) 110Article 5Briefing 113Multiple Choice (Main Idea) 116Diagram Completion 119Matching Statements:£ffrae 6 .........

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Briefing #E5 125Multiple Choice (Main Idea) 128Multiple Choice (Diagrams &More Than One Answer)

131Note Completion 136Article Translation 139

| Achievement TestsAchievement Test 1Academic Module 152

Achievement Test 2General Training Module ±aill|gS 169Answers Achievement Test 1

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Achievement Test 2

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AppendixKey Vocabulary

■-■swr 200

IELTS Reading Introduction

The Reading Section of the IELTS is separated into 2 modules: the Academicand the General Training. You only have to choose one. The Academic Module(AM) is for those who wish to study abroad whereas the General TrainingModule (GT) is for those who plan to emigrate. 60 minutes and 40 questionsare allocated to both modules and the question types are also similar. Howeverthere are 2 distinct differences: one is the content—the AM contains passageswhich may be encountered while doing research at university level and the GTcontains articles which you come across in daily life. The second difference isthe number and length of passages. The AM always contains 3 passagesbetween 7-800 words each while the GT will have several more articles but ofshorter length than the AM. Please see the following conversion table as aguide to what score you may get on the official test.Fquently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Should I read the passage first or read the questions first?PJB?

Si#,.This depends. Generally, for most students it's best to read the questions first asthis is often the most time effective. If you have problems with timemanagement, then you should read the questions first and at the same time usestrategies suggested later in this book. If time is not an issue for you, then readthe article first after which you should read the questions and then go back andfind your answer. This effectively means you are reading the article twicewhich is a better guarantee of your answering the question correctly. Thismethod is more time consuming so it would only be suggested for strongreaders.

2. How important is correct spelling,grammar and punctuation?

It is absolutely essential that these are 100% correct. Unlike many other tests,IELTS requires some answers to be written which means you need to checkgrammar, spelling and punctuation. It's worth remembering that sometimes thegrammar may change from the article to the answer sheet. For example, youmay find the answer in the article in the form of a noun but the answer requiresa verb which means you may need to change the grammar.2. IE

Spelling should not be such a big problem in reading compared to listening butsome students fail to copy answers correctly from the passage to the answersheet and therefore get a wrong answer for incorrect spelling. For instance, ifthe answer is 'February' and you write 'Febuary', even though it's easy to seewhat you mean, the answer will still be marked as incorrect. Similarly if youmiss the apostrophe, the answer will also be marked as incorrect punctuation.For example, 'Patricks book' would be marked as an en though the meaning isclear.

3.

Time management is extremely important in reading. Many students fail tofinish the last passage due to the fact that they spent too much time on previousquestions. Try to spend no more than 90 seconds per question to ensure you getall the questions done. However, if all else fails, try to make an educated andlogical guess of the answer. You are not penalised for incorrect answers.

4.4. Should I use a pencil or a pen?

If you take the test at the British Council, you may only use a pencil for allparts of the test and a pencil and eraser will be provided for you (you may notuse your own). IDP is the same as the British Council except you may use yourown eraser. However, rules may change so you may want to double-checkwhen Iwww.'l"| .sage.coml

5. Will I need to know a lot of technical words?Yes and no. Many passages will focus on special interest areas with which youmay be unfamiliar so it will be necessary to know some specialisedterminology of these topics. However, some really difficult words will beexplained in a glossary at the bottom of the passage and they are the ones thatare needed to answer a question. If the explanation is not given, then it canoften be guessed from context. Any other technical words are often notimportant in answering the question and so can be ignored. Only be concernedabout the vocabulary that you think is important to answer a question.

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6. Which passage is the most difficult?

In regards to the GT Module, the articles definitely increase in difficulty.However, although it is often said to be the same for the AM, most candidatesare of the opinion that the articles are all of equal difficulty.

