IELTS Reading Tips

COMPLETE
IELTS
Cambridge Bands
English 6.5-7.5
(C1)
1 Department of Languages
CONTENTS
✓ OBJECTIVES
✓ INTRODUCTION
✓ PRIMARY SKILLS NEEDED
✓ IELTS READING QUESTION TYPES
✓ TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR READING
SKILL
✓ IELTS READING STRATEGIES
✓ SYNONYMS
IELTS READING
Objectives
❖To develop your reading skill by providing you all proven

Formulas, Tips, Tricks, Strategies, Explanations, Structures,
Reading Language , and Synonyms.
❖To clearly analyze and explain the different types of questions

that are asked for the IELTS Reading Test.
❖To provide you step-by-step instructions on how to answer

each type of question excellently.
INTRODUCTION
 The reading test comes after the listening test. It is the second section of
the IELTS test.
 The reading test lasts 60 minutes ( do not get a break).
 There are 3 sections (each section has 13 or 14 questions)
 There are 40 questions in total.
 No extra time is given to transfer your answers from questions to the
answer sheet. Therefore, you have to complete the answer sheet within
the 60 minutes.
 You must use a pencil to write answers on the answer Sheet because it
is scanned by a computer. That’s the same as the IELTS listening test.
 There is a wide variety of tasks candidates may have to complete.
For Chapter-End Test
 The reading test is the first section of the semester-end exam test.
 It lasts 40 minutes.
 There are 10 questions in total.
 You have to follow the instructions exactly.
 Spelling and grammar must be correct.
Primary Skills Needed
 Searching and underlining key words.
 Looking for synonyms and parallel expressions.
 Skimming (reading the text very quickly).
 Scanning (looking for something without reading).
 Reading for specific information.
IELTS READING QUESTION TYPES
✓ Matching Headings:
✓ Matching Information to Paragraphs:
✓ Multiple-Choice Questions:
✓ Summary Completion:
✓ Completion Tasks:
✓ Note Completion:
✓ Table Completion:
✓ Sentence Completion:
✓ Flow-Chart Completion:
✓ Classification Type:
✓ Matching Sentence Endings:
✓ Yes, No, Not Given Questions:
✓ True, False, Not Given Questions:
✓ Short Answer Questions:
1) Matching Headings:
You are asked to select headings of paragraphs and match them to the
relevant paragraphs from a text.
Matching headings is often one of the most difficult question types for
students. Why?
The main reason is that the headings are usually very similar to each
other.
Also, you have more headings than you need for the question.
Questions 1-7
The reading passage has seven sections, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i Looking for clues
ii Blaming the beekeepers
iii Solutions to a more troublesome issue
iv Discovering a new bee species
v An impossible task for any human
vi The preferred pollinator
vii Plant features designed to suit the pollinator
viii Some obvious and less obvious pollen carriers
ix The undesirable alternative
x An unexpected setback
1. Section A ………
2. Section B ……….
3. Section C ……….
4. Section D ……….
5. Section E ……….
6. Section F ……….
7. Section G ……….
Example 1. Section A v
Matching Headings Tips:
Do this type of question first if it is on the test. By doing
this, you will have a chance to get the general meaning
of the text as a whole. This will help you with the rest of
the questions that require you to take a more detailed
look at the text.
Check how many questions you need to

answer.
. Do not use any answer more than

once.
Do not need to read the whole text.
Read the headings first and think about the topic of the
text. Then, read the first, second and last sentences of the
paragraph to understand the general meaning of the
paragraph.
. Identify and underline keywords within each

