IELTS 2022 | Full reading test prep guide is here

You are applying for a student or work visa in another country. However, there are numerous steps you need to take to qualify for it. One of the chief criteria you need to meet is attempting the IELTS. IELTS is a household name. A mass population of young adults appears for IELTS each year. Most people have thus already heard about it. 

The IELTS is accepted by over ten thousand organizations and more than a hundred countries. The test’s credibility is unquestionable. Once you attempt the IELTS exam, you can use it as your supporting document for two years. We will talk about how to improve IELTS reading part. Beginning preparations ahead of the exam date will leave you time to skim through maximum reference articles relating to how to improve reading skills in IELTS. We advise our readers to get a decent headstart when preparing for the IELTS exam. If you want to be perfect, you need practice! 

A bird’s eye view of the IELTS reading test

Before finding the answer to “how to improve your reading in IELTS,” it is helpful to understand what test requirements are established by the board. 

• Types 

There are two types of IELTS reading tests. Depending on your requirement – you can apply for an academic or general training test. For instance, the academic training test is applicable if you apply for a student visa. 

The kind of questions to expect is similar for both. The style of questions will remain the same. The only difference between the two is the nature of the content. Passages, stories, and narrations provided in both papers will differ. For example, the general training test may include excerpts from newspapers or magazines rather than academic journals. 

• Sections

Don’t worry about how to improve reading in IELTS academic or general training – both are the same. You will find four sections – 

• Reading: This article will discuss the reading section in length. You will receive approximately 45 to 60 minutes to attempt this section. 
• Writing: Writing requires a whole other level of preparation. Dedicate a section of your time to preparing for writing.
• Listening: Listening and understanding what is being said to you is perhaps the most basic expectation when you reside in an English-speaking country. You need to do that to associate with people.
• Speaking: Speaking showcases a side of you who knows to confidently lead a conversation or discussion with clear and concise points. 

The IELTS reading test takes two hours and forty-five minutes to complete. Four sections take up time. 

Skills you need to improve your IELTS reading score?

When answering the question, “how to improve yourself in reading IELTS,” you need to meddle with the skills for the same! There will be diverse questions designed to test the niche skills you offer. Following given are the skills you need,

• Your ability to interpret a visual representation

You will need to attempt many questions. Some of them might include visual representations. Visual representations will be featured through tables, graphs, diagrams, pictures, or synopsis. The idea is to test your ability to understand and respond to questions relating to the same. 

• Distinguish between crux and crumbs 

Crux over here means the main idea behind the information, and crumbs are the minor details. They want to understand your ability to grasp complex materials. They may ask you to summarize or refute it. It should be easy for you to receive it. 

• Organize information 

The information can be related to any topic – it is hard to pinpoint. However, we can inform you that you will be expected to discover small details. The entire story will be sprawled across the question paper with it.  

• Distinguish subjective and objective statements 

The summary will include a mix of subjective and objective statements. You must master identifying opinions when presented in the paper. Sometimes, they make pinpointing it obvious. 

• Identify key arguments 

The IELTS reading test will be riddled with arguments. Regardless of the number of times you wreck your brain over “how to improve reading skills for IELTS general,” you will find the answer after hours of practice. You must avoid getting carried away by finer details.

• Register the vocabulary used 

Another word that can be given to a reading test is “vocabulary test.” The use of words here is distinguished. There is no place for ordinary words. One hack you can apply while attempting this section is identifying whether the answer can be paraphrased through the question. 

Laying out the IELTS reading test expectations

Are you in the process of solving the ‘how to improve on reading scores in IELTS’ question? The inevitable part of your preparation should be familiarising yourself with different types of questions. Let us go through them all –

• Completing a sentence

Sentence completion questions will require you to fill in the information in the gaps available. For example, an incomplete sentence will be presented to you, wherein you will be required to use your imagination and complete the sentence. 

The secret about this type of question is that they are more like vocabulary tests than reading tests. Master this section by improving your vocabulary skills. It is recommended that you also work on your paraphrasing skills. It makes it easy for you to attempt the task. 

• Reading the summary 

Questions, where you are required to read out summaries, are similar to the first type. The summaries are incomplete – you are provided with the main structure. Once you read through that, you will be asked to fill in the gaps. 

Similar to the previous type, it is helpful if your vocabulary and paraphrasing skills are unbeatable for this question. They will gauge your ability to interpret the information provided and identify synonyms. 

• Quick questions 

We refer to these as quick questions because the answer often lies in the passage you read. We have already established that you will be presented with a brief write-up. You will be provided a few quick minutes to skim through it. Once you are done, you will be asked questions regarding the same.

You are not expected to provide creative responses. The answer is available in the passage you have read. This type of question mainly tests your comprehension skills. 

• Visual representations

When on the quest to resolve ‘how to improve reading skills for IELTS,’ you better not forget to practice interpreting and responding to visual representations. The question usually bounces around three types of diagrams – they are –

• Technical diagram: Includes a drawing of an invention. For example, a machine.
• A picture: It has something to do with something existing in the real world. 
• A plan: It generally includes a design of a structure. 

• Multiple choice questions

The name already gives you clues about what to expect with these questions. They are looking for how capable you are when translating main ideas and matching them with the specific information provided. 

You will only receive a few minutes – within this time; you need to identify the objective of the sentence and match it with the options in front of you. They will purposely make the responses tricky -so you feel confused about which one to choose. Stay focused and follow your gut! 

• Matching information

You will be presented with multiple sentences. Once you read through them all, you will be requested to decide which one sounds most relevant with the options available in front of you. This is just another type of multiple-choice question with only one difference. You need to match sentences to paragraphs. 

The good part is that you don’t need to spend too much time trying to understand the purpose of the information. The answer is already available — you simply need to match it to the paragraphs available. 

Key takeaways

• The most important takeaway in the quest to resolve, ‘how to improve reading skills for IELTS,’ is preparation. No preparation is enough. However, we recommend you start skimming through sample papers early on. 
• To answer the question, “how to improve reading in English for IELTS,” you need to meddle with the skills you require for the same – chief among them being working on your vocabulary and paraphrasing skills. 
• When in the process of understanding ‘how to improve reading speed and understanding in IELTS,’ familiarize yourself with the type of questions you can expect in the paper. 

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FAQs

1. How much time will I receive to complete the IELTS reading test?

You will receive roughly 60 minutes to complete the IELTS reading test. 

2. I want to improve my reading skills – how do I do that?

The key to improving reading skills for IELTS is to familiarize yourself with the format and attempt sample papers. 

3. How many types of tests are available in IELTS?

You can expect four sections in IELTS. The four sections include speaking, listening, reading and writing.