7. Can I write on the question sheet?

Yes. You may write on the passages and questions but don't forget to alsotransfer all your answers to the answer sheet provided.7. @«±I www.'lopsage.coml

®s±,8. How similar is it to the TOEFL Reading section? _____,A''(M '

The most striking difference is that IELTS is paper based whereas TOEFL iscomputer based. The new TOEFL iBT has some similar question types asIELTS, such as Multiple Choice, Matching and Completion Tasks. IELTS has agreater variety of question types whereas TOEFL iBT has a wider range ofdifferent Multiple Choice question types. In TOEFL iBT you will be expectedto read 3-5 passages whereas IELTS AM only requires you to read 3 passages.In TOEFL iBT some questions are worth more than 1 point whereas in IELTS aquestion is only ever worth 1 point. It has often been experienced by studentsthat the vocabulary is more technical in TOEFL.9. What should I do if I don't understand a word?You will always come across words that you do not understand. Even nativespeakers will find there are some words that are too technical for them tocomprehend. However, remember your goal in IELTS is to answer everyquestion NOT to understand every word, so if the word is not related to thequestion, then don't worry about the meaning as it's unimportant. If you dothink it is related to the question then you will need to guess the meaning from

context which means understanding the word form and reading the sentencesaround it to understand the meaning. It should also be remembered thatsometimes you know the answer is this word that you don't understand, youmay still write it down even though you are not sure of the meaning.10. How can I improve my reading?Firstly you will need to identify what you are doing wrong:♦ Is it the vocabulary that's too difficult?♦ Is it the grammar that you didn't understand?♦ Is it a time management issue?♦ Are you fooled by distractors?♦ Is it just one question type you consistently perform badly in?Once you know your weakness in reading, then address it; just doing morereading may not be the most effective way of improving efficiently. The nextsection suggests some ways of improving your reading on your own.

Study Reading DIY

1. Read, Read, Read

Read something you enjoy reading; the more you enjoy it, the more you willread and the more you read, the more vocabulary you will learn. It doesn'tmatter if you are reading a signpost on the street or Harry Potter—you canlearn English anywhere and everywhere.

2. Review, Review, ReviewIf you don't review, you will forget. It is often boring to review but it isabsolutely essential to retain and consolidate vocabulary learnt. There's nopoint in learning new words; in fact, it would be a waste of time if you can'teven remember the words you have learnt previously.2.

3.3. Use an English-English Dictionary

It may be difficult at first but it will have far- reaching effects as every timeyou learn a new word you will be reviewing old vocabulary. These days learnerdictionaries only use around 2,000 of the most common words found in theEnglish language, which represent around 83% of the English language. Such avocabulary base should already be developed by the stage a student gets tohigh school. A translator may have short-term benefits but will only slow youdown in the long run.£isio4. Use It or Lose ItAlways try to use new words in conversation or writing as this is the bestway to remember a word. The more you use it, the easier it will be to recallnext time you wish to use it.

5. Practise Time ManagementIf given 3 hours to do the reading, most students would perform really well;however this is not reality. Many students end up failing to finish all thereadings because they lose track of time and, as a result, they get a less thandesirable IELTS score. Both the GT Module and AM have 40 questions thatyou need to answer in 60 minutes which works out to be about 90 seconds perquestion. Regularly keep an eye on the time to ensure you can answer all thequestions. Remember the questions do not get more difficult; question 1 maybe just as easy as question 40 or just as hard. So if you spend too much time onone section you may miss the opportunity to answer some of the easierquestions that come later.

6.6. Practise Guessing Words from Context

As mentioned before you may come across a word that is unknown to you. If itis important in answering the question, then firstly decide what part of speech itis (noun, verb, adjective, etc). Secondly, work out how it relates to the wordsaround it. E.g. if it is an adjective, what noun is it describing? Thirdly, read thesentences around it to give you clues in guessing the meaning of the word.Always do this before looking up an exact definition in an English-Englishdictionary.Snml#r3£,7. Learn the Word Form

When learning new vocabulary, also make note of the other word forms as thisis important for guessing the meaning of words and sometimes you may needto change the word form in order to answer a question correctly.