heading.
Try to look for synonyms or other words that have

a similar meaning to words or phrases in the
headings so you can rule out the correct answer.
(2) Matching Information to Paragraphs:
 You will be asked to match statements in a list to corresponding
paragraphs in the reading text.
 The match information task has been designed to test your ability
to find specific information in the passage of text.
 In other words, this task focuses on your ability to locate specific
information.
 You might be asked to find specific details, for example, a reason,
a description, a comparison, a summary, a fact, or an explanation.
Questions 1-5
The Reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
1. a comparison of a range of physical features of Neanderthals and
Homo sapiens
2. reference to items that were once used for trade
3. mention of evidence for the existence of a previously unknown
human species
4. mention of the part played by ill fortune in the downfall of
Neanderthal society
5. reference to the final geographical location of Neanderthals
Matching Information Tips:
❖ Do this type of question last. You will be able to look for the
correct information and the right answers more quickly and
easily if you do other questions first since you were familiar
with the passage.
❖ Read the title of the passage.
❖ Read the instructions carefully.
Department of
15 Languages
❖ Look for and underline keywords, and highlight the kinds of
information you need to find for each statement given such as a
definition, a number, a name, an example or a description.
❖ Use paraphrasing skill to look for words that have similar
meaning. Take notes for synonym or antonyms. This will help
you identify the correct answer.
❖ All paragraphs contain an answer and some paragraphs contain
more than one answer. Therefore, you may use any letter more
than once. That means you might find the answer to different
questions in the same paragraph.
❖ The questions are not in the same order as the information in the
passage.
3) Multiple-Choice Questions:
One question is given to you followed by four or five choices in
which you have to choose the best one which will fit your answer.
Questions 6-9
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
6 What was the significance of the ‘ novel approach’ adopted in the
Guatemala project?
A. It minimized the need to protect the forests.
B. It reduced the impact of tourists on the forests.
C. It showed that preserving the forests can be profitable.
D. It gave the foundation greater control over the forests.
7 GPS and satellite imagery were used in the Syrian project to
A. help archaeologists find ancient items.
B. explore land that is hard to reach.
C. reduce the impact of archaeological activity.
D. evaluate some early astronomical theories.
8 One of the purposes of the Foundation’s awards is to
A. Attract non-scientists to its work.
B. Establish priorities for Mars exploration.
C. Offer financial incentives for space exploration.
D. Establish the long-term continuity of its activities.
9 What is the writer’s purpose in the passage?
A. to persuade people to support the foundation
B. to explain the nature of the Foundation’s work
C. to show how views on the Foundation have changed
D. to reject earlier criticisms of the Foundation’s work
Multiple-Choice Tips:
1. Read the instructions carefully, skim all the questions briefly to
get an idea of the topics for which you will be searching when
reading the text.
2. Try to protect the right answer before you read the text.
3. In multiple choice questions, remember to use the keywords in
the question to help you find the right part of the text. Read that
part again and consider all the options one by one.
4. Match the keywords in the question to their associated
paragraph in the text. You need to know where to read to find
the correct answer.
5. Locate the particular section of the paragraph in which the
important information is located to find the answer.
6. You don’t need to read the entire text from beginning to end
because the questions follow the same order as the paragraphs.
7. The keyword you see in the question may not be written exactly
the same as it is in the paragraph.
8. Only read the particular section of the paragraph which directly
relates back to the question after you match the keyword or the
synonym from the question to the corresponding paragraph.
(4) Summary Completion:
➢ You will be given a summary of information from the text and
there will be some gaps in that summary.
➢ You will either be given a list of words to fill the gaps with or
asked to find the answers in the reading text.
➢ Your job is to insert some of the words from the list into the
gaps; or if you are asked to fill the gaps with words from the
text, there will be more words in the list that are required to fill
the gaps.
22 Department of Languages ( English )

➢ All of the information contained in the summary will also be
contained in the reading text but they will use synonyms and
paraphrasing.
➢ Therefore, don’t expect to see the same words.
➢ The summary may relate to the whole passage or only a part of it

and the text of the summary will follow the order of the text of the
passage.
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Department of Languages ( English )

SUMMARY COMPLETION
Question 10-14
Complete the summary using the words, A-I, below.
Field research: Applying the Earth’s environment to the
settlement of space
Some studies have looked at how humans function in 10
………… situations. In one project, it was decided to review
cave explorers in Mexico who tolerate 11 ………. Periods on
their own.
It is also possible to prepare for space exploration by
studying environments on Earth that are 12 ………. To those
on Mars. A huge crater in the Arctic is the 13 ……….. Place
to test the technologies needed to explore Mars and gather
other relevant 14 …………. Information.
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A comparable D ideal G scientific
B extreme E unexpected H extended
C connected F beneficial I individual

Questions 1-6
Complete the summary below.
Choose no more than two words from the passage for each answer.
The Main Functions of the Police
The police are persons empowered to enforce the law, protect property and
reduce 1 ………. .Their powers include the 2 ………. Use of force. The
term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are
authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or
3 ……….. Area of responsibility. Police forces are often defined as
organizations separate from any 4 ……….. , or other organizations involved
in the 5 ……….. Of the state against 6 ……….. .

➢ In other Summary Completion exercises in the IELTS Reading
Test, candidates are required to choose words from a box in order
to complete the task.
➢ There will be more words than spaces and they are usually
different words from the ones in the passage.
➢ This tests a candidate’s ability to recognize synonyms and

paraphrase.
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Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answer in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.
How children acquire a sense of identity
First, children come to realize that they can have an effect on the world around them,
for example by handing objects, or causing the image to move when they face a 24
………. . This aspect of self-awareness is difficult to research directly, because of 25
………. Problems.
Secondly, children start to become aware of how they are viewed by others. One
important stage in this process is the visual recognition of themselves which usually
occurs when they reach the age of two. In Western societies at least, the development
of self awareness is often linked to a sense of 26 ……….. , and can lead to disputes.

Summary Completion Tips:
❑ Read the instructions to the questions very carefully.
❑ Skim through the summary. Ignoring the blanks to understand
its general meaning.
❑ Predict the right answers before looking at the options.
❑ Don’t waste time looking at parts of the passage that are not
included in the summary.
29

❑ You need to focus on keywords before and after the blank.
❑ Check with the passage. You can use your keyword strategy to
identify the correct part of the passage but remember you are
looking for synonyms.
❑ Check to see if your word is grammatical. Think about nouns,
adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.
❑ The answers are mostly in order. Sometimes they’ll all be in
order, but once in a while, there will be an answer that comes
before another answer. However, don’t worry about this
because the keywords are specific and easy to find.

(5) Completion Tasks:
❖ note completion ,
❖ flowchart completion,
❖ sentence completion,
❖ table completion, and
❖ summary completion tasks.

Completion Tasks Tips:
Here are some basic tips that you need to learn to deal with this type of
question excellently:
➢ There will be a words limit, so please read the instructions carefully and see
the words limit that you need to write in order to fill in the gaps. There will
be usually NO MORE THAN ONE WORDS, TWO WORDS or THREE
WORDS, so underline this and remember while you fill in the exercise.
Department of Languages ( English ) 32

➢ Secondly, usually for most tasks in IELTS reading, the questions in the
tasks and the gaps are followed in the same order as they will appear in
the text. However, please remember and keep in mind that when you see
a completion task, the questions and the gaps will not necessarily follow
the order that they will be shown in the text.
➢ You should copy the words that you find in the text exactly the same way
in order to fill in the gaps. Hence, they have to both fit grammatically
and syntactically.
➢ Try to predict what kind of words are missing, for example, a noun, a
verb, an adjective or an adverb. The words before and after the gap help
you understand what is missing.

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➢ You should underline key words that precede gaps.
These keywords are going to guide you through the text
in order to find where the correct answer is located. You
should be careful of paraphrasing.
➢ In IELTS, you should always concentrate on meanings,

not on words. That is always helpful to be good at
skimming and scanning techniques.

Note Completion:
Questions 1-10
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Animation Technology
History
Thomas Edison: first camera – 1889
J. Stuart Blackton: first animated film technique – used many 1………. Of faces
Emile Cohl: first animated scene – used cut – outs made of 2 ………..
Walt Disney: * first talking colour film
-1928
-Used 3 ………. Slides
* first full – length colour film – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- 1937

Pixar Animation Studios
Origins: graphics group
Earnings: over 4 $ ……….. Worldwide
Famous films: 1995 – Toy Story – first
computer-animated film
2001 – Monsters, Inc.- included
5 ………. As a new animation feature
finding Nemo – new techniques
in 6 ……….
The Incredibles – believable simulations
of people and 7 ………

Future developments:
a. Digital humans: focusing particularly on skin and 8 ………….
b. Speed: companies producing 9 ………… will help
c. Colour: aim to preserve vibrancy
d. Styles of animation: a move from 10 …………. to new concepts

Table Completion:
Questions 1-5
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Early Printing Methods
Features Problems
Metal type • produced large print • cost, weight and 1…..
difficulties
• mixed styles
Wood type • Darius’s wood drill used in • lacked both3 …….
connection with another • mixed type
2……
• produced a range of letters
Lithography • letters drawn by hand • had to use a mirror or 5
• design tool – a 4 …….. ….. to achieve correct
image

Sentence Completion:
Questions 8-11
Complete the sentences below. Choose No MORE THAN THREE WORDS
from the passage for each answer.
8. Both ………. Were the first creatures to pollinate the world’s plants.
9. Monkeys transport pollen on their ………. .
10. Honeybees are favoured pollinators among bee species partly because
they travel ………. .
11. A feature of CCD is often the loss of all the ………… .

