Time Management – IELTS Reading Test

Most inexperienced IELTS candidate would just start reading the passage right of the bat, and try to answer the questions following the passage.  Unless they have a photographic memory, chances are they will have to refer back to the passage and look for answers or verify some of the answers that they aren’t so sure of.

This technique is of course very time consuming and inefficient.  The IELTS Reading sub-test is to a certain degree, about time management.  This is not a leisure reading session in a café; you are not reading a self help book, trying to absorb all the details the book is offering; you are not reading a novel, where you want to picture in your mind all the details given in the book; nor are you reading a newspaper article to get an idea of what is happening around you; you are reading a passage to be able to answer some general information and some very specific questions.

In the IELTS, having a reason to read is very important.  Knowing what you’re looking for and where to find it, is managing your time very well and it also gives you a reason to read the passage or parts of the passage.  You only have 60 minutes to read 3 passages and answer 40 questions, don’t waste your time trying to remember everything you just read.

Consider the layout of the passages, know where the 3 passages start and end.  Knowing how many questions there are in that part, will give you an idea how long you can spend on that group of questions.  Lastly consider the type of question tasks; I’ll discuss them in future posts.

To find out what to expect from the IELTS Reading test and the different question task click here

For other Reading Tips click here