IELTS Full Prep Course by the 9.0 Examinee

Get access to the real upcoming question in IELTS Speaking. These questions are new and updated every 3 months.

How to improve your skills in skimming, scanning and reading in detail.

The input for this type of question will be a summary of all or part of the reading text. The summary will contain a number of gaps. All of the information in the summary will be contained in the reading text, although the words used will be different. You will also be provided with a list of words to use to fill the gaps. There will be more words than gaps. These words have been chosen so that only one word will be suitable for each gap (the answer) but other words may appear suitable (distracters).

Your task is to complete the summary using one word from the list for each gap. Because the summary is a paraphrase of the reading text (rather than an edited version), you will need to have a good understanding of the overall meaning and main points of the section summarised, rather than a detailed understanding of the text.

In this type of question, you will be given a list of headings. The instructions will also indicate around 4 to 6 paragraphs from the reading text. The task is to find the most suitable heading for each of the paragraphs. There will be more headings than paragraphs, and you shouldn't use any heading more than once unless the instructions tell you that you can.

To complete this task well, you will need to be able to identify each paragraph's main focus. The correct heading will sum up the main idea of the paragraph.

In this task type you will be given a number of statements. You will have to decide if these statements agree with the writer's views.

To complete this task well you will often need to be able to recognise the writer's views not only from what is said directly, but also from what is implied. For example, we do not need the writer to state directly that he/she disapproves of zoos. We can infer this disapproval if the writer states his/her disapproval of the following: animals being taken from the wild, animals being caged, people paying money to see animals, animals not having any privacy. However, if the writer simply describes the problems with zoos this does not necessarily imply disapproval.

Also, we should not try to guess the writer's views. In statement 5 of the sample task on the following page, we should not assume that because we think that the lifeboats should have rescued more people, or because 'everybody' thinks that the lifeboats should have returned to rescue more people, that this is the writer's view. In this case the writer does not express any view on this issue; she simply states the fact that the lifeboats were not full and so the answer must be Not Given.

In this question type you will be given a 'stem' which may be an incomplete sentence or a question. The stem will be followed by three or four options - one will be correct (the answer) and three may seem possible but are in fact incorrect in some way (the distracters). In tackling this type of question, it is very important to read the stem carefully. Candidates often make careless mistakes when they misread the stem and so choose the wrong option.

You will be provided with a number of statements some of which paraphrase or summarise what the writer said. In this task type you need to show that you know what information the writer did (and did not) mention on a particular topic.

You will be provided with an incomplete table which summarises or paraphrases information given in the reading text. The information in table form may be organised differently from the way in which it appears in the text, for example chronologically instead of in order of importance. The task is to complete the gaps in three words or fewer.

You will be provided with two lists. In most cases, one list contains a small number of causes and the other list contains a larger number of effects. The task is to find the effect which arose from (matches) each cause. To complete this task well you will need to understand clearly what the words 'cause' and 'effect' mean.

You will be provided with a number of incomplete sentences which you need to complete using information from the reading text. Generally you must complete the statement in three words or fewer, but confirm this with the instructions.

You will be provided with a number of questions which you have to answer. Generally your answers must be in three words or fewer but confirm this with the instructions.

Students can practice their reading skills.