ielts reading cheatsheet

 IELTS Reading

 

1.     Finding 

You need to be able to fine the right part of the text quickly. Decide which words in the question, the keywords we need to search for. After you must locate the 
keywords by keeping in mind that you have to locate synonym language.

 

2.     Understanding

When you find the matching sentence, you must be able to understand the sentence. Keep in mind that it is an intelligence test. They asking you to compare language and understand language.

 

IELTS Reading Basics Part 1

 

Reading Comprehension

3 sections/passage

 

Total time 60 minutes 20 minutes each section.

 

13-14 question for each passage.

 

Keys to doing well.

 

1. Vocabulary, especially synonyms.

2. IELTS scan

3. Time management (1.5 minutes to do one question)

4. Questions strategy. You need to understand how to do the different questions.

 

IELTS Reading is really a test of 2 things:

1.     Find the information

2.     Understand the information

 

Alternative study technique.

 

Try this study technique: 

1.     Select an approved reading passage.

2.     Get the correct answers to the reading passage from the back of the book.

3.     Now, go to the reading passage and prove these answers correct.

4.     This will help you to recognize how answers are found.

 

Reading Basics 2.

In-Order questions

 

1.     Underline or circle the keywords in the question (Noun, Verbs). Basically ask yourself what’s this question asking about? That is what the keywords is/are

2.     Scan the passage & find those keywords. (Remember you may need to search for synonyms)

3.     Apply the specific question strategy.

 

Question types that always go in order.

1.     Fill the blank

2.     Short answer questions

3.     Yes, No, Not Given

4.     Multiple choice

5.     Flow charts

 

Question types that not go in order

1.     Paragraph Location (hardest question - do last)

2.     Matching question (Easy to do)

3.     Classification questions (Easy)

4.     Sentence completion

5.     Table (mostly goes in order)

6.     Summary Question (sometimes difficult)

7.     Diagram (sometimes not goes in order)

8.     Pick 2 or 4 from list(difficult)

 

Save for last question types

Never do these questions first

1.     Headings.

2.     Paragraph location question

3.     Pick from a list question

4.     Summary question.

 

Special Note:

            Normally certain questions appear in particular reading passages. Tis is because reading comprehension as in listening, generally gets more difficult as you progress. This means that certain question types are viewed as more difficult than others.

 

Summary questions: normally found in passage 3, sometimes in passage 2.

Matching questions: normally found in passage 2, sometimes passage 3, rarely in 1.

Yes, No, Not Given: Found in all passages as it is the most popular question.

Pick 2 or 3 from list: Reading passage 3 normally.

 

Paragraph location (not in order)

Summary question (sometimes in order)

Pick 2 or 3 from list (not in order)

 

 

Fill the Blank question Strategy tactics and analysis

 

Fill the Blank questions require you to write the word(s) from the sentence in the passage that goes on the blank line. This word will normally connect to the word(s) right before or after the blank line in the question.

 

The focus is on 2 things:

1.     Scanning

2.     Synonym recognition

 

Basic strategy

 

·      Goes in order

·      The answer will come from the sentence in the passage that matches the keywords in the question. Just from this sentence 95% of the time.

·      Another big mistake is forgetting it is an English test.

 

Question strategy

 

·      Examine the questions & quickly decide which ones are the easiest to locate in the passage. These will be the first question to do in the set because questions go in order & the others will be easy to code.

·      Look at the question and choose the keywords from the question. These will be usually be the primary subject, object, verb. Pay particular attention to names, dates and other proper nouns as these are easy to locate in the passage.

·      Take the easiest question in the set and scan for the question keywords in the passage.

·      Quickly look at the question and in particular word(s) before(sometimes after) the blank line.

·      Search the passage keyword sentence and locate this language before the blank line because your answer will directly connect to this language.

 

Key-point

 

Fill-In the blank questions are some of the easiest questions to do and you should definitely do these first in your set for a particular reading question set

 

Find keywords and find the word(s) that directly connect to the word after or before the blank line.

 

 

 

 

 

SHORT Answer Question Strategy

 

Basics

            The short answer question is very straight-forward in what the question is asking you to do.

