Do you think that the reading section is the most difficult part of the IELTS exam ??

If that is so, In this blog I am going to share 15 most important tips that will help you succeed in the reading module of the IELTS.

But before getting to the tips you must be aware of the overview of the reading module you going to face.

Let’s get some basic idea of what are the skills this module is aiming to test.

There are two different versions of IELTS –

• General – This is for people doing IELTS for things like immigration.
• Academic – IELTS for academic is for people who want to get into universities in Canada, Australia or any other country.

There is only 1 thing which differs between both types is that the reading passage type will be different.

The reading module consists of three passages and is divided into 3 different sections.

That is 1 passage for each section.

The level of difficulty of the 1st passage is a little low.

Then comes the 2nd passage where the level of difficulty increases comparing to the 1st one.

At last, the 3rd passage is the hardest one among the three.

Total no. of questions based on all three passage are 40 which you have to answer within 60 minutes.

It is also important for you to know about the common type of questions in the IELTS Reading test.

The basic type of question you may encounter are –

• True and False types
• Multiple–choice questions
• Sentence Completion
• Summary Completion
• Labeling the diagram
• Matching information to paragraphs
• Short Answer Questions
• Matching the headings
• Matching names

Now get ready to steal some of the tips on how to do your best in the reading exam of IELTS.

1. Do not spend too much time reading the passages

Most of the students try to read word-for-word everything very carefully.

You need to know that it is not necessary to understand each word you read.

2.     Do not start reading the text before looking at the tasks

Many students just start reading the passage as soon as the time starts without even looking at the tasks and questions to be answered.

You must scan the tasks once and then proceed to the passage reading keep in mind the tasks.

3.     Start skimming rather than slow reading

Skimming means quickly reading the lines by just rolling your eyes over the passage to get the main idea or meaning or some specific details.

4.     Be careful while Transferring to the answer sheet

After the process of reading and analyzing you’re also supposed to write your answers on the answer sheet provided.

A lot of students do not realize and ends up leaving no time for transferring to the answer sheet.

5.     Improve your Vocabulary

Do not forget that it is also a vocabulary test as it is a reading test.

If you want a high Band Score in reading then you must improve your vocabulary.

6.     You must read the instructions very carefully.

You may lose the majority of your marks only if you fail to read the instructions carefully.

The instructions are so specific and tricky sometimes that you cannot afford to miss them.

7.     Spelling Matters

As I told you before, you need to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Hence, spelling mistakes matters a lot while transferring the answers.

8.     Practice for each type of Question

Above I have listed major types of questions that you will encounter in the exam.

You must not leave any type of question un-practiced.

9.     Start with skimming the passage

As a time limit can be a major drawback in the exam, you must be quick while reading the passage.

Use the technique of skimming for quick reading. Skimming is a technique for reading the large part a paragraph by just rolling your eyes over it to get a quick idea about the topic.

10. Do not leave any blanks

You might be thinking about it as the most common tip. But believe me, 70% of the students leave the answer blank if they do not know the answer if they are unsure.

 Even if you do not know or you are unsure about any answer, attempt every question.   There are no negative markings or penalties for incorrect answers.

Here is a Bonus Tip for you :

• Time to be spent on each passage

This tip is very important, you need to spend less time on the earlier passage than to be spent on the next one.

For passage 1 – Generally, you should not spend more than 17 minutes

On passage 2 – You should spend almost 20 minutes, and

On the 3rd passage – approx. 23 minutes should be spend