IELTS Reading - 12 Tips and Tricks to Score 9 Bands - No Coaching Needed

 If you're concerned about scoring that perfect-looking 9 Bands on your IELTS reading. This is going to boost your score. I'm not saying you'll reach to the exact 9 but what I'm saying is you can actually make your score better. 

If you're at 6 you'll be able to make it 7.5 bands. If you're at 7.5 you'll make able to make it 8 or 8.5 bands. I promise you this will increase your score just stick around.

This is applicable for both computer-based paper-based, whatever kind of files you're taking academic or general.

1. Know the Question

The first point that you need to know the question. A lot of people when they get the IELTS exam they actually go-ahead to start reading the passage. They start reading the passage star top to bottom. That's what they do the worst thing. The reading passages are too long.

 There's no way in hell that you're going to remember every single thing that they're talking about. If it's in your subconscious mind. It's going to go away by the time you get to the questions. So never make this mistake. The first thing you should do is go ahead to read the questions.

 Don't read the passage first off just read the heading, take a look at the questions 30 seconds. Like, what type of questions are there: let's say the first seven questions are heading questions next are true false not given and after that, we have let's say maybe summary questions. 

 You will have three passages in the else reading section you will have 60 minutes that means you can say 20 minutes for each passage and the important part over here again is that these passages are extremely long. And there are about seven to eight paragraphs in each passage. 

 So you have to be very quick with your reading. Understand this you should know the format. Like I said before actually going ahead and starting the questions or even reading the passage, just take a look at the questions, know what you're going to be dealing with.

 That's really important you need to actually know that you don't really have a lot of time on the IELTS. So read the passage a little, summarize, and then answer the question. Read some more you answer another question that's very important.

 A lot of people would just read the whole passage first and do the headings and then come back to read the passage again and then do the summary. You waste your time. You are doing it two times. That's wrong don't do it. Try to save yourself time. Trust me this will help you massively. You will see the change when you actually start doing this.

Don't think that you have to do this in consecutive order to those questions. Do not need to be in consecutive order. 

2. Do not re-read, skim & move on 

Move on to the next tip now and this is very - very important again. A lot of people will give you tips about how you should go about reading the passage, you skim should, you should do this, etc. I would say read every single sentence. Because the answers are written in such a way that the first line and the last line of every paragraph are the most important. They define what the paragraph is about.

But in IELTS what I've personally experienced is that any single line can have the answer and this line can actually be in the middle of the paragraph as well. So read every single line but do not go-ahead re-reading the lines that are not recommended at all.

If you just read the lines once, you can easily get through the passage within five to seven-eight minutes. So you shouldn't need more than that. 

Even in the worst-case scenario if you don't know a particular word, it's okay, it's perfectly fine. No one can know every single word. But just try to skim and move on just try to understand the essence of the sentence.

3. Read the Instructions carefully

Always follow the instructions, do not cross the word limit.  A lot of people they're very overconfident of the IELTS. Maybe they've taken it three-four times before. If you have done a hundred sample quests and papers, still it's extremely important to actually go ahead read the instructions. 

For instance, in summary, questions you will have a condition that all right you only need to answer with one word or you only need to answer with some kind of a structure.

You need to know that because that can change every single time. IELTS actually can trick you into doing this.

If they ask you to answer with one word. In that case, for example, they will give you 'Eiffel tower' for the answer and you have to just write a compatible word over there. So it's really important that you understand that only one word.

Maybe you will be asked to answer with three words or numbers. Means you can answer with just a number like nine maybe both like 10 September or maybe just a word like Boston. This is important again if you have three words on your list. Understand this three words are still allowed so you can write either just compatible word. 

4. Do not confuse 

Do not confuse with true, false, not-given questions and yes, no, not-given questions. If you don't know what I'm talking about chances are you have not really been preparing for the IELTS reading section yet. 

But you will come across questions where you have to write down true, false, not given, and at the same time or you have to write down yes, no, not given.

These other kinds of questions are where you are writing down yes, no, not given and you're giving a little bit more of a perspective of what the author is writing about. Whereas true, false, not given type of questions are general facts that you talk about.

But still, you will have the instructions in the question, note them. 

A lot of times I see people making these silly mistakes. For example, instead of 'yes' they will write 'true', instead of 'no' they'll write 'false'. And that's where they lose the points. Because you are under a lot of pressure. In a very short amount of time, people are bound to making these mistakes but if you keep them in mind you will never make them. I promise you.

5. Rember to Check for Spellings

Even if you have one percent doubt that your spelling may not be the correct one, go back to the passage check the spelling. Spellings are very important. But people make this silly mistake all the time and even if their answer is correct they'll lose the points.

Your spellings, your tenses all of these should be matching. You cannot write an answer that is okay.

