Secret To Getting Band 9 In IELTS Reading
IELTS reading is not really a reading test. Sure, you require the skimming and scanning techniques to score high, but the most important thing is VOCABULARY. Yes, the reading test is more about your vocabulary than about anything else. You not only have to know lots of vocabulary but also synonyms of the different words. For example – In the text you may find something written as “civil calender” but in the question paper the word “muncipal calendar” describes it. Or “to organize public events” in the question paper but “to co-ordinate communal activities” in the reading text.
But, why are there so many synonyms in the reading text?
Well, because it is IELTS and not your school English paper! Just think about it, the IELTS team finds out some reading text and then makes questions from it. But, if they use the same words as written in the text, it would be far more simple and you will rarely see someone getting a six. There will be so many more 9’s.
Should you practice IELTS past reading papers?
It is a good idea to go through some of the past papers but that is not the real help. There are too many synonyms in the English language and it is quite unlikely to get the same questions as earlier.
How can we improve vocabulary?
Vocabulary is very important if you want to score high in IELTS. Be it speaking, reading , writing or listening, you need to have good vocabulary. But, how can one increase vocabulary?
- Don’t read IELTS test papers – Yes, don’t read too many IELTS test papers. They are important and you should be reading some of them but don’t focus entirely on them. It is better if you read the stuff that you like. So, if you love football read lot about football, read magazines, ,newspapers, whatever you can find about something that you love. This will ensure that you are excited about the stuff and also improve English also. Even more, Read the international news.
- Record the words- There is no point in reading a new word if you don’t understand the word. So, when you read a word underline it and try to get its meaning. In the end, make sure your guess matches with the actual meaning. Also, make a dictionary of words. Write its synonyms, antonyms and a sentence using it. This will help you in understanding the word better.
You can read articles from any of the following sources, depending on your interest.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
NEW SCIENTIST
THE ECONOMIST
HISTORY TODAY
TIME
COSMOPOLITAN
WIRED
How should you practice test?
Well, there are two ways of practicing the IELTS test and you should go for both. First is the fast way. So, take the test in exam condition, make sure that you are able to finish off the exam on time. Next, take the exam the slow way. Check out why were the answers wrong. What are the other words that you left out. What is the meaning of the words you don’t know in the text? What are the synonyms of the words?
Once you start practicing in this way, you will start finding patters in the test. It will become easier for you to understand the test and the reading comprehension. It will be easier for you to answer questions, because you know them quite well. You will be familiar with more of the types of questions.
So, practice reading. Read things that you like and solve question papers. More importantly, understand the question paper well.