IELTS 8.0 - Academic Reading
I applied few strategies before opting for a final strategy, which I used to get 8 bands.
- Set stopwatch for 50-52 minutes during practice to overcome the time stress in exam.
- Before reading a passage, go through the topics of all the three passages.
- Start from the passage that sounds interesting to you.
- Reading a passage (For academic):
Read each paragraph of the passage in a way that you can conclude the purpose of that specific paragraph and information it contains. You can write three or four words heading too on the question booklet as you will be allowed to use pencil in the real exam.
- Look at the questions first and circle the specific information being asked. Also circle what, when, why, how etc. to know what exactly you are looking for.
- If any passage sounds challenging to you, don’t worry just follow the strategies you made during practice.
- After attempting each passage, write down your answers on the Answer Sheet first and then move on to the next passage.
- Follow instructions properly given above the questions and answer accordingly otherwise you will lose marks.
- Get print outs of Cambridge tests for practicing.
Targeting Specific Questions
- For matching headings, mostly first two or three lines give you the answer.
- Mostly people get confused on “Not Given/False”. For those questions focus on verbs too.
Passage Information: “Without language, we could never have embarked on our ascent to unparalleled power over all other animals and even over nature itself.”
Statement I: Human beings might have achieved their present position without language. (False)
Explanation: Information says that it is impossible to achieve power over animals and nature without language. Whereas statement says that human beings might have achieved their position without language which is a contradiction, so it is False.
Passage Information: “One of the showiest stunts that some languages can pull off is an ability to build up words of breath-breaking length, and thus express in one word what English takes a whole sentence to say.”
Statement II A complex idea can be explained more clearly in a sentence than in a single word. (Not Given)
Explanation: Information says that some languages contain lengthy words which can express the whole idea. Whereas, statement says that a complex idea can be explained clearly in a single word. In information author didn’t mention that complex idea becomes clear when it was expressed in a single word, so it is “Not Given”.
You can also identify “Not Given” statements if you keep on wasting time in searching for that info but unable to find it or it doesn’t satisfies you.
I hope you find these tips helpful. Best of Luck!