A few Academic Reading tips

As I promised to one of my most loyal visitors (hi, Dave!), this post is about efficient ways to improve your reading skills.

Academic Reading module is a little bit different from General Training - instead of 4 or 5 it has only 3 passages (more difficult ones). Actually the first passage is usually the easiest and then they become more and more difficult. With that said, here come the tips:

First of all - don’t read the whole passage. Train yourself to scan and notice only the important information. After you go over the text for the first time, you should know what each paragraph is about, what its main idea. This way of “reading” saves you a lot of priceless time.

Second, watch your time closely. Don’t divide the 60 minutes you have into 3 equal parts of 20 minute. Why? Because the last passage is the hardest and you are going to need more than 20 minutes to crack it. So I suggest 15 - 20 - 25, but feel free to look for any other timing that works for you.

Third, don’t forget to copy your answers to Answer Sheet. You can write them in the booklet as you read the passage, but you get your score based on what is written in the Answer Sheet.

Forth, if you can’t find an answer to certain question - mark it with big fat ??? so you can easily see it later and move on to the next one, don’t get stuck. Later you can get back and try it again if you have time left.

Fifth, count your words - if instructions say “answer in 3 words” - you need to answer in EXACTLY 3 WORDS, when even “a” and “the” count as a word!

When you practice, read your passage, answer the questions, compare your answers to the Answer Sheet and pay special attention to the wrong answers. You need to understand WHY you made those mistakes and remember them so you won’t make them again.

And finally, these few tips came from “Ace The IELTS” e-Book (and of course there are much more other tips, techniques and strategies). So those of you who need step-by-step guidance, clear study plan and want to be ready for IELTS in ONE MONTH - take a closer look at it here. Think a little about how great it is, buy it, study, get your target score and forget all about IELTS :)

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IELTS speaking: what else to expect

In Reading or Listening sections it is quite easy to predict what will be your IELTS score. You do some tests at home, count how many questions you answered correctly, do the math - for example 34 out of 40 equals Band 7.5.

But how do you measure yourself when it comes to Speaking - that’s the question!
And here comes answer: using the same criteria your examiner is going to use.
I was looking for those and found them in to IELTS official site (of all places :))

So basically this is what they say:

You belong to Band 5 if you

  • Keep sentences coming slowly (without pauses), repeat words and correct yourself
  • Can use simple sentences easily, but complex are difficult for you and it shows (you stop, get confused or start to repeat yourself)
  • Can not say the same thing in a different way (rephrase) or use a synonym for a word
  • Use grammatically correct simple sentences most of the time. It is rare that you use more complex sentences and when you do - you make grammatical errors or it is difficult to understand what you’re saying

    • You belong to Band 6 if you

  • Can speak for some time keeping the right speed (like your first language), with little difficulties when you repeat words, correct yourself or get lost in words and stop making sense.
  • Use some connective words, even if it is not always appropriate
  • Can discuss topics (familiar or not) for a long time, using wide vocabulary and making yourself clear.
  • Successfully rephrase and use synonyms
  • Mix simple and complex sentences when you speak, but the in complex ones you mistake a lot. Mistakes are mostly grammatical and examiner can still understand you.

    • You belong to Band 7 if you

  • Have no problem speaking for some time keeping the right speed (like your first language), your speech is smooth and easy to understand, it is rare that you pause and look for a word to say, repeat or correct yourself.
  • Can discuss any topic using a lot of smart words, use English expressions correctly.
  • Use complex sentences without a lot of grammatical errors. There are much more correct sentences in your speech than incorrect.

    • I gave you here description of Band 5,6 and 7 because these are the IELTS bands most people want to know about, but you can see the full description of all bands here.

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