IELTS Reading task type: 1.

answering multiple choice questions

Task description
The multiple choice questions will give you either an unfinished sentence or a question. This will be followed by four options (a,b,c,d), but only one will be correct. You should decide which one. The other three possibilities may seem likely; they may even be deliberately confusing, so make sure you read the sentence or question carefully.

Skills tested
1. 2. 3. 4. Understanding the main points of the text (skimming). Understanding particular points (scanning). Understanding the paraphrasing or summarising used in the questions. Identifying facts or opinions in the text.

What you should do

1. Read the 'stem' sentence or question carefully, and instructions. Make sure you understand what it is asking for. 2. Skim read all the questions before you read the text, to get an idea of the topics. 3. Read the first question again more carefully.Decide what you will need to read to answer the question. Are you being asked for a particular detail? Or for an answer which requires an overall comprehension? 4. Read the text in the most suitable way to get the information (skimming or scanning). 5. If you are not sure of the answer, make your best guess at the end. Even a random guess is better than no answer as you are not penalised for an incorrect answer.

2. completing sentences
Task description
In this task, you have to complete a number of given unfinished sentences using information from the reading text. You are usually asked to write a maximum of three words; the instructions will make this clear.

Skills tested
1. understanding paraphrase in the incomplete sentences. 2. skimming for general information. 3. reading (scanning) for details.

What you should do

1. Check the instructions for the number of words required to complete each sentence (usually a maximum of 3). 2. Skim through all the incomplete sentences to see what information you are being asked for.

3. Look again at the first sentence then skim the text for the relevant section. 4. Check the sentence again to decide what specific information you need and locate it in the text. 5. The correct answer should fit the incomplete sentence grammatically and not exceed the word limit. 6. In some IELTS tests the instructions will say 'using words taken from the text'. Otherwise, you can use your own words or change words to suit the sentence grammatically.

3.writing short answers to questions

Task description
For this task, you need to read the text to answer questions in short note form. Answers must usually be in three words maximum but check the instructions.

Skills tested
1. 2. 3. 4. skimming for general information. scanning for details. identifying the focus of the question. possibly understanding paraphrase in the question.

What you should do

1. Read the instructions carefully and check the maximum number of words allowed. You may use words taken directly from the text or your own words. 2. Skim through all of the questions to get an idea of what information you will have to find in the text. 3. Read the first question again to decide exactly what information you are looking for. Find the relevant section of the text and the specific information. 4. As your answer is short, it will not be a complete sentence, but it should be grammatically correct.

4.matching headings to paragraphs of text

Task description
For this type of question, you will be given a short list of possible headings and required to match several of them to several paragraphs in the text so they best describe the contents. There will be more headings than paragraphs and you should use them once only.

Skills tested
1. Identify the main idea of a paragraph. 2. Choose the heading which best paraphrases this idea.

What you should do

1. Be sure you know which paragraphs you have to consider (often it's not the whole text). 2. Read through the list of paragraph headings. 3. Skim read through the first selected paragraph to find out the main idea. Try not to be distracted by details or by unfamiliar vocabulary.

4. Choose the heading from the list which best sums up the main point of the paragraph. 5. If you can't choose between two headings, go on to the next paragraph maybe one will be more suitable for another later. Remember to complete your answers though: guess if you really don't know, as you are not penalised for wrong answers.

5.completing tables, charts or diagrams

Task description
You will be given an unfinished table, diagram or chart which summarises information from the reading text. It may be organised differently from the way the information appears in the text. The task is to complete the gaps, often in a maximum of three words.

Skills tested
1. Skimming for specific information. 2. Understanding gist and paraphrase. 3. Identifying missing information.

What you should do

1. Read the instructions carefully. Sometimes you can use your own words, at other times you will be instructed to use only words from the text or express the information in 3 words or less. 2. Study the table, diagram or chart and try to deduce what information is missing. What key ideas will you look for as you skim the text? 3. Exactly what information do you need to complete the first gap? 4. Exactly what words or phrase will best fill the gap? If you can only use 3 words, don't exceed these. You may need to alter grammatical structure.

