Using the IELTS reading passage effectively
Efficient readers use a range of reading skills and strategies to help them interrogate and understand a text effectively.
Flexibility
One of the principal characteristics of a good reader is flexibility. He varies his speed and his whole manner of reading based on the text and his main purpose of reading it. The concepts of both speed and flexibility need careful attention and plenty of practice.
Adequate understanding
People who read flexibly are skilled at judging what they need to get out of a text to accomplish their purpose. An efficient reader knows how much to read in order to satisfy their purpose. This helps them to decide which parts of the text to ignore, which to skim to get the gist and then which parts to study closely.
Scanning or Super-Sonic reading
By scanning we mean glancing rapidly (at super-sonic speed) through a text either to search for a specific piece of information (e.g. a name, date) or to get an initial impression of whether the text is suitable for a given purpose (e.g. whether a book on gardening deals with a particular plant disease). One needs to move their eyes super-fast only to locate specific information. It’s absolutely acceptable not to understand large parts of the text when scanning because understanding the text is not the main purpose of implementing this reading subskill.
Skimming or Speed Reading
By skimming we mean glancing rapidly through a text to determine its gist. This involves speed reading a passage to get a general idea of the writer’s overall purpose for writing the text. Readers look at heading/s- sub=headings, pictures and then quickly browse the paragraphs by moving their eyes fast without stopping at unknown vocabulary or re-reading sentences for understanding. In order to get the gist readers can implement the 2-2-2 approach while skimming a paragraph. This means reading the 1st two sentences, then 2 sentences in the middle and the last two sentences of a paragraph to get an overall summary or gist.
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