Reading course
Learn - Slow practice - Feedback - Fast Practice - Test: Develop the strategy slowly
Feedback: Am I doing everything right? Why am I making mistakes while using the strategy?
Fast Practice: Trying to use the strategy under exam conditions
Go slow and then Follow Chris’ strategy step by step (you can use your notes)
Analyse your mistakes to discover your weakness
Improve your weakness
Ask yourself: Why I chose the incorrect answer?
If you made a mistake by not knowing a word, then you should improve your vocabulary.
Troubles with vocabulary — Follow vocabulary course
Troubles with Reading — Reading course
Only practice under timed conditions when you can get the score you need
Use practice tests to check your progress
Don’t use CAMBRIDGE IELTS tests to improve your general reading
Don’t expect your scores to improve until you’ve reacted to the mistakes
Common problems: Lack of awareness of synonyms and paraphrasing (vocabulary); You should find balance between understanding the meaning and reading fast while skimming and scanning
Look and understand the questions first, before you start reading the text
Key words in the question will normally be nouns or noun phrases
When you find key words, think of synonyms and paraphrases
Skimming: looking at certain parts of parapgraph, so you can understand the general meaning
Try to sum up the general meaning of the paragraph in one or two words
Read the first one or two sentences and the last sentences of the paragraph. You can also briefly look at the rest of the paragraph
You actually need some time to understand what these headings actually mean
Remove the heading that is already matched before you
Read enough so you can understand the main idea
The first sentence (the topic sentence) is the most important one
Pay attention to some words that might tell a lot about the whole paragraph
You can keep in mind two possible headings and look up again the paragraph
If there’re two heading that look suitable, then try to look up for synonymous words.
It’s a good idea to use the topics sentence to quickly understand the general idea, but pay attention to the incoming sentences
You can name your heading using one or two words
Always read the questions first
Be aware of distractors: Some people like pizza vs All people like pizza
Try to predict the answer before looking at the text
You can exclude other options of the correct answer isn’t obvious or if it is, then choose the answer
Don’t make your own assumptions, the answer should written clearly
Pay attention to qualifaying words (all, only)
Mistake I made: Be attentive towards the answer in the text (Because it can be too exact to be the correct one); You need to have an exact reason why you assumed one of the answers wrong; Instead of writing “adding at the right moment” they might say: adding before smth and after smth, so you should understand the meaning.
The signs that the answer is wrong are gonna be written
Common mistake: Focusing on keywords instead of understanding what the statement as a whole means
Read the statements first, trying to understand what the whole sentence means
Try to think of the synonyms
Locate the area — Go back to the statement — Look at the area again, read it and make a decision
Probably future mistake: There will be no direct synonym given to you. (No “some” written as in the statement)
If there’s a fast transition between questions 5 and 7, probably the 6 one is NOT GIVEN.
Mistake I made: Fewer means less(Vocabulary); Try to check every paragraph, because 90% chance that in each of them there’s an answer (Check the paragraph till the end, don’t abandon it). If there’s a paragraph that doesn’t clearly say the answer (You clearly found NG), then use it to navigate.; I didn’t know what mammals mean, so I was confused; I wasn’t attentive, so I couldn’t understand the full sentence clearly; Often doesn’t mean in majority of cases!! Some things can occur more often, so it doesn’t say a lot.
The answers do not always come in the same order
1. Stone bridge
2. East Ditch
3. Prominent Chimneys (Wrong) Mistake: If you’re unsure of smth, double check it!!!
4. Mortimer Tower
5. Granary
6. Kitchen
7. Western Pikehead
8. The Great hall
9. Armourer’s Tower
10. Chapel
Other mIstakes:
Pay attention to the main entrance, everything will start there (if it is a map)
The way you read: You should pay attention to every sentence, unlike the matching headings. where you look at the topic sentence and the last sentence.
Don’t assume for no reason the location of an object
Common mistake: Reading the whole text and trying to find the names that way.
Focus on easy questions first
Some examples can be shortened, instead of John Jones it may be writtent just John
Look for synonyms, as always
The questions do not follow the order of the text, so use your scanning skills
Try some reverse engeneering (Appreciating how the test was created, what skills it tests)
Mistakes I made:
Didn’t follow the instructions : Should have just underlined the names, Didn’t read the question. Didn’t look for names that appear only once
Vocabulary: pledging to revitalize (don’t assume the answer out of your mind. you did good!); Distinguish the word by the context, it might be an answer!!