6.matching causes and effects

Task description
You will be provided with two lists. In most cases, one list contains a small number of causes and the other list contains a larger number of effects. The task is to find the effect which arose from (matches) each cause. Make sure you understand clearly what the words 'cause' and 'effect' mean!

Skills tested
1. understanding cause and effect relationships. 2. understanding gist and paraphrase. 3. skimming for information.

What you should do

1. Decide which list you should work from. Usually, the causes list is shorter than the effects list and so it is probably best to use it. 2. Read the first cause. 3. Look at the effects list. Some will be possible, some can probably be eliminated.

4. Find the section in the text which discusses the first cause and read it carefully to find the effect. 5. Then go back to the effects list and choose the one which paraphrases the information in the reading text. 6. If none of the effects listed seem to match, then keep reading the text. Quite often, causes have more than one effect.

7.completing a summary of the text

Task description
You will be given a summary of all or part of the reading text. The summary will be a much shorter paraphrase of the text (i.e the words used will be different), but all the information contained in the summary will be somewhere in the text. The summary will contain a number of gaps, which you should fill from a list of words provided in a separate box. There will be more words than gaps and only one word will be suitable for each gap, but others may seem suitable. Your task is to complete the summary using one word from the list for each gap. Because the summary is a paraphrase of the reading text (rather than an edited version), you will need to have a good understanding of the overall meaning and main points of the section summarised, rather than a detailed understanding of the text.

Skills tested
1. Skimming the text for understanding of the broad meaning. 2. Paraphrasing the original text.

What you should do

1. Skim through the summary to get an idea of the topic. 2. Read it through again, referring to the list of words each time you reach a gap. Reject any words that seem grammatically incorrect, even if the meaning seems to fit. Select what you think is the best word from the list to fill each gap, thinking and comparing carefully if more than one seems suitable. Remember, you can use any word more than once. 3. Check back to the text to make sure you have the correct information. 4. Read through your completed summary to ensure that it makes sense.

8.choosing factors
Task description
In this task you are given a number of statements. Some paraphrase or summarise what the writer said and some do not. You must demonstrate that you know what information the writer did or did not state on a particular topic, or whether the topic is not given, by choosing the correct option.

Skills tested
1. 2. 3. 4. Skimming the text for general information. Scanning the text for details. Understanding paraphrase. Understanding suggestion or inference.

What you should do

1. Remember that only three of the possible factors are correct, but that the instructions may indicate a particular topic or aspect to concentrate on. Do not choose anything which does not fit into this category. 2. Read through the list of factors. 3. Scan the text and find the sections or paragraphs which you need to focus on. 4. Read those sections and select the appropriate three factors.

9.identifying the writer's view or opinion

Task description
For this kind of task, you will be given a number of statements. You must decide if these statements agree with the writer's views or not. In this task you should be able to recognise the writer's views a)from what is said directly in the text and b)from what is implied or suggested indirectly. For example, a writer may not state directly that they disapprove of private cars on Hong Kong island, but this is implied if they approve of improving public transport facilities, increasing road tax etc. Simply describing traffic congestion and pollution does not necessarily imply disapproval however. Whilst it is important to be aware of implication and inference, you should not try to guess the writer's views.

Skills tested
1. identifying opinion and attitude. 2. Skimming for detailed information. 3. Making inferences.

What you should do

1. Remember that you are asked to identify the writer's opinion, which may not be the same as the facts. Be aware of the difference between the three categories you have to use: "Yes" means the statement concurrs (agrees) with the writer's opinion; "No" means the statement contradicts the writer; "Not Given" means the writer does not express an opinion on this point. 2. Skim through the list of statements given, so you know what kind of topics you will be looking for in the text. 3. Read the first statement again and make sure you understand the main point or opinion given in the statement. 4. Skim the text for the part which refers to that point or opinion. If you come across information relating to other statements, mark that section so you can find it easily later. 5. Read the appropriate section of the text more carefully. If you think the statement agrees with the view of the writer, choose "Yes". If you think it disagrees with the writer's view, choose "No". If you think the writer doesn't give an opinion then select "Not Given".