But it doesn't fit because the tense is wrong, or maybe you have to write use the past tense of it or you use just you know present participle or something else. So that is where you can lose points very easily. Just keep that in mind and make sure you're spelling to correct.

6. Not Sure? Mark & Move on

Moving on to the sixth tip now which is also very important again. Every single answer on the IELTS counts only a single point.

So you have 13 questions on the first passage, 13 more questions on the second passage and14 questions on the last passage. This is the usual trend. Of course not saying that this is always how it's going to be. But usually, you will see this trend follows.

Every single question actually accounts for just one point. So if you come across a question that is extremely hard. Then you need to get your mind used to this. You can move on or you can highlight that particular question. 

But remember to mark it and move on because there are easier questions, which you can use to get better points on the IELTS. 

Also Read: 13 Tips IELTS Speed Reading - How to Read Fast 2021

7.  Work on your Weaknesses Extensively

The seventh point over here and is to work on your weaknesses extensively. For instance, I'll tell you my personal weakness whenever I used to do these.

Heading questions were the most difficult part for me. Because you get heading questions eight or nine, and about a 10 set of headings where which you have to choose from that.

They can be overlapping at times and it gets a little bit harder. So I was not very good at it. But one thing I did was, I practiced a lot. I picked out the passages with those heading questions and just started practicing. I forgot about everything else.

Trust me it worked like wonders. I would not make a mistake on any heading task right now even if you could give me any questions literally. I am very confident with those now. So it's important you actually work on your weaknesses make them your good areas.

8. Give Yourself a Confidence Boost

You also need to give yourself a confidence boost. So what I recommend and this is what I personally also aim for is whenever you're taking the IELTS.

Like I said there are 60 minutes and there are three passages. So you can divide that into 20 minutes for each passage. But the first passage is the easiest and the last passage is the hardest. So I would advise you to aim for you know 15 minutes. Try to finish the first passage in 15 minutes. Try to go for it. I am not saying you will always reach this 15-minute milestone.

But if you try, there is a possibility that you can finish it in 17 minutes. Still, you can save three minutes. And 15 minutes is very much possible. I have done it a lot of times. I know it's possible, if I can do it you can do it.

So try to go for 15 minutes that will just give you a little bit of a buffer. Even if you are holding back on the last passage. So you would have some buffer time that you saved in the starting.

9. Underline/Highlight for Markers 

You need to make sure that you're underlining. If you're doing the paper-based test underline. And if you're doing the computer-based test highlight. These should be done at points where you have to put on markers.

You have to put on somewhere like something important has happened here. I want to come back later to this passage at this point. So make sure you're highlighting or make sure you're underlining. It's very important. 

Use that feature even on the computer-based test you have a highlight feature.

10. Practice with the official material only

A lot of people make this mistake is that they start reading newspapers. They start reading magazines, newspapers, online academic articles, and research papers. You don't have to do that. 

You're here to take the IELTS just study for the IELTS. There are about15 books right now from Cambridge. Each book has four test papers. So that would make it about 60 tests. And every single test paper has about three reading passages.

So that means you have more than enough reading passages. Which are officially actually seen on the IELTS. Do study from these Cambridge books. 

Doing study from any other material is not recommended. I do not recommend it at all for the long term. If you want to improve your reading skills. Definitely go ahead and do it. But if you're on a short leash and you need to actually do the test.

11. Finish at least Five full tests before test day

You should finish at least five tests before the test date. A lot of people would be overconfident. They have maybe done singular sections of the test but they've never really taken the whole test in one go. And that's where you're wrong. Because when your body and is not used to sitting down for three hours and taking that test. Then chances are you're not going to be able to perform very well when that happens for the first time in your life.

So make sure you're used to it. I know this is an important point. That's why I'm stressing it out.,I want you to actually score very very well on the IELTS reading.

12. Samples on IPD/British's website

If you're taking the cbt and this is only for the people who are taking the computer-based test remember that you know there are online samples.

Whatever you're taking it from IDP, British Council doesn't matter. Go on to their website. They will have these online tests. These are simulated tests that will actually show you the kind of software. They're going to be using it on the test day like how can you highlight, a copy, paste. All of these things are right there. You just need to take the initiative. You need to actually go ahead and try those online tests. Online simulators of the actual test.

So make sure that you're used to actually how the test is going to look.

It's paper-based what you should do is print out the whole exam and you should actually go ahead sit down at your table, start working, start doing those questions.

Actually, how IELTS will give it to you even try printing out the answer sheets a lot of websites will have those answer sheets. So you can just go ahead and print it. Try to actually go ahead simulate the test when you're taking those five mock tests.

I think that should be more than enough for you. Best of luck with your Exams!!!