Preparing students for the IELTS Academic Reading Module

Guy Brook-Hart

Cambridge University Press

Russia, April 2012

This talk will cover

• what the IELTS Academic Reading module

involves

• what reading skills IELTS students need

• why we should be teaching reading skills to

students in class

• suggestions for classroom reading activities for

different IELTS reading tasks.

Examples are taken from Complete IELTS (CUP 2012).

Match these IELTS statistics

• Candidates per year

• Assessment bands

• Percentage going to

higher education

• Institutions recognising

IELTS

• Parts of the IELTS test

• Average reading score

• Average reading score

for native speakers

• 4

• 9

• 68

• 6.6

• 6,000

• 1.5 million

• 6

What does the IELTS Academic Reading module involve?

• 3 reading passages (750 – 950 words each, max. 2750 words) • 40 questions (mixed task types) • 1 mark each • 1 hour

How is the IELTS Academic Reading module different from Main Suite exams?

• All reading passages have an academic focus. • 13/14 questions per passage. • At least 13 different types of task • 2/3 different task types per passage. • Candidates may have to read the passage more than once • Increasing level of difficulty.

The majority of IELTS candidates take the test as an entry requirement for further study.

CEF Levels

IELTS band (approximate)

C2 7.5+

C1 6.5 – 7

B2 5 – 6

B1 3.5 – 4.5

A2 3

A1 1 – 2

IELTS Academic Reading Passages • The passages used in the test are designed to

present the candidate with materials similar to

those which they might need to read on a

university course.

• The passages may be written in a variety of

styles, for example narrative, descriptive,

discursive or argumentative.

• They are not simplified.

Features of IELTS passages

• authentic • discipline-related • international but neutral • demonstrate a number of writer techniques • well written: argument, embedded clauses, formal language and structures, discourse markers

IELTS Reading Skills

The skills tested are intended to reflect the target language needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students….

Candidates may have to:

identify the writer’s overall purpose, target audience, sources etc. identify and follow key arguments in a passage identify opinions and attitudes as opposed to facts locate specific information read for detailed information extract relevant information distinguish the main idea from supporting detail recognise key points for a summary group pieces of information in a passage in accordance with salient criteria extract information from a prose passage to put into a diagrammatic representation make inferences

What question types are there?

• Multiple Choice

• Short-answer Questions

• Sentence Completion

• Notes, Summary or Table/Flow-chart Completion

• Labelling a Diagram

• Choosing Headings for Paragraphs/Sections of a passage

• Locating Information

• Identification of Writer’s Views/Claims or of Information

• Classification

• Matching

What question types are there?

•Some tasks e.g. completion tasks tend to be easier

than others e.g. Multiple choice, True False Not

Given

•It’s important to build up students’ skills at dealing

with all tasks.

Student perceptions

Candidates often perceive the Reading module to be the hardest part of the IELTS Test.

Option A is obviously wrong and option B doesn’t make sense!

Now– how many word spots can I find to decide whether it’s C or D?

Research observation

Many candidates come out of the test with

no idea what the passages were about.

Why do reading activities in class?

• To ensure that all students have read the

passage(s)

• To teach and practise different reading techniques

and strategies

• To explore passages on different levels

• To limit time.

Some general reading skills IELTS candidates need:

Ability to skim the passage to get an overview

of its contents

This helps them to

- see how the passage develops (its structure)

- locate the specific information they require.

Some general reading skills IELTS candidates need:

Ability to scan the passage

- to find specific information

- to locate the section of the passage that they need

to read in detail.

Before they read the passage, students should be trained to read

- the title

- the sub-heading

- look at any pictures, illustrations, or footnotes

Some frequent IELTS reading tasks:

• Multiple choice

• True, False, Not Given / Yes, No, Not Given

• Matching Headings

Multiple choice tests ability to:

• scan the passage to find the relevant part

• read this part in detail to understand e.g. opinion,

purpose, main idea, implication etc.

