Reading Strategies

1. Using the features of a Reading passage

Before you read every sentence, look at the page as a whole. IELTS passages usually give you clues through the title, subtitle, paragraph layout, visuals, captions, and footnotes. These features help you predict the topic and decide where information is likely to appear.

Use the activity below to practise naming common passage features. Drag each answer from the box to the numbered label. One answer is extra.

Practice 1.1

Label the features of a Reading passage

Features of a Reading passage

Worksheet-style Health-Tea reading passage with numbered feature labels

Most Reading passages will have a heading and a subheading. The subheading is used to give you the context to the passage.

Practice 1.2

Match headings A-D from four Reading passages with subheadings 1-5. There is one extra subheading that you do not need.

Researchers disagree about whether social media is making us more isolated.

Climatologists are assessing the impact of climate change on high-altitude bodies of water.

James Clegg identifies two current trends that are expanding the role of science in high schools.

Alan Parker outlines a recent breakthrough in technology.

In the 19th century, a schoolgirl and a former travelling salesman helped turn the humble soap bar into an $18 billion industry.

Understanding the context can help you to predict the type of information contained in the Reading passage.

Practice 1.3

Match the types of information 1-6 to Reading headings A-D. You will need to use the information in the subheadings to help you and you may use any letter more than once.

arguments put forward by several different experts

a description of a project in mountainous areas

a discussion about the impact of technology on society

research linked to trends in weather patterns

a historical look at a successful business venture

an argument presented from one expert's point of view

An IELTS Reading passage might contain footnotes. These help explain technical terms. Some terms are explained in the passage. Other terms can be understood by reading the text carefully.

Practice 1.4

The passage in 1.1 contains several explanations and definitions. Read the passage and match terms (1-5) with meanings A-F.

tannin

astringent

alkaline

oak gall

soluble

Practice 1.5

What helped you to identify the definition of each word?

Test Tip Timing is an important part of the Reading test. Try to finish each section in less than 20 minutes.
Read the passage as quickly as possible (up to three minutes). Look at the questions to see what type of information you need to find (up to one minute). Spend 12-13 minutes reading the passage in detail and answering the questions. If a question is taking too long, move on. Use your final 3-4 minutes to review flagged questions, fill any gaps, and check typed answers for spelling.

2. Skimming a passage and speed reading

Skimming a passage means reading it quickly (concentrating on content words, like nouns and verbs) to find the main points. It is not reading for detail. Skimming a text will also give you a general idea of how the information is organised, which can help you locate information more easily later on. In your own language, you can probably skim read 100 words in 20 seconds. In the exam, you should aim to skim read 100 words in 30 seconds.

Practice 2.1

This passage has four paragraphs of around 100 words each.

Using a timer, skim read the text to get the general idea of what it is about.
After 30 seconds, jump to the start of the next paragraph.

The diets of children have changed dramatically over the last century due to the effect of technologies (such as improved transport, canning and refrigeration), social changes (such as the establishment of boarding schools) and evolving ideas about the nutritional needs of growing bodies. Before World War I, the meals of children and adults alike would typically consist of vegetables (often potatoes), large amounts of bread (often 0.5 kg/day) and soups with small amounts of meat.

Imagine a 12-year-old Australian boy from 1970 standing next to a 12-year-old boy from 2010. The boy from 2010 will probably be 3-5 cm taller and 7 kg heavier than his counterpart in 1970. He will also be 25% fatter. A lot of that fat will be around the waist. The 2010 school trousers won't fit the boy from 1970: they will be 10 cm too big around the waist. Now imagine that the two boys have a running race of over 1,600 metres: the boy from 1970 will finish 300 metres ahead of his mate from 40 years in the future.

There are two changes in three that the boy from 1970 walked to school each day; there are three chances in four that the boy from 2010 is driven to school by mum or dad. There are four chances in five that in 1970 the boy was allowed to play unsupervised in the neighbourhood; there is only one chance in four that in 2010 the boy will be allowed to go down to the park on his own. The boy in 1970 probably played three or four different sports; the boy from 2010 plays one or none. It is 30 times more likely that the local river was the favourite play space of the boy from 1970 than it is for the boy today.

What has caused these dramatic changes in the space of a single generation? There are two main theories. Increasing overweight is caused by an energy imbalance: either energy intake (food) increases, or energy expenditure decreases, or both. The 'Gluttony Theory' argues that children are fatter because they are eating more than they used to, and more bad food (high energy density, high in fat and sugar, high in saturated fats). The 'Sloth Theory' argues that children are fatter because they are less active than they used to be. The two theories have battled it out in nutrition and physical activity journals for the last 10 years.

Timed skim

Read each paragraph for 30 seconds. Move to the next paragraph when the timer tells you.

Practice 2.2

Now look at questions 1-3 and, without looking at the passage, try to remember whether this information was

a comparison of children now and in the past

different hypotheses for the changes in weight

a list of factors that brought about changes in our diet

Practice 2.3

Questions 1-3 in 2.2 each give the main idea of the paragraphs in the passage. Read the questions again and decide which paragraph (A-D) they relate to.

a comparison of children now and in the past

different hypotheses for the changes in weight

a list of factors that brought about changes in our diet

3. Global understanding

Sometimes, you may be asked a question that focuses on the whole Reading passage. This type of question may ask you to choose a suitable title for the passage.

Practice 3.1

Which title (A-D) would be the most suitable for the Reading passage in 2.1?

Skim reading a passage can also give you a sense of the attitude of the writer. Global questions can sometimes focus on this.

Practice 3.2

Read the passage again and answer the global question below. Which of the following describes the writer's tone in this passage?

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