IELTS Reading Tips: How can I improve my score

IELTS Reading Tips: How can I improve my score

5 Top Tips for Scoring High on the IELTS Reading Section

1. Use Time to Your Advantage

• Fill in the answer sheet as you go. In the exam room, you’re going to receive two things: (1) a booklet with all the questions and (2) an answer sheet. The answer sheet is the most important document because all your answers must be recorded in it. If you only write your answers in the booklet, your answers won’t be taken into account and scored.

Many test-takers waste a lot of time by writing the answers in the booklet first and then transferring them to the answer sheet. And quite a lot of test-takers find out that they don’t have enough time at the end to transfer all of their answers onto the answer sheet. Imagine what a waste it would be to have all the answers but no time to write them down where it really matters!

So, what we advise you to do is to fill in the answer sheet as you go, not at the end. Have the booklet in front of you so you can read the texts and questions comfortably, and also keep the answer sheet somewhere handy so you can write all the answers down as you progress with the test.

• Leave difficult questions for the end. If you spend a lot of time on questions that you find difficult, you’ll be wasting valuable exam time. You won’t be able to answer all the easier questions and you’ll lose points! If you don’t know the right answers to some questions, leave them and move on. This way, you can focus on all the questions you do know the answers to. You can return to the difficult questions at the end if you have the time.

• Don’t start reading the text before looking at the tasks. When you start reading, you should do so with some questions in mind. Otherwise, you’ll read the text, then the questions, then the text again. You’ll end up reading the texts too many times, and you simply don’t have time for that. Read the tasks and questions first, before you read, and think about the information you need to find to answer those questions while you’re reading.

• Practice doing lots of reading tests. This is the best way to use your time before the exam! You’ll learn how to take the test before taking the real test. You’ll know where your strengths and weaknesses are. You’ll also know what to do for each task, and how to answer each type of question. This way you’ll know how to best divide your time and won’t stress too much about working against the clock.