You were looking for an answer. but it was written exactly
Just find the specific information the paragraph (no need to understand the whole one)
Common problem: The answers might not be the main idea of each paragraph
Do this type of question last
Common advice: look for names, numbers, these are easier to find. There might be synonyms
You can find an answer in one sentence
Skimming, scanning and close reading works perfectly here
You repeated your mistake: The answer should exactly respond to the question
another mistake: You may think that after skimming a paragraph the answer is there, but read other paragraphs as well, understand the meaning of an unknown word. Read till you’ll understand the overall meaning of a paragraph
Undertsand what the table is about
Note the heading of the table so that you know what type of information you need.
Predict the types of words you have to include based on the information already there
Look for clues
Basically it’s all about predictions here
Basically it’s a scanning exercise
Read the first sentence to understand where to scan for
Mistakes I made: Before 3rd step look at the flowchart; The former, The latter - The first, the Last
Scan the table for the words that can’t be paraphrased
Headings will help you to navigate through the text
Important one: Check if the answer consisting of several words matches the sentence!! You can get a sentence with synonymous words from the table, but keep reading, because the answer might come up later!! If you cannot find the answer, it may be not in a sequencial order!!
You are scanning through the whole text using the headings to navigate
Try to come up with synonyms
The questions are in the same order
If the statement is “No” the statement will clearly contradict the writer’s opinion
You SHOULD NOT care about the other writers’ opinion, just the writer’s opinion
Look out when the writer gives their opinion, using phrases such as “In my opinion” or using comparative, superlative
Try to understand what the WHOLE sentence mean
of course, as always you should FIND SYNONYMS
Mistakes I Made:
A slip: You changed the meaning of the statment in your mind
Reading style, not a mistake: You just scan the text for synonyms or words that cannot be paraphrased
If it is not given, then it won’t directly answer the sentence, will be just bullshitting!!! And it should be given a direct reason for a writer’s view to state that the sentence is YES or NO.
In order to get an answer you may need to read the half of the paragraph
Scanning and correct use of grammar is essential here
Now, You know that it is necessary to PREDICT the answer
IF you get A LIST of words think about the ones that cannot be correct because of MEANING or GRAMMAR: try to guess 2 or 3 possible words
You only scan the text
As always: you do close reading when you found where the answer is.
If you’re confused, try to find synonyms of words!!
Mistakes I made:
Don’t spend too much time on reading the whole summary, just skim it, and then read carefully the first sentence step-by-step.
Don’t be in a rush, even if you think that the answer is correct, make sure that the meaning of a summary MATCHES the sentence in the text. (keep reading if the assumed answer doesn’t make any sence)
PREDICTION is the king here
You need to interpretate the main idea of the text and apply it to the sentence
Start with incomplete sentences
Spend more time on the FIRST QUESTION
As always, synonyms and paraphrases
the second part of a sentence may be written FAR WAY DIFFERENTLY. F.e. instead of a direct answer, an example or a situation could be put there
It’s a vocabulary test
SYNONYMS and PARAPHRASING skills are especiallt required here
If it says “ using the words from the text” then do NOT changet them at all
words should GRAMATICALLY correct
PREDICT what words and its forms can be used in the text
Don’t worry if you don’t know the synonyms, just be aware of the meaning
Be aware of two words to scan the location
The 4 tires system:
1) Strategy for each question type: You have to master the strategy, so you’ll be able to explain it automatically
2) Practice tests: Mastering strategies – doing the test with unlimited time;
Doing the test under exam conditions and analyse you weak areas
3) Mistake analysis:
Spelling
Vocabulary
Skills
Strategy
Particular type of question.
4) Work on your mistakes:
What kind of information – means What the paragraph is talking about
You’re moving your eyes either from left to right by jumping through the words or just by going down.
Get curious what kind of information do you expect to find?
Depending on a genre or a context you may anticipate some information
While scanning move your eyes in a zigzag pattern
Instantly you should recognize the paraphrased information
Kind of information: List of photography techniques
You’ll certainly know that the list will consist of nouns and prolonged sentences
And lists of things are often balanced
Learn - Slow practice - Feedback - Fast Practice - Test: Develop the strategy slowly
Feedback: Am I doing everything right? Why am I making mistakes while using the strategy?