 

·      Read the question

·      Understand the requested answer

·      Provide the answer within the word limit

·      Note this question goes in order

 

Question strategy

1.     Examine the questions and quickly decide which ones are the easiest to locate in the passage. These will be the first questions to do in the set because questions go in order & the others will be easy to locate

2.     Look at the question & choose the key word(s) from the question. These usually be the primary subject, object, verb. Pay particular attention to names, dates and the other proper nouns as these are easy to locate in the passage.

3.     Take the easiest question in the set and scan for the question keywords in the passage. Keep in mind that you maybe have to recognize synonym language in the passage.

4.     Answering the question is very straightforward for this particular question

a.     Go back & quickly read the question.

b.     Recognize the specific answer they are asking for

c.     Quickly locate this answer in the sentence. The answer is in this sentence or in some instances the connected sentence(this, that, these, those, transition word)

 

 

YES, NO, NOT GIVEN Question Strategy 

 

Questions goes in order

 

Locate easiest ones

Choose keywords

Scan for keywords (Synonym language)

 

Compare the 2 sentences

Compare the question and the matching passage sentence.

 

Question answering strategy.

 

1.     Compare two sentences by examining the subject, object, and limiting languages (adj, adverb, verbs, extreme language). One of those sentences is the question and of course the other is the matching language sentence in the passage.

 

* If the Subject, Object and Limiting Languages are the same : TRUE (will use synonym language)

*    If the Subject, Object and Limiting Languages are DIFFERENT, CHANGED, OPPOSITE : FALSE

 

·      If the Subject, Object, LL are missing : NOT GIVEN

 

Key-Points

 

Read initial test : The first test is can you find the matching sentence quickly.

Real Second Part : Compare both sentences, checking the Subject,Object, Limiting Languages to determine YES, NO, NOT Given.

 

 

You must compare if the S/O/LL are the SAME, DIFFERENT or MISSING.     

 

If Maybe that is not given. Maybe is never true. Changed/Different/Opposite is FALSE.

 

 

Multiple Choice

 

3 types question strategy

 

There are 3 different types of multiple questions that fall under the title of “Multiple Choice” You’ll either have to :

 

1.     Choose one answer out of four options (standard)

2.     Choose 2or 3 answer out of 5 questions.

3.     Sentence completion (choose from list)

 

1 is the most common. 80% of the time it will be this type of question.

Standard multiple-choice question always goes in order. Sentence completion types goes in order most of the time. Pick 2 or 3 from a list question types does not go in order and this type is normally only found in reading passage 3.

 

 

            Basic Standard Strategy

 

·      Questions goes in order.

·      The answer will come from the sentence in the passage that matches the keywords in the question. Just from this sentence 95% of the time.

·      Another big mistake is forgetting it is an English test.

 

 

Specific “Standard” Question Strategy

 

·      Examine the questions and quickly decide which ones are the easiest to locate in the passage. Do it first and because questions go in order, others will be easy to locate.

·      Look at the question and choose the keyword from the questions. These will usually be the primary Subject, Object, Verb. Pay particular attention to names, dates and other proper nouns as these are easy to locate in the passage.

·      Quickly go through the answer choices for the question and underline the keywords.

·      Take the easiest question in the set and scan for the question keywords in the passage to locate the matching sentence.

 

 

Answering Strategy

·      Read the matching passage sentence.

·      Search for the keywords that match from the answer choices.

·      Keep in mind that most likely synonym language will be used for the correct answer

 

Standard Multiple-Choice Example and Analysis

 

You have to interpret meaning of sentences, because they use synonym language a lot of times for the correct answer.

 

 

You really have to interpret what is really being said.

 

They give you a first half of the sentence. Then you have to find the matching sentence in the reading passage. Read that full sentence then you look at the answer choices A, B, C, D, E, F, G and be able to see which of those answer choices gives you the information in that sentence that is missing.

 

Answering Strategy

 

·      Quickly re-read question

·      Quickly read the matching passage sentence.

·      Locate the answer choice that has the missing keywords from the passage sentence.

·      Please note that you will need to likely match synonym language.

 

 

Secret doing well on IELTS examt it is your ability to handle synonym language. 

Two main steps doing all these questions:

·      Can you find specific sentences where the questions is coming from

·      Can you understand that sentence and look at answer choices that has the same meaning and pick it!