IELTS reading materials
Did it ever cross your mind what binds the IELTS reading for Academic and GT, and what apart them? If not, then don’t worry. This guide is for you to untangle their similarities while delving into their differences. Further, it also shares some key insights into the “Don’ts of the reading section”, which helps you to score well during the exams. It includes “spending too much time on just one question” and “quickly jumping on the answers”. Also, students often answer “false instead of not given”, which is also a very common mistake that shows improper preparation for the exams.
So, let’s keep practising with various IELTS reading materials available online and offline and stay tuned for a thorough breakdown of these topics in detail.
Common Points Between IELTS Academic and General Reading
This section of the guide is going to give you a brief on the common areas of IELTS reading for both the Academic and General Training tests. Moreover, both test types share notable common points, which include “duration”, “marks”, and “number of questions”. Thus, let’s read further to have an idea about these one by one.
Duration
The timer period for both the test types is 60 minutes or, say, 1 hour. During this time, students must end all the questions that assess distinct reading skills, like conceding the facts, finding the main ideas, and knowing the writer’s points precisely. Thus, effective management of time is vital to finish the test accurately.
Number of Questions
The IELTS reading section of both test types consists of 40 questions. Moreover, these questions evaluate distinct skills that are needed while reading. Further, the questions are framed to match the difficulty of the passages, and it ensures a thorough assessment of the students within an hour.
Marks
In both the test types, Academic and General Training, of the IELTS, every right answer earns one mark. Moreover, the total marks earned for the IELTS reading section out of 40 are changed into the Band Score. The Band Score ranges from 0 to 9, and there is no negative marking for an incorrect answer. Thus, candidates must attempt all the questions to improve their scores.
So, this is all about the common areas in both the test types. Now, the next section will help you understand the uncommon areas for the same.
Difference Between IELTS Academic and General Reading
Besides the common areas of both the test types of the IELTS reading, there is a major difference between the two. Moreover, they differ in their content as well as their purpose. So, let’s develop your insights on how the format of the two differs from each other.
Format
Despite both assessing reading skills, the GT test focuses on daily materials, such as notices and commercials. On the other hand, the Academic type includes texts that have a formal tone from journals, books, and newspapers. Hence, the format of the questions differs considerably between the two.
Therefore, this is the distinct area between the two, and now, the next section of this guide is going to give you proper insights about what to avoid during this section.
Don’ts of the Reading Section
Many students make blundering mistakes while attempting the reading section of IELTS for both test types. Moreover, this section is going to highlight the top three “Don’ts” students must keep in mind to avoid making errors. This will affect your total marks and band score. Thus, let’s acknowledge these and avoid making errors.
Spending Too Much Time on One Question
Taking care of the time is one of the most important things to do while attempting any kind of exam. Moreover, wasting a lot of time on just one question can mess up your overall time. This misconduct can leave you with inadequate time for the questions that are left. Thus, it is better to miss the tricky ones at the beginning and solve them later.
Deciding Answer Swiftly
Hopping into answers is also one of the biggest mistakes students make. Moreover, this results in missing out on the key facts and confusion. Thus, it is vital to balance pace with precision by sensibly exploring the passage and questions. So, train alike and craft the best possible approach.
Selecting “False” in Place of “Not Given”
Choosing “False” in the place of “Not Given” also stands to be a big error made by students. Many times, there are questions without a direct context from the text, and for that, students choose “False”. However, students must select “Not Given” for these types of questions. “Not Given” shows missing data and can be chosen during this time.
This stands to be the last section of this article that provides proper insights on the mistakes to avoid while doing the reading section. Let’s wrap up this article and move towards the final thoughts.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, this guide was all about comparing and contrasting the reading sections of the IELTS exam for both test types. These test types include Academic and General Training that serve distinct purposes. Moreover, navigating the common parts and differences for the same can help them to prepare well for the exam. The format of both the exams differs from each other as the Academic test includes text with a formal tone. Whereas the GT test evaluates the daily materials taken from news and more. The common parts include “Duration”, “Number of Questions”, and “Marks”.
Further, this guide stresses the mistakes that students must avoid during the exam. Also, students can practice daily through various IELTS reading materials available to them. Lastly, understanding the marking system for this exam is very crucial, and for that, you can take the help of the IELTS band score calculator and have a proper insight into your scores. Have a fun preparation!
