If you are a self-learner looking for the best strategy to practice IELTS Reading at home and improve your skills effectively, then you’re at the right place.
Here we have listed 5 IELTS Reading Practice Steps & Tips to help you get started.
The best and easiest way is to get a good study book with full and genuine IELTS reading practice tests. It will give you a clear overview of the test format and different types of reading questions and sections.
5 Easy Steps to Get Started Practicing Home
To practice and be well prepared for the IELTS reading test, do the following:
- Obtain a good practice book
- For instance, we recommend using one of the Cambridge IELTS practice books.
- If you have obtained the Cambridge IELTS book, then flick through the book and see what’s there. These books will give you a solid understanding of the exam format and types of tasks.
- Or why not take a Full IELTS General Reading Test (provided by IELTS.org) that we have prepared for you.
- Use an Answer Sheet
- Use the official Answer Sheet or see our custom answer sheet with four tests on one page.
- Make yourself familiar with the IELTS reading test format
- There are 3 Reading Sections.
- Sections 1 and 2 may have several text blocks.
- The Sections will get increasingly more difficult.
- About 40 questions in total.
- Take the first practice test
- Start practicing with the first test without limiting your time to one hour.
- Understand different types of exercises and questions.
- Determine your weak spots, e.g. the most challenging part of the test is commonly the – True / False / Not Given – type of exercise.
- Learn some tips (find some below!)
- Practice under exam conditions – at least three times!
- Use the printed Answer Sheet.
- Allow only 1 hour to complete the practice test.
- Analyse your mistakes.
- Take at least 3 Reading Practice Tests to feel confident and improve your score.
- And allow a bit of extra practice to improve your weak areas.
These 5 Steps are enough to get started and practice IELTS reading at home, and repeating them all over again consolidates your knowledge and improves your skills.
5 Important IELTS Reading Practice Tips
Once you have a good preparation book and are familiar with the test format, it is easier to understand how you should prepare and what to focus on to maximise your effort in boosting your score. So next, we have listed the five most valuable practice tips for practising at home.
Skim and scan
Look only for the main ideas and quickly scan the text to locate information. You don’t need to read every word or try to understand the passage; you need to answer the questions!
Watch your time
Don’t forget you have a strict time limit, so only 60 minutes to read three texts and answer 40 questions. Therefore, skimming and scanning help you a lot. Do not get stuck with one missing answer; just move on and come back when everything else is complete.
Check your spelling
Check your spelling before writing your answers on the answer sheet. If your answer is spelt wrong, you will get zero points for it. Remember that your answers have to be grammatically correct.
Fill in all the boxes!
Don’t leave blanks! You will not get minus points for wrong answers. So, even if you are unsure about your answer, try your luck, and maybe your guess is correct!
Practice, practice, practice
Practice makes perfect. You will improve when you practice regularly. You will only then develop your skills and understand the different types of questions. What is more, reading enriches your vocabulary, which also benefits your writing and speaking skills!