Multiple choice may involve selecting

- one of four options, or

- two of five options (Pick from a list)

Multiple choice:

Suggested approach:

• read stem of first question and underline the key idea

• scan to find where the question is dealt with in the passage.

• read this section of the passage carefully to find the answer to

the question.

• read each of the 4 alternatives with the stem.

• match the correct one with the passage.

• underline the evidence in the passage supporting your choice

• repeat procedure for question 2 etc. (answers appear in the

same order)

Classroom activity 1:

• Give students the passage with a skimming task and a strict

time limit.

• Give students the stems of the questions, but not the

alternatives. Ask students to locate where the answers occur.

Objective: scanning.

• Ask students to note answers in their own words.

• Give them the alternatives. They choose.

Objective: to encourage students to go from the passage to

the alternatives, rather than vice versa, note-taking.

Classroom activity 2:

• Ask students to work in pairs. Give one pair questions 1, 3

and 5. Give the other pair questions 2, 4 and 6.

• Ask them to read the passage and answer their questions

with their partner.

• Students then change partners, show their new partners

their questions and explain the answers, justifying their

choice with evidence from the passage.

Objective: to find and justify evidence in the passage /

communicative activity

True, False, Not Given / Yes, No, Not Given tasks

True, False, Not Given / Yes, No, Not Given tasks test students ability to

• scan the passage to find the relevant part(s)

• read in detail to understand

• factual information (TFNG)

• the writer’s views/claims (YNNG)

What problems do students have with TFNG/YNNG tasks?

• Finding the right part of the passage.

• Distinguishing between False and Not Given.

Suggested approach

• Each question will contain a ‘hook’ – a word/phrase

which is the same or nearly the same as one in the

passage. Identify and underline the hook.

(Questions paraphrase, but the hook does not)

• Scan to find where it is mentioned in the passage.

• Read carefully round it to find the answer.

• Choose ‘No’ when the passage contradicts the

statement. Choose ‘Not Given’ when it neither supports

nor contradicts the statement.

Classroom activity 1

• read to identify the

hook (1 minute)

• scan the passage

to locate where you

should read

carefully (2 minutes)

Classroom activity 2

• give students 3

overlapping

statements:

• ask students

which one is true,

which false,

which not given.

Matching headings:

Matching headings test ability to read for:

• the main ideas or themes either in paragraphs or in

sections.

What problems do students have with matching headings?

• Reading above phrase or sentence level.

• Distinguishing the main idea from details

• Time and technique

Suggested approach:

• Read the headings carefully so as to partially

memorise them, underlining the key ideas as you

read.

• Read the paragraphs/sections one by one, matching

each paragraph to a heading as you read.

• Aim to complete the task reading the whole passage

just once.

Classroom activity 1:

• Students read the headings and underline the key ideas.

• They close their books and note down the headings they

remember.

• They compare and complete their list in pairs.

• Hand out the paragraphs which you have previously

photocopied and cut up one by one and in order

• Ask students to match each paragraph to a heading as you

hand them out, or

• Round up after each matching by asking for evidence from the

passage.

Classroom activity 2:

• Students work in groups of 3.

• Give each student the complete passage and 2 of the

headings

• First, students work alone, read the passage and place their

2 headings

•They then explain their decisions to the rest of the group and

resolve any conflicts.

Objectives: dealing with task type, communicative activity, oral

summarising, presenting information.

General considerations

• Use all the clues on the page

• Work on examples

• Raise interest

• Negotiate time limits

• Avoid vocabulary explanations

• Make students do the work (not you!)

• Discuss strategies

Complete IELTS

Band 4 – 5 Bands 5 – 6.5 Bands 6.5 – 7.5

• 8 – 10 Units

• 60+ hours

• Complete coverage of all parts of the exam

• Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation for the exam

• Speaking, writing and language reference

• Complete practice test

•CD Rom

• Workbook with audio CD

• Audio CD

Teacher’s Book with

• detailed guidance, exam information, extra/alternative

teaching ideas

• photocopiable activities

• photocopiable word lists and progress tests

• www.cambridge.org/elt/

• www.ielts.org

• guybrookhart@gmail.com