Fast Practice: Trying to use the strategy under exam conditions
Go slow and then Follow Chris’ strategy step by step (you can use your notes)
Analyse your mistakes to discover your weakness
Improve your weakness
Ask yourself: Why I chose the incorrect answer?
If you made a mistake by not knowing a word, then you should improve your vocabulary.
Troubles with vocabulary — Follow vocabulary course
Troubles with Reading — Reading course
Only practice under timed conditions when you can get the score you need
Use practice tests to check your progress
Don’t use CAMBRIDGE IELTS tests to improve your general reading
Don’t expect your scores to improve until you’ve reacted to the mistakes
Common problems: Lack of awareness of synonyms and paraphrasing (vocabulary); You should find balance between understanding the meaning and reading fast while skimming and scanning
Look and understand the questions first, before you start reading the text
Key words in the question will normally be nouns or noun phrases
When you find key words, think of synonyms and paraphrases
Skimming: looking at certain parts of parapgraph, so you can understand the general meaning
Try to sum up the general meaning of the paragraph in one or two words
Read the first one or two sentences and the last sentences of the paragraph. You can also briefly look at the rest of the paragraph
You actually need some time to understand what these headings actually mean
Remove the heading that is already matched before you
Read enough so you can understand the main idea
The first sentence (the topic sentence) is the most important one
Pay attention to some words that might tell a lot about the whole paragraph
You can keep in mind two possible headings and look up again the paragraph
If there’re two heading that look suitable, then try to look up for synonymous words.
It’s a good idea to use the topics sentence to quickly understand the general idea, but pay attention to the incoming sentences
You can name your heading using one or two words
Always read the questions first
Be aware of distractors: Some people like pizza vs All people like pizza
Try to predict the answer before looking at the text
You can exclude other options of the correct answer isn’t obvious or if it is, then choose the answer
Don’t make your own assumptions, the answer should written clearly
Pay attention to qualifaying words (all, only)
Mistake I made: Be attentive towards the answer in the text (Because it can be too exact to be the correct one); You need to have an exact reason why you assumed one of the answers wrong; Instead of writing “adding at the right moment” they might say: adding before smth and after smth, so you should understand the meaning.
The signs that the answer is wrong are gonna be written
Common mistake: Focusing on keywords instead of understanding what the statement as a whole means
Read the statements first, trying to understand what the whole sentence means
Try to think of the synonyms
Locate the area — Go back to the statement — Look at the area again, read it and make a decision
Probably future mistake: There will be no direct synonym given to you. (No “some” written as in the statement)
If there’s a fast transition between questions 5 and 7, probably the 6 one is NOT GIVEN.
Mistake I made: Fewer means less(Vocabulary); Try to check every paragraph, because 90% chance that in each of them there’s an answer (Check the paragraph till the end, don’t abandon it). If there’s a paragraph that doesn’t clearly say the answer (You clearly found NG), then use it to navigate.; I didn’t know what mammals mean, so I was confused; I wasn’t attentive, so I couldn’t understand the full sentence clearly; Often doesn’t mean in majority of cases!! Some things can occur more often, so it doesn’t say a lot.
The answers do not always come in the same order
1. Stone bridge
2. East Ditch
3. Prominent Chimneys (Wrong) Mistake: If you’re unsure of smth, double check it!!!
4. Mortimer Tower
5. Granary
6. Kitchen
7. Western Pikehead
8. The Great hall
9. Armourer’s Tower
10. Chapel
Other mIstakes:
Pay attention to the main entrance, everything will start there (if it is a map)
The way you read: You should pay attention to every sentence, unlike the matching headings. where you look at the topic sentence and the last sentence.
Don’t assume for no reason the location of an object
Common mistake: Reading the whole text and trying to find the names that way.
Focus on easy questions first
Some examples can be shortened, instead of John Jones it may be writtent just John
Look for synonyms, as always
The questions do not follow the order of the text, so use your scanning skills
Try some reverse engeneering (Appreciating how the test was created, what skills it tests)
Mistakes I made:
Didn’t follow the instructions : Should have just underlined the names, Didn’t read the question. Didn’t look for names that appear only once
Vocabulary: pledging to revitalize (don’t assume the answer out of your mind. you did good!); Distinguish the word by the context, it might be an answer!!
