101Helpful Hints for IELTS

Reading Test Hints
• Look at the Example and Questions 16 - 18 in Reading Test One:
Example:
What is the name of the Association which commissioned the survey?
Q16. Which regional group had the largest percentage of students in the survey?
Ql8.
For what purpose did most students intend to use their English learning?
The topic of the example is given by the keyword/phrase "name of the Association ". The topic
of the last question (Question 18) is given by the keyword/phrase "use their English learning ".
Therefore, the answers to the task questions will most likely be found in the area of the passage
beginning with the paragraph giving the answer to the example (the first paragraph), and ending
with the paragraph discussing how the students planned to use their English (the second last
paragraph on the same page).
The example above is a simple example of how to apply the placing technique to a question task.
In more difficult cases the technique can often prevent much wasted time searching for an answer
in the wrong part of the passage.
Know where to look for answers in the reading passage by restricting the search area
LOOK FOR CHANGES IN THE SENTENCE ORDER
The information contained in a question sentence (or part sentence) is sometimes written in a
different order to that in the equivalent sentence in the passage. This switching of information can
be confusing in a difficult question. A simple example is given below.
Look at Question 14 in Reading Test One:
Q14. Standards at Australian and New Zealand tertiary institutions are improving.
T F N
In the passage it says:
"... and, perhaps of most importance to many Asian students whose English
study is a prelude to tertiary study, the growing awareness that courses at
antipodean universities and colleges are of an exceptionally high standard."
The "standards" and "tertiary" keywords in the question are found in reverse order in the
reading passage.
Sometimes not all the keywords/phrases within a particular question can be found close together in
the passage, or within a single sentence. In fact, there may be a good deal of interesting but irrelevant
information between the keywords/phrases in the passage. This may prevent you from finding all
you need to know to answer the question. (See also Reading Hint 56.)
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