8. Learn Prefixes and SuffixesThese can also help you guess the meaning of words that you may notunderstand so they are very worthwhile learning. There is a verycomprehensive and useful list of prefixes and suffixes in IELTS ListeningLeader.

9. Keep a Topic-based Vocabulary Book

That book should be especially on topics that you are unfamiliar with. This isuseful for all parts of the test; moreover, categorising often helps students whenmemorising vocabulary.10. Learn about Referencing]Referencing is very commonly used by native speakers and although it lookssimple, this can be one of the most confusing aspects of grammar for students.In fact, in TOEFL iBT, this is a very common question type which is oftencritical in understanding. Every time you come across a word like this, that, so,such, etc. try and work out what it is referring to.

Reading SkiliO—Main IdeaOne of the reading skills that you will need to develop is the ability to identifythe main idea of a whole text, section of text or paragraph. Multiple Choicequestions and Matching Tasks usually test on this type of skill. To identify themain idea you will need to skim the text and generally understand what isbeing stated but not every detail or word. Main Idea questions are not ascommon as Specific Information questions and usually only make up 2questions at most per passage for Multiple Choice and up to 8 but usuallyaround 5 or 6 questions per passage on average for Matching Tasks.

verview of Reading Skills and Question Types

Therefore, if a Main Idea Multiple Choice question is presented as the firstquestion of a passage, you are well advised to leave it until the end beforeanswering. By doing so, less re-reading will be necessary as the readingcovered to answer Specific Information questions should be enough to answerthe Main Idea ones. However, for Matching Tasks, do the questions first (donot leave them until the end) as it will make it easier to find the other answersthat follow. Time management is essential so try not to spend too much time onany one question. Always look for ways to cut down on reading time.

© Multiple ChoiceMultiple Choice questions that appears on the test will ask you to choose anappropriate title for a passage or directly ask you for the main idea.

© Matching Headings to ParagraphsThis type of question also asks for the main idea; however, it's not for a wholepassage, rather just a paragraph. You will be given a list of headings and therewill be more headings to choose from than paragraphs. The paragraphs will belabelled A, B, C. D, etc. You will have to match a heading to a paragraph. Thistype of question will be the first set of questions in a passage and you will oftenneed to read the whole passage which means the answers for the following setsof questions should be easier to find as you will have an idea of where to locateinformation. Almost every official test will have one passage which includesthis type of question, especially in the Academic Module.

Reading Skill©—Specific Information

This is by far the most important skill to develop as it is the skill needed forthe majority of questions in IELTS. The question types used to test this skillinclude Multiple Choice, Matching Tasks, Completion Tasks, Short Answersand True/False/ Not Given. Specific Information questions will test yourability to scan for the necessary information and ignore any unwantedinformation. Scanning will help you to save time finding answers which, asmentioned earlier, is an essential part of time management. It is worth notingthat apart fromMatching Tasks, the answers for all other question types are most commonlygiven in order, so if you have found one answer, the most logical place to startreading from to find the next answer would be after that point (where youfound the previous answer) and not from the beginning again.

© Multiple ChoiceThere are 3 common types of Multiple Choice questions in IELTS. Type 1 asksyou to choose one answer, type 2 asks you to choose more than one answer andtype 3 asks you to choose a diagram being described. It is worth noting that forthe second type of question, even though you may need to choose more thanone answer, it may only be worth one point. However, often each answerchosen will get one point each.

© Matching TasksThere are 2 types of Specific Information Matching Tasks. Type 1 will giveyou a list of names (people, places, things, etc.) which need to be matched to astatement or phrase, while type 2 asks you to match a statement or phrase to aparagraph. It is worth remembering that these answers will not be given inorder; otherwise the Matching Task will be far too simple.

© Completion TasksI There are 7 different types of Completion Tasks, namely Sentence Completion,Summary Completion, Note Completion, Table Completion, DiagramCompletion, Flow Chart Completion and Short Answers. All of these willrequire you to write an answer so make sure you check your grammar,©