From newspapers to magazines, from recipe books to health pamphlets, or even manuals on how to set up a universal remote control-you can read just about anything when preparing for the IELTS reading task. All you need is to develop some attitude and skills in reading.
I remember my Developmental Reading teacher during the first day of classes asked me to define reading in my own words. It took me a while to give an answer. I can’t remember how the textbook we used defines the word reading but I do remember my teacher saying that reading is a skill. If reading is a skill then it can be developed. The following are some reading materials that just might help you develop your reading skills and get that higher band score in IELTS:
Newspapers – of course it can provide you with important information about events that happen in the country or around the world but the reason why I included newspapers in the list is this: every article especially in the news section of the newspaper is limited to some number of words as space is very important. That being said, the writer needs only to mