IELTS Reading tips: time, skimming, scanning and question types

IDP's core advice for IELTS Reading is to read the questions first, skim, identify key words and answer every question. The British Council lists skimming and scanning as skills to practise, says to attempt every question and suggests a time for each section. They split the 60 minutes differently. IDP says no more than 20 minutes on each section, and the British Council suggests 15, 20 and 25.

Good tips come from the format. These are the facts from IELTS.org and the British Council.

Our reading: an answer sheet most likely means the paper test. IELTS Australia says that when you take IELTS on computer, your Listening and Reading answers are entered directly on the computer, with no need to transfer them to an answer sheet. If you sit on computer, ask your test centre how answers are entered.

Our reading: that is a lot of text for one hour, so reading every word of every passage is not an option. The advice below all points to the same idea: read to find answers, not to enjoy the passage.

IDP gives a six-point reminder in its timing tips. Its own list is below.

• Read the questions before you read the text.
• Skim through the passage.
• Pay attention to the introduction and conclusion.
• Identify key words.
• Answer every question.
• Check your answers.

IDP adds the reasons for some of those:

• The author's point of view is often expressed in the introduction and conclusion.
• Remember that questions appear in groups of 3, or 4, or more, so read that group of questions before studying the text.
• If you are running out of time, remember that you will not lose a mark if the answer is wrong, so make an educated guess and you may get the answer right.

The British Council says the same about guessing and adds a warning about spelling and grammar.

• We never take marks away for wrong answers.
• Spelling mistakes or poor grammar will cost you marks.

Both companies name skimming and scanning. For the third skill IDP says reading for detail and the British Council says comprehension, and both describe it as understanding opinions and attitudes.

The two companies give different timing advice. We show both.

• You may find you are able to get through the first section more quickly, giving you more time to spend on the more challenging questions in the next two sections.
• The passages get harder as you move through the test, so make sure you keep enough time to tackle the final passage.

Our reading: both plans use the whole hour, so there is no spare time at the end. Your checking time is whatever you save by finishing the early passages quickly. The British Council plan gives the hardest text the most time. IDP's plan is simpler to remember, and IDP says you may finish an easy first passage faster and spend the saved time on the harder ones. Choose one plan, then rehearse it in timed practice until it feels automatic.

IDP Australia's article on skimming and scanning sets the two techniques side by side.

• Skimming techniques involve considering the title, headings, and topic sentences of reading passages, as they are the main ideas.
• Another effective skimming technique is to read either the first sentence or the first and last sentence of a paragraph.
• When scanning a text, focus on vocabularies such as proper nouns, dates, numbers, and times.
• Tracing your finger or using a pen/pencil as a guide to enhance your scanning process.
• Encircling or underlining keywords within the reading passage.

Our routine for one passage

1. Read the questions for the first group, and underline the key words in each. Circle the question words that carry the meaning: names, numbers, rare nouns.
2. Skim the passage for about a minute: title, any subheadings, then the first sentence of each paragraph. Write a two-word label beside each paragraph.
3. Go back to the questions. For each one, use the labels to decide which paragraph to scan, then scan for your key words and their synonyms.
4. Read around the match slowly. Decide the answer from that sentence, not from the whole text.
5. If you are stuck for more than a minute, leave a mark on the question, guess if you must, and move on.
6. Use any time left over to check spelling and word limits.

These are the types that cost most people marks. Left is what the owners say. Right is our method.

Our reading: matching headings eats time, so the skimming routine above is worth practising on its own before you add the questions.

IDP tells Academic test takers to read a wide range, and IDP Canada's reading article gives similar advice about vocabulary.

• make sure you read a range of texts on different topics from.
• Build your vocabulary by reading a variety of texts, such as books, articles, and newspapers.
• Take timed practice tests to simulate the actual exam conditions and measure your progress.

IDP's list for that first line is books, journals, magazines and newspapers. Reading on its own is not enough, though. Here is what to do with an article so that it counts as practice.

1. Pick an article of about 800 to 1000 words from a magazine, a newspaper or a long online feature. Choose topics you would not pick for fun.
2. Read it once at a steady pace. Then write a heading of five words or fewer for every paragraph.
3. Underline the writer's opinion words. Write one sentence that states what the writer believes.
4. Write three statements about the article: one that is true, one that is false and one that the article never mentions. Swap them with a study partner and try theirs.
5. List five words you did not know. Write each with a synonym, not a translation.

If you search for an IELTS Reading practice PDF, these are the downloads the owners list. The British Council lists:

• Academic Reading sample tasks (PDF, 0.89mb)
• Academic Reading answer sheet (PDF, 0.70mb)
• General Training Reading sample tasks (PDF, 0.85mb)
• General Training Reading answer sheet (PDF, 0.70mb)
• Answer Key (PDF, 0.02mb)

IDP has a free computer Familiarisation test. It says: "In this IELTS Familiarisation test you will read 3 long text and answer 40 questions in total." It also lists Academic Reading answers as a download. All of these, with the owners' own words, are on our IELTS practice test page.

Forty minutes a day, except Day 6, which is a full 60-minute test. Always time yourself, and always write the reason for each wrong answer.

Common questions