8 Tips to Ace the IELTS Exam Reading Paper

In the reading portion of the IELTS exam, you will be assessed on your ability to understand written English. The paper consists of three texts taken from newspapers, magazines, or books, with two being on general interest topics, and one being more academic in nature. While the paper is testing your reading comprehension, some texts contain diagrams, graphs, or pictures to help you better understand the text. You will be given 60 minutes to complete the paper, including time to respond to the 40 questions that go alongside the passages. As many students consider this to be the most difficult section of the IELTS Academic exam, here are some tips to keep in mind as you prepare for your exam. 

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1. Use ‘skim and scan’ reading  

Time is limited during your exam, so it is essential that you use every second to your advantage. Instead of spending a long time closely reading each word and then answering questions, try to utilise ‘skim and scan’ reading. This means that you skim through each passage to understand the main ideas, and then scan the relevant sections for specific details as you begin to answer questions. 

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2. Focus on keywords

When reading the questions, keep an eye out for keywords. These words will clue you into what section of the passage you can find the answer. Generally, the questions will not use the exact same words as the text, so focus on finding synonyms during your scan for answers. 

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3. Predict answers 

While reading the text, try to pinpoint passages that may be relevant for the questions that follow. This will help you remain focused while reading, and help you as you begin to answer questions so you can spend less time scanning the passage for the relevant sections. 

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4. Practise active reading 

While reading each passage, try to utilise active reading. You can do this by making mental notes, summarising paragraphs in your head, and taking note of key points in the texts. This helps both your comprehension of the passages, as well as your ability to remember the main theme of each paragraph.  

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5. Manage your time wisely 

As you only have 40 minutes to complete this portion of the exam, be sure to allocate a specific amount of time for each passage, and do not waste time on a question if you are unsure of the answer. Use any extra time to return to the questions you are stuck on. Don’t let one hard question eat up all your time! 

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6. Read questions carefully 

The reading portion of the exam contains a variety of different question types, including multiple choice, sentence completion, completing summaries, filling in tables or diagrams, and matching headings to paragraphs. Each one of these questions will ask something different of you, so be sure to read the questions carefully.  Some may ask you to identify false pieces of information rather than stating what is true, or may provide you with more than one possible answer. 

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7. Practise regularly 

As with all portions of the IELTS exam, success hinges on how often you practice, and your understanding of what is required of you on the test. You can practise by working on sample tests, reading English newspapers and magazines to work on your active reading, or seek help from tutors. Remember, your goal isn’t just to understand individual words, but to have a deeper understanding of a text, including main themes and opinions. 

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8. Be mindful of spelling and grammar 

Despite being the reading section of the exam, your writing skills are still important here! Spelling mistakes will result in an answer being marked as incorrect, and for questions which require more than one word, grammar mistakes will also result in an incorrect answer. Take your time answering questions, and check your spelling against what is written in the passage.

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