Flow-Chart Completion:
Look at the flow chart and Questions 6-9 below.
1. Decide what type of information you need to complete each gap.
2. Find the correct part of the passage, read it carefully and answer Questions 6-9.
Questions 6-9
Complete the flow chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for
each answer.
Jules Cheret
1860 – invention of ‘ three-stone lithographic process’
Combination of both 6 ……… on colored posters

1870s – posters used for advertising and
7 ……….. In Europe
1884-86 – Cheret’s poster 8 …….. And book on poster art
1890s – posters represent 9 ……… around the world

(6) Classification Type:
❑ You need to classify the information you read in the
passage.
❑ In other words, you need to sort statements or features into
different categories.
❑ There are always 3 categories and these categories and
these categories are of the same type.
❑ You are also given several numbered statements or features.
❑ Each category is given a letter.
❑ So on your answer sheet, you need to write a letter, A, B, or
C.

Look at questions 10-13.
1. Underline the key ideas in the questions.
2. Scan the passage for the name of each researcher and
underline it.
3. Answer Questions 10-13 by reading around each name to
decide whether what the researcher said at that point matches
any of the statements.

Questions 10-13
Look at the following statements and the list of researchers, A-C, below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher.
10. No evidence can be found to suggest that Neanderthal communities allocated
tasks to different members.
11. Homo sapiens may have been able to plan ahead.
12. Scientists cannot be sure whether a sudden natural disaster contributed to the
loss of a human species.
13. Environmental conditions restricted the areas where Homo sapiens and
Neanderthals could live.
List of Researchers
A Mike Petraglia
B Chris Stringer
C Penny Spikins

Exam advice
Matching Features
Underline the key ideas in the

statements.
Scan the passage for the opinions (A, B, C, etc.) and
underline every reference to them. (they are always in the
same order in the passage as they are in the box.)
Read around each option carefully and match it to the

statement(s). If there are fewer options than statements,
you will need to use some of them more than once. If
there are more options than statements, do not use all the
options.
Classification Tips;
➢ Always be sure to read the instructions first.
➢ Skim the reading text to get its general meaning.
➢ Search for and underline the “ keywords” in the statements.
Usually, some of words in the questions have the same meaning to
words in the passage. You will probably find the answer if you
find the similar words.

➢ It is important to note that, in classification tasks, the questions
will not be in the same order as you read them in the passage.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to circle information that you’ll
need later.
➢ Some letters, or categories may be used more than once while
some letters may not be used at all.
➢ Always give an answer even if you are unsure. You won’t lose
marks if the answer is wrong and you may just get it right.

(6) Matching Sentence Endings:
❖ You are going to be given a list of incomplete sentences and another list
with possible endings.
❖ Your job is to choose the correct ending for each sentence based on the
reading text.
❖ This means you will have to choose their ending correctly based on a
number of options.
❖ All options are going to have similar meanings, so this is what makes this
task rather challenging.
❖ However, the good news is that the sentences in the task will appear in the
order that they will appear in the text; so you will know where to find each
piece of information that each sentence conveys while you scan through the
text.

For questions 11-14, underline key ideas in each of the options and use the name in the
questions to find the relevant parts of the passage. Then read carefully to answer the
questions.
Questions 11-14
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G, below.
11. Bill Gates thinks Khan Academy
12. According to Gary Stager, Khan Academy
13. Sylvia Martinez regrets that Khan Academy
14. Ben Kamens has been told that Khan Academy
A. is only suited to subjects where questions have exact answers.

B. can teach both the strongest and the weakest pupils in a class.
C. means the teaching of other school subjects will have to be changed.
D. only prepares students to pass exams.
E. could cause student achievement to improve too quickly.
F. requires all students to own the necessary technology.
G. is unlikely to have a successful outcome for most students.
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Matching Sentence Tips:
❑ Read the sentences and underline keywords. Especially those
phrases that are hard to be paraphrased. These underlined words
and phrases will help you and guide you to find the answer in
the text through scanning.
❑ When highlighting keywords, it is often a good idea to highlight
any names including place names or dates. These are often easy
to find in the reading text.
❑ Read the incomplete sentences first and try to predict how each
sentence will end before you look at the endings or the text.

❑ Go to the text and scan the text in order to locate where this
piece of information that the sentence states.
❑ Read the piece of information that you found in the text. It may
be a whole paragraph, so you need to read this piece of
information carefully and then choose the right option.
❑ Make sure that the option that you have chosen fits the first
half of the sentence not only in grammar and syntax but also in
the meaning that the sentence tries to express.
❑ The answers are in the same order in a text as they are in the
questions.

