How to Complete the IELTS General Reading Exam Within 60 Minutes

Bhaskar Das

Jan 18, 2022

Although it is difficult to finish off the Reading test in 60 minutes, as given in the IELTS exam, it is attainable. Managing the time based on the passage and questions provided are very important. Time management skills play a very important part in the IELTS reading test. The reading, accessing and answering skills are tested. Students are required to answer 3 short passages and hence, it is suggested to take equal time, 20 minutes for each passage. Also, on the IELTS General Reading Lessons Page, there are lessons for you to boost all aspects of the IELTS General Reading test.

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While preparing for the IELTS general reading test, you need to keep in mind that the time limit is fixed and moving faster with great concentration is the key to success. Here are our top suggestions to be well-prepared for the exam and to develop your time management skills for the exam, which will help you get a good IELTS Reading band score.

  1. Familiarise yourself with the question types

Be informed of the various types of questions you are likely to get in your IELTS Reading exam. There are twelve types of questions. Therefore, it will take a bit of hard work but will save you a lot of time. Moreover, it will lessen your stress level because of the familiarity with whatever question types you get, and hence, there will be no surprise elements. To know more about the types of questions, there are IELTS Reading Practice Papers which a student can go through.

  1. Learn the methods

For resolving each type of question, you need to learn the methods. The most efficient manner to learn them is through practice. There are IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks which will help you go through and learn more. You are more likely to recall them only if you try them several times over on practice questions.

The few types of questions that will be present in the test are:

1) Matching Headings
2) Summary Completion
3) Multiple Choice
4) Matching Sentence Endings
5) Short Answer
6) Matching Information
7) True/False/Not Given
8) Yes/No/Not Given

Read More IELTS General Reading Related Articles

  1. Learn and practice the primary skills

There are three primary reading skills that you should excel in to perform well in the Reading exam. These skills are as follows:

1) Skimming
2) Scanning
3) Detailed reading

The more you read the passage and scan the details of the passage, it will be easier to remember the points and answer the questions provided. Reading more IELTS Reading topics will provide more clarity before appealing for the test. Learn how to utilize these skills and make a routine to practise them.

  1. Recognize your weak areas

Knowing the areas in which you lack will help you improve those skills. What skill or what type of question do you feel is the toughest for you? Observe these weak areas and put extra effort into them so that you can feel confident before appearing for the IELTS general reading test.

  1. Expand your vocabulary

The use of synonyms and paraphrasing is extensive in the reading examination. For this reason, it as much tests your vocabulary as it tests your reading skills. You should be polishing your vocabulary as part of your everyday exam preparation because it is a continuous process.

You can learn new words so that you can use the words extensively and not repeat them which will, in turn, increase your IELTS Reading score.

  1. Time management

The most important is time management in the IELTS general Reading test. A student should aim to not spend too much time on a question. Make a goal that you have to spend not more than 20 minutes on each of the three passages. Practice this by timing yourself while practising.

It’s very likely to waste too much time on the first or second passage and run out of time to finish off the final passage. Also, you can anyhow go back to a passage if you have extra time in the end.

  1. Approach

The step-by-step methods to convey the order to answer the questions for many question types. You need to get at the simplest answers first. This will benefit you in achieving easy marks in less time and leave you extra time to solve the more tough questions.

  1. Blank Answer

Students are suggested not to leave a blank space in case they do not know the correct answer. Guess the answer and write it. This would give you some possibility of getting it right which might help you improve the sore. There is no negative marking and hence there is nothing to worry about an answer is incorrect. Besides helping you complete your 3 comprehensions for IELTS General Reading exam within 60 minutes, taking these recommendations into use will also incredibly increase your score.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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