IELTS candidates may be used to reading each and every word you come across slowly and conscientiously in order to comprehend every sentence of the text. But in IELTS exam there is limited time and it is almost impossible to read all the words in a slow and steady manner. So, the best training institute in IELTS as BRZEE Global Academy gives the solution. One of the methods is speed reading i.e., reading through the text quickly and another method is to hunt for only the specific information you need.
BRZEE Academy as the top most institute in Gurgaon / Gurugram teaches Skimming and Scanning as the two methodologies through which qualifying IELTS exam becomes a piece of cake whether it is academic or general. Skimming is reading through the passage quickly to get an overview of the passage. Scanning is looking for specific answers in the passage without reading the whole passage. Let us try to understand the two concepts in more detail:
Skimming
The title of the passage and the topic sentence of each paragraph should be kept in mind while reading the passage. The main idea of each paragraph lies in the topic sentence. Apart from the first sentence, one can read the last sentence to get an overview of the entire paragraph.
In case of matching heading questions, this technique is especially useful. In case of title match questions, one should read the introduction and conclusion of the reading passage. This will help you to grasp the central idea of the reading passage. Each time you read a passage, ask yourself this question, “What type of passage is this?” This implies is it descriptive, argumentative or narrative. Then ask yourself whether the tone of the passage is positive, negative or neutral.
Practice skimming by reading reviews, articles and editorials. Try to get the main idea of each text you read. You can choose those topics which are of your interest. Gradually, try to read some challenging articles so that you get an opportunity to read between the lines.
Scanning:
In scanning, key words are very important. The keyword in the question should match with the keyword in the reading passage. Try to be focused at your text and make sure you don’t miss out any important key word as you go through the text. Apart from the key words, one should be aware about proper nouns, numbers, dates and timelines. You can practice scanning by looking for relevant information in TV guide, timetables of trains etc. and try to find facts which you need as quickly as possible.
All said and done, scanning alone doesn’t help you to get a high score. If you have above average reading speed, skimming through the text in order to get a generic view will help you in understanding the crux of the passage. Then read the questions and then scan the text to find specific information.
However, if you have an average reading speed, you should first read the questions and then read the passage in order to find answers.
Apart from this, scanning alone will not help you to find the answers. It will only help in identifying where the answer lies. In order to figure out what the answer is you should do both skimming and scanning.
Whether you are skimming or scanning, don’t forget to underline the names of people, places and other proper nouns. They can often provide clue for your answers and can help you to come back at a particular detail you are looking for much faster.
Another point to consider is that whether you are skimming or scanning, never ever concentrate on difficult vocabulary. It’s been commonly observed that students get stuck on a particular word or phrase which is difficult for them to comprehend and thus lose their precious time when in reality they should be racing ahead. It could be possible that you might lose a point because of the word you couldn’t understand, but time spent in attempting to grasp the meaning of one word or phrase could have been used to answer several other questions which were far easier with fairly simple vocabulary.
And last but not the least, select your correct options by the process of elimination which implies look at the options which you think will definitely not go with the question and then eliminate them. Thus, you will be able to find correct answers for the questions which are tricky.
I hope you found this blog useful. Do, try to implement these simple but effective tricks and see the difference in your scores for yourself.
Learn about the testing system from BRZEE Academy as the best training institute in Palam Vihar, Sector 22 and 23 market, Global Foyer, Ansall mall, Kapashera border, Udhyog Vihar to get a perfect score in IELTS.
