ELT Blog

12 Proven Strategies to Crack Every Reading Question Type

2023-11-26 01:47 IELTS Reading Tips
In this article you will learn strategies, advice, and techniques for handling the 12 different types of questions in the IELTS reading exam. Here's a breakdown of each type:

1) Sentence Completion:

  • Key Problems: Not reading instructions, poor spelling.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read instructions carefully.
  2. Read incomplete sentences first.
  3. Predict answers.
  4. Scan for the location.
  5. Read the section carefully and decide on the correct answer.

2) Summary Completion:

  • Key Problems: Not reading instructions, grammar issues.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read instructions carefully.
  2. Read the summary text first.
  3. Predict answers and consider grammar.
  4. Scan for the location.
  5. Read the section carefully and decide on the correct answer.

3) Multiple Choice:

  • Key Problems: Difficulty in understanding options.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read questions and options carefully.
  2. Skim the text for general meaning.
  3. Understand the difference between options.
  4. Locate the section for each question.
  5. Read that section carefully and choose the correct answer.

4) Short Answer Questions:

  • Key Problems: Rushing, not understanding the question.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read and understand questions first.
  2. Underline keywords.
  3. Scan for the location.
  4. Read the section carefully.
  5. Decide on the correct answer and write it.

5) Labeling a Diagram:

  • Key Problems: Inability to handle the unfamiliar, not reading instructions.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read instructions carefully.
  2. Look at the diagram to understand.
  3. Don't panic; continue looking at the diagram.
  4. Highlight keywords.
  5. Predict answers, scan for location, read carefully, and label.

6) True/False/Not Given:

  • Key Problems: Misinformation, not understanding "Not Given," failure to understand the whole sentence.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read the whole statements first.
  2. Think about the meaning of the entire sentence.
  3. Consider synonyms while looking for locations.
  4. Read the section carefully and decide on True/False/Not Given.
  5. Focus on understanding the whole sentence.

7) Yes/No/Not Given:

  • Key Problems: Confusion with True/False/Not Given, not understanding the writer's opinion.
  • Strategy:

  1. Do it the same as True/False/Not Given but focus on the writer's opinion.
  2. Understand the writer's opinion.
  3. Differentiate between writer's and other people's opinions.

8) Matching Sentences:

  • Key Problems: Using logic or grammar.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read the first part of sentences first.
  2. Predict endings before checking.
  3. Read the endings, eliminate obviously wrong ones.
  4. Match the obvious ones and then the others.

9) Matching Names:

  • Key Problems: Writing names immediately without considering text.
  • Strategy:

  1. Scan for names and underline.
  2. Focus on names mentioned once.
  3. Read those sections carefully.
  4. Delete matched names; move on to others.

10) Matching Information to Paragraphs:

  • Key Problems: Not considering the whole text, too much information to process.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read questions and think of synonyms.
  2. Skim the text quickly.
  3. Underline the location.
  4. Check question statements again and mark correct answers.
  5. Move quickly to another paragraph if needed.

11) Table/Flowchart Completion:

  • Key Problems: Not reading instructions, spelling mistakes.
  • Strategy:

  1. Read instructions carefully.
  2. Scan text for location.
  3. Read that section carefully.
  4. Transfer words as they are and check spelling.

12) Matching Headings:

  • Key Problems: Lots of information to process, reading only parts of paragraphs.
  • Strategy:

  1. Do this question first to familiarize yourself with the text.
  2. Read each paragraph, write your own heading.
  3. Understand the difference between headings.
  4. Match obvious ones; read others carefully.
  5. Follow the process for matching.

The video emphasizes understanding personal weaknesses and provides a method for improvement. The recommendation is to do the Matching Headings question first to make subsequent questions easier by familiarizing yourself with the text.
Source used: Pell, C. (2022a). How to Answer ANY IELTS Reading Question. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KDP8P-pvEw&t=235s [Accessed 26 Nov. 2023].
Made on
Tilda