Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Description
An activity for introducing the Academic Reading paper which allows students to explore
what will be expected of them in both tasks.
Time required: 50 minutes
Additional § handbook (p7)
materials
§ sample paper
required:
Aims: § to familiarise students with the Academic Reading paper
§ to raise awareness of common mistakes that candidates make,
§ to raise awareness of how to prepare for the paper
Procedure
1. Hand out a sample reading paper to half the class and the handbook p. 7 to the other
half. For students with the reading paper, ask them to look at the instructions on the
front cover, to count how many texts there are and what question types there are for
each text. For students with the handbook, ask students to read the sections on
duration and format, task types and marking and assessment. Allow them 5 minutes
to do this.
2. Collect the sample reading paper and handbook back in. Put students into pairs,
taking one student from each half of the class. Ask them to take it in turns to describe
what the reading paper consists of. Their partner listens and at the end adds any
other information they can remember.
3. Hand out worksheet 1. Students complete the gapfill. Encourage students to guess
any answers they are not sure of.
4. Students check in pairs.
5. Hand out the reading paper and handbook again and students check their answers,
using them for reference.
6. Whole class check of the answers. The teacher adds any extra information as
appropriate: e.g. about where the texts are from and how they are chosen.
7. Direct students to worksheet 2. Ask students to imagine they are taking the test and
to choose the option they would take.
8. Students compare answers in pairs.
9. Ask for volunteers to explain to the class which option they would take and why. Hold
a class discussion about any questions which students are unsure about.
10. Ask students to consider what they could do to improve their performance on the
reading paper. See list of ideas in the key.
11. Discuss student ideas and write the best ideas on the board.
© UCLES 2008. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. It may not
otherwise be altered, photocopied, reproduced, distributed, published, recorded, made available on another website, or otherwise transmitted by
any means without the prior written permission of University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
1 three
2 40
3 one
4 2000
5 2750
6 60
7 authentic
8 descriptive
9 &10 in either order diagrams graphs
11 sentence
Key to Part B
1 A
2 B
3 C
4 A
5 C
Key to Procedure Step 10
Ideas for improving performance on the paper
Read a wide variety of texts on different subjects from different sources.
Read under time pressure – set an alarm to go off after 5 or 10 minutes.
Practise summarising what you have just read in your head.
Practise telling a friend about an article you have read.
Practise finding synonyms or paraphrasing when you write.
Practise underlining key words in texts.
Don’t use a bilingual dictionary – guess the meaning of unknown words from the context.
© UCLES 2008. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. It may not
otherwise be altered, photocopied, reproduced, distributed, published, recorded, made available on another website, or otherwise transmitted by
any means without the prior written permission of University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
Find out how much you know about IELTS Academic Reading. Fill in the gaps in this
text with one of the words/figures from the box below.
IELTS Academic Reading is made up of (1) ............... passages with a total of (2) ...............
items (questions). Each item is worth (3) ............... mark. The total word count for all the
passages together is between (4) …………… and (5) ............... words. Candidates have
(6) ............... minutes to complete the test. Passages are based on (7) ............... texts, and
are taken from sources such as magazines, journals, books and newspapers. The passages
may be written in a variety of narrative styles, for example (8) ............... or
discursive/argumentative. They may also contain nonverbal material such as (9) ...............
or (10) ............... There are a variety of task types used in the paper, including multiple
choice questions, (11) …………… completion and choosing headings for paragraphs.
Choose from:
Three
diagrams
60
40
sentence
2000
authentic
One
graphs
descriptive
2750
© UCLES 2008. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. It may not
otherwise be altered, photocopied, reproduced, distributed, published, recorded, made available on another website, or otherwise transmitted by
any means without the prior written permission of University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
2. You are taking IELTS Academic Reading. Read the following situations. What
option do you think is best?
1. You find one of the questions in Part 2 of the test very difficult and spend more than
ten minutes looking for the answer. You
A move on to the next question immediately.
B read the whole passage carefully again.
C look calmly for another few minutes before moving on.
2. The instructions are to answer a question in three words or fewer. You are not sure
of the answer and write four words. You
A leave it – the correct three words will probably be among the four.
B quickly check the passage to find a way to eliminate one word.
C read the whole passage carefully again.
3. You copy the word ‘student’ onto your answer sheet, but write ‘sdunet’ by mistake.
You
A leave it – it is clear what you mean.
B draw lines to show which letters should be moved to correct the spelling.
C rub it out and write it again.
4. You do not feel confident unless you read the passage carefully for each answer.
You should
A remember that time is limited and use reading strategies to save time.
B try to read the whole passage more quickly.
C underline any words you do not understand.
5. You become very upset because you think that one of your answers is wrong. You
should
A give two answers just in case.
B rub it out and leave it blank.
C forget about it and move on.
© UCLES 2008. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. It may not
otherwise be altered, photocopied, reproduced, distributed, published, recorded, made available on another website, or otherwise transmitted by
any means without the prior written permission of University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.