You were looking for an answer. but it was written exactly
Just find the specific information the paragraph (no need to understand the whole one)
Common problem: The answers might not be the main idea of each paragraph
Do this type of question last
Common advice: look for names, numbers, these are easier to find. There might be synonyms
You can find an answer in one sentence
Skimming, scanning and close reading works perfectly here
You repeated your mistake: The answer should exactly respond to the question
another mistake: You may think that after skimming a paragraph the answer is there, but read other paragraphs as well, understand the meaning of an unknown word. Read till you’ll understand the overall meaning of a paragraph
Undertsand what the table is about
Note the heading of the table so that you know what type of information you need.
Predict the types of words you have to include based on the information already there
Look for clues
Basically it’s all about predictions here
Basically it’s a scanning exercise
Read the first sentence to understand where to scan for
Mistakes I made: Before 3rd step look at the flowchart; The former, The latter - The first, the Last
Scan the table for the words that can’t be paraphrased
Headings will help you to navigate through the text
Important one: Check if the answer consisting of several words matches the sentence!! You can get a sentence with synonymous words from the table, but keep reading, because the answer might come up later!! If you cannot find the answer, it may be not in a sequencial order!!
You are scanning through the whole text using the headings to navigate
Try to come up with synonyms
The questions are in the same order
If the statement is “No” the statement will clearly contradict the writer’s opinion
You SHOULD NOT care about the other writers’ opinion, just the writer’s opinion
Look out when the writer gives their opinion, using phrases such as “In my opinion” or using comparative, superlative
Try to understand what the WHOLE sentence mean
of course, as always you should FIND SYNONYMS
Mistakes I Made:
A slip: You changed the meaning of the statment in your mind
Reading style, not a mistake: You just scan the text for synonyms or words that cannot be paraphrased
If it is not given, then it won’t directly answer the sentence, will be just bullshitting!!! And it should be given a direct reason for a writer’s view to state that the sentence is YES or NO.
In order to get an answer you may need to read the half of the paragraph
Scanning and correct use of grammar is essential here
Now, You know that it is necessary to PREDICT the answer
IF you get A LIST of words think about the ones that cannot be correct because of MEANING or GRAMMAR: try to guess 2 or 3 possible words
You only scan the text
As always: you do close reading when you found where the answer is.
If you’re confused, try to find synonyms of words!!
Mistakes I made:
Don’t spend too much time on reading the whole summary, just skim it, and then read carefully the first sentence step-by-step.
Don’t be in a rush, even if you think that the answer is correct, make sure that the meaning of a summary MATCHES the sentence in the text. (keep reading if the assumed answer doesn’t make any sence)
PREDICTION is the king here
You need to interpretate the main idea of the text and apply it to the sentence
Start with incomplete sentences
Spend more time on the FIRST QUESTION
As always, synonyms and paraphrases
the second part of a sentence may be written FAR WAY DIFFERENTLY. F.e. instead of a direct answer, an example or a situation could be put there
It’s a vocabulary test
SYNONYMS and PARAPHRASING skills are especiallt required here
If it says “ using the words from the text” then do NOT changet them at all
words should GRAMATICALLY correct
PREDICT what words and its forms can be used in the text
Don’t worry if you don’t know the synonyms, just be aware of the meaning
Be aware of two words to scan the location
The 4 tires system:
1) Strategy for each question type: You have to master the strategy, so you’ll be able to explain it automatically
2) Practice tests: Mastering strategies – doing the test with unlimited time;
Doing the test under exam conditions and analyse you weak areas
3) Mistake analysis:
Spelling
Vocabulary
Skills
Strategy
Particular type of question.
4) Work on your mistakes:
What kind of information – means What the paragraph is talking about
You’re moving your eyes either from left to right by jumping through the words or just by going down.
Get curious what kind of information do you expect to find?
Depending on a genre or a context you may anticipate some information
While scanning move your eyes in a zigzag pattern
Instantly you should recognize the paraphrased information
Kind of information: List of photography techniques
You’ll certainly know that the list will consist of nouns and prolonged sentences
And lists of things are often balanced