(7) Yes, No, Not Given Questions:
✓ The YES, NO, NOT GIVEN questions are all about the writer’s
opinion.
✓ It’s not about the facts but about what the writer thinks.
✓ If the answer is YES, it means that the statement in the question
agrees with the claims of the writer.
✓ If the answer is NO, it means the statement is opposite; it contradicts
the claims of the writer.
✓ NOT GIVEN means it is impossible to say what the writer thinks
about.
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Questions 6-10
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading passage?
Write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer
thinks about this
6. Thordarson’s first impressions of how she would use Khan Academy turned out to
be wrong.
7. Khan wished to completely change the way courses are taught in schools.
8. School grade levels are based on the idea of students progressing at different rates.
9. Some principals have invited Khan into their schools to address students.
10. Khan has given advice to other people involved in start-up projects.

Yes, No, Not Given Tips:
➢ Ignore anything you already know about the topic and don’t
make assumptions. Based your answers on the text only.
➢ Identify any words that qualify the statement. For example,
some, all, mainly, often, always and occasionally. These words
are there to test if you have read the whole statement because
they can change the meaning. Be careful.
➢ When you see verbs that qualify statements such as know,
suggest, claim, and believe. For example, “ the woman claimed
she was a doctor” and “the women is a doctor” mean they are
different.

➢ Don’t skim and scan the text. To find the correct answer, you will
have to read the appropriate part of the text very carefully in
order to understand what the writer means.
➢ Don’t look for words that exactly match those in the statements.
Instead, you should look for synonyms.
➢ If you can’t find the information you are looking for, then it is
probably NOT GIVEN. Don’t waste time looking for something
that is not there.
➢ Answers are in the same order they appear in the text. Do not
waste time going back.

(8) True, False, Not Given Questions:
✓ You will be given a number of factual statements and you have to check
in the text if they are true, false or not given.
✓ The TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN questions are all about factual
information in the passage.
✓ It’s not about opinions; it’s about fact.
✓ TRUE means that the statement in the question agrees with the
information in the passage.
✓ FALSE means the statement in the question contradicts the information
in the Passage (“contradicts” means it’s the opposite meaning).
✓ NOT GIVEN means there is no information on this. This task is used to
assess the candidate’s ability to find the particular information found in
the passage.
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Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. The activities going on at the MIT campus are like those at any other
university.
2. Harvard and MIT shared a similar approach to education when they were
founded.
3. The school motto was suggested by a former MIT student.
4. MIT’s logo reflects the belief that intellect and craftsmanship go together.
5. Silicon Valley companies pay higher salaries to graduates from MIT.

True, False, Not Given Tips:
 Read the instructions carefully and make sure you know if it
is a true/ false/ not given question.
 Read all the statements carefully. Trying to understand what
the whole sentence means rather than simply highlighting
keywords.
 You need to find the right part of the text before you can
answer the question. Remember that the questions follow
the text.
 Finding key ideas in the text.

 Look for expressions of uncertainty. Look for modal verbs like
could, might, or must. Look for expressions which indicate
uncertainty, such as suggest, think, claim, believe, and know.
For example, it is thought that or many scientists believe that.
 If you can’t find the answer or if you are really unsure, mark it
as NOT GIVEN and move on to the next question.

 If the question in the reading test is TRUE, FALSE, NOT
GIVEN, you must remember to write TRUE or FALSE or
NOT GIVEN on your answer sheet; you can’t write YES or
NO. That means if the answer is TRUE and you write YES, the
answer will be marked wrong.
 You can write a letter instead of a word for your answer. That
means if your answer is TRUE, you can write only T. It still
means true and IELTS will give you a correct answer for that
one point.

(9) Short Answer Questions:
 Where you have to give a very short answer with a maximum of three words or
a number. Here is a sample question.
Questions 10-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
10. What proportion of workers at are employed in companies set up by MIT
graduates?
11. What problem does MIT’s Energy Initiative aim to solve?
12. Which ‘green’ innovation might MIT’s work with viruses help improve?
13. In which part of the university does Tim Berners-Lee enjoy stimulating
conversations with other MIT staff?

Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 18-20 on your answer sheet.
18. What is the life expectancy of Earth?
19. What kind of signals from other intelligent civilizations are
SETI scientists searching for?
20. How many stars are the world’s most powerful radio telescopes
searching?

Short Answer Questions Tips:
❖ You don’t have to read every word of the text. The questions test
your ability to skim and scan for specific information, so you
won’t have time to read every word.
❖ The answers appear in the same order of the text.
❖ Skim and scan the passage quickly and understand the overall
meaning.
❖ Look at and understand the questions first before you start reading
the text.
❖ Make sure you don’t go over the word limit as stated above the
answers.

❖ Don’t give your opinion, just the answer in the text.
❖ Read the instructions carefully and note the word limit.
❖ Read and understand the questions. Think about the information
you will need to find.
❖ Underline any keywords in the questions. Think about synonyms
or paraphrases for these keywords.
❖ Read the section containing the answer carefully and identify the
right answer.

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR READING SKILL
➢ Reading a lot (no shortcut). You will only be able to improve your
reading skill with time and practice. Doing more reading about
subjects that you are interested in.
➢ Reading a lot of IELTS passages in the Cambridge books.
➢ Analyzing each passage carefully, finding the ‘ keywords’,
understanding each passage, and finding the correct answer to each
question.
➢ Analyzing your mistakes and the correct answers.

IELTS READING STRATEGIES
Here is a list of IELTS reading strategies:
1. Because the time for IELTS reading test is limited, you don’t spend
too much time reading the whole text. Do not read word for word
everything you see. You don’t have to understand everything.
2. Just go straight to read the questions first, and then read the passage.
3. Use skills such as skimming and scanning to quickly read for the
main idea or look for keywords or look for specific detail like
numbers, names or dates.
4. There are three passages in the IELTS test. The first passage is the
earliest, then the second passage and then the third passage. Since
the first passage is easier, it’s a good idea to spend less time on this
one.

5. Don’t waste time on difficult questions. Do easier sections first, and do
difficult sections later.
6. Read all instructions carefully. Especially for questions which require
you to answer in NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER.
7. Most of the answers to questions are in the correct order in the passage,
so you don’t need to go back to the beginning to find the next answer.
8. Search for and underline the “keywords”. Usually, some of words in
the questions have the same meaning to words in the passage. For
example, if the passage includes the words “towns and cities”, “elderly
people”, the question might use the words “urban”, “senior citizens”.
Therefore, you will probably find the answer if you find the similar
words.

9. Circling transitional words and phrases when you look for details such
as “in contrast”, “however” in order to ensure that these words and
phrases work as a sign that important information may appear before
or after them.
10. Predict the correct answer.
11. Find the right part of the passage quickly. Read that part carefully.
Read the sentences before and after the keywords that you have found
to look for the correct answer.
12. IELTS is very big on paraphrasing and using a range of different
language for the same meaning. Therefore, when you look at
questions or statements, you do need to think about possible
paraphrases. That will help you identify where the answer is and to
actually get the right answer.

13. Common traps: one of the common traps you need to know is
COMPARISONS. If you see a comparative sentence in the
question “more or less than”, make sure you also find a comparison
in the passage to find the correct answer.
14. Also look for these types of words: if they say “all’ and the question
says “some”, that’s not a match. Likewise, if they say” the majority”
and the question says “some”, that’s also not a match. This is really
testing your ability to understand the exact difference and the exact
meaning of words.
15. Don’t “over-think’ the answer. Many students get the wrong answer
simply because they think too hard about small differences in
meaning.

16. Time management: you will have 60 minutes for the reading test
with 40 questions in total. Therefore, you need to manage your
time wisely.
17. Transfer your answers from the question sheet to your answer
sheet carefully. When you transfer your answers to the answer
sheet, don’t get your answers mixed up spelling and grammar or
you will lose points here. Don’t be in a hurry. Be careful to check
and double-check. If your writing is unclear, your answer will be
marked wrong.

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COMPLETE

❖To develop your reading skill by providing you all proven

❖To clearly analyze and explain the different types of questions

❖To provide you step-by-step instructions on how to answer

Check how many questions you need to

. Do not use any answer more than

. Identify and underline keywords within each

Try to look for synonyms or other words that have

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➢ Therefore, don’t expect to see the same words.

➢ The summary may relate to the whole passage or only a part of it

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➢ This tests a candidate’s ability to recognize synonyms and

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➢ In IELTS, you should always concentrate on meanings,

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1860 – invention of ‘ three-stone lithographic process’

Combination of both 6 ……… on colored posters

1890s – posters represent 9 ……… around the world

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Underline the key ideas in the

Read around each option carefully and match it to the

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A. is only suited to subjects where questions have exact answers.

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