Top 10 Tips To Get High Score In IELTS Reading
The IELTS reading section has 40 questions and the total time you get to complete the entire test is 60 minutes. Many students think that the reading section is the most difficult in the IELTS exam. They even think that the reading section is the toughest than the writing, listening, and even the speaking sections of the exam. Well, they might be thinking this because the reading section requires concentration and even the slightest distraction can lead to mistakes. You can score in IELTS reading only if you are fully focused on the section and not panicking. Panic creates havoc and this even increases the difficulty level of the exam.
The reality of knowing that in 60 minutes, you will have to read 3 long passages and answer 40 questions will leave you disguised. But this should not be the case. You need to be well prepared in advance to answer the reading section of your IELTS exam smartly. And this is why we are here to help you out.
Today, in this guide we’ll be sharing 10 IELTS reading tips so that you can prepare well in advance and answer with confidence in your exam. Let’s dive right into this blog to know what those 10 tips are.
Top 10 tips to get a high score in IELTS reading
1. Do not stick to understanding the meaning of every word
Well, it is always good to use a dictionary to find the meaning of every word written in the passage. You would not be knowing the meaning of each word. But if you are following the same pattern in your actual IELTS exam as well, then this is the worst you are doing. You are quite aware of the fact that you have a very limited time in the IELTS exam and hence if you don’t know the meaning of any word, just skip it rather than stick to it. The best thing you can do is to look for the words and sentences around it to get a clue. Even the native speakers would not be knowing the meaning of each word so keep the time frame in mind and skip on.
2. Practice reading everyday
It’s quite understandable that reading the long passages which are intended to come in the IELTS exam is quite boring. But reading these passages regularly, by making a habit would help you a lot. Reading not just improves your reading skills merely, but also helps you to improve your vocabulary skills as well. Not just this, it would also help you correct your pronunciation skills and hence this way you can learn a lot from your mistakes. Reading would not just help you improve IELTS reading but it would also polish your general reading skills.
3. Stay calm and do not panic
IELTS examination would be a mixture of the easy, moderate, and extremely difficult levels of questions. But upon seeing any difficult question, you do not have to panic but understand. Yes, understanding the question calmly and thoroughly would help you answer it in the best possible way. If you panic, you would not be able to answer the easy question too. This is because you are under stress and hence it’s quite important to control your emotions on the exam day and keep yourself calm and composed while answering the paper.
4. Time is the king
Time is king in examinations and the same goes for the IELTS exam. When you have your question paper in hand, all you have to do is to allocate sufficient time to each section so that you do not leave any section behind just because of time issues. Furthermore, you need to make sure that you are not spending more time than intended on a question that is tricky or you are confused about. Move on to the next section and you can always come back later to solve the one you left earlier.
5. Practice makes a man perfect
As per some experts, it’s good to practice for the IELTS exam in an environment that is quite similar to that of the actual IELTS exam. This is something like a mock test only. Well, when you practice mocks, you will understand various things such as how much time you need to spare for each section and overall how you should attempt the IELTS exam to fetch a good score in IELTS reading.
Moreover, it would be good if you could note down how much time you took to complete each section each time you practiced the mock test. This way, you will be able to keep track of your improvements and you will be able to focus more on your mistakes.
6. Be careful while marking your answers
In an IELTS exam, the most common mistake a student makes is that they mistakenly record the answers in the wrong column which is a blunder. This happens because of two reasons, either the student is panicking or they are in a hurry to mark the answers because of little time left. These silly mistakes can lead to blunders and hence you need to be confident enough on your test day so that you do not do something like this. It’s best to mark the answers side by side rather than keeping them for the ending. This will help to avoid any kind of confusion.
7. Answer every question
In an IELTS exam, the most common mistake a student makes is that they mistakenly record the answers in the wrong column which is a blunder. This happens because of two reasons, either the student is panicking or they are in a hurry to mark the answers because of little time left. These silly mistakes can lead to blunders and hence you need to be confident enough on your test day so that you do not do something like this. It’s best to mark the answers side by side rather than keeping them for the ending. This will help to avoid any kind of confusion.
8. Highlight important points
Well, you would see a lot of important points in between the paragraphs so make sure to highlight them. This is important so that you can easily find out the answers to the questions and no extra time is wasted in the process. You can underline or even mark it with the help of a highlighter pen for ease.
9. Watch out for traps
Well, in examinations, the examiners would always give you a tricky question to solve. The question would normally not be that tricky but the way it is framed would puzzle you and hence you need to beware of such a thing. You must not answer anything before reading it and hence this way you will be able to get rid of this trap.
10. Read as many passages and English texts as you can
The best way to get a good score in IELTS reading is by reading as many passages as you can. It means that every time you practice, pick a new passage rather than the old one. You can even use a newspaper, articles, and even online study materials for your preparations. This will broaden your vocabulary skills and at the same time would enhance your reading skills too.
Conclusion
Are you willing to go abroad for further education? Well, first you need to excel with the IELTS exam by getting a good score in IELTS reading. You obviously cannot do it yourself so make sure you get an expert’s help in this.
You can even enroll yourself at the best online IELTS course, as there are top-level subject matter experts who would guide you at every stage of your learning to achieve an 8 band in IELTS exam on the first attempt. Here is the list of top 10 online IELTS coaching to get the best results.
