Reading Part A is an expeditious reading task. Expeditious reading means reading for an overview rather than deeper meaning.
Expeditious reading includes two types of reading skills, skimming and search reading. These skills allow candidates top collect information quickly from each of the four texts.
Candidates need to move from one text to another, because although the texts are on the same topic, each text will provide a different perspective.
The Reading Part A section allows candidates 15 minutes to complete the section, so speed reading strategies need to be learned and practiced to be successful in this section. Most people read at the same speed that they speak, that is between 160 and 220 words a minute, however, to be able to scan texts a speed of 600 words per minute is required. Skimming texts requires a speed of 450 words per minute.,
The strategies associated with quick reading include:
- Searching for a specific word
- Searching for synonyms or keywords
- Searching for names or numbers
- Not trying to understand all the ideas in the next text
- Not attempting to understand relationships between ideas in the text
- Being selective about what is read, i.e. not trying to read the entire text.
Scanning
Scanning involves selective reading. Try not to read every word of the text. Instead, practice moving your eye across the line of the text to locate the words you need to find.
Scanning the heading of text also gives clues about the purpose of a text. It should also give you an idea of the type of text and the level of language used in the text.
Terms may be expressed in different ways, i.e.
- Hypotensive drug, blood- pressure lowering drug, blood pressure medication
- Bring down my blood pressure, lower blood pressure readings
- Dyspepsia, heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux
The purpose of scanning is to locate specific information, e.g. a date, word, phrase, figure or name. Skimming, on the other hand, involves grasping the gist of a text, without reading every word.
Skimming
Skimming refers to looking for the general or main ideas, by focusing on what is relevant in the text.
The steps needed to skim a text;
- Find the main ideas of the text, i.e., what is important
The main ideas are often found in topic sentences.
A topic sentence is the sentence which introduces the main idea of a paragraph. The topic sentence contains the key word or key words of the paragraph. However, the key words must be understood in the context of the whole text.
For example,
Topic sentence: Blood pressure control is essential in patients with diabetes, if serious complications are to be avoided.
Key words: Blood pressure control, diabetes
Context: avoiding serious complications
- Look at the supporting sentences
The sentences which follow the topic sentence provide extra or subsidiary information in the text. The sentences are needed to explain the topic sentence a bit more.
Using the example above ‘Blood pressure control is essential in patients with diabetes, if serious complications are to be avoided’, we could find the following supporting sentence:
- Why increases in blood pressure affects people with diabetes in particular
- What the complications may be, e.g. retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy
- The effect of not controlling blood pressure leading to complications, e.g. amputation, kidney disease
As you skim the text, try to weed out unimportant information and unneeded details. As a general rule, each text will provide you with two or three pieces of information which you will need to answer the task questions. If you think you should join OET coaching in Gurgaon then Asta Achiever is one of the best institute.
Try to identify the alternative words or synonyms which are used in the texts. Texts which are examples of a layperson’s experience usually contain everyday terms, e.g. ‘I heard voices which were really frightening’. Text which are taken from medical journals or medical textbooks usually contain medical terminology, e.g. auditory hallucinations.
Reading Part A is assessed through 3 or 4 sets of 20 questions in total. The first set is always comprised of matching questions. The other sets are short answer questions and note or sentence completion as a gap fill.
Initially candidates scan and skim texts to answer the questions then move on to more detailed reading. Part A does not test reading comprehension, only the ability to find specific information quickly. Asta Achiever is one of the best ielts classes provider in Gurgaon.
The instructions to candidates for reading part A will look like this:
Time: 15 minutes
Instructions to candidates:
Do not open the question paper until you are told to do so.
Write your answers on the spaces provided in this.
Question paper. Answer all questions within the 15 minutes time limit.At the end of the 15 minutes, hand in the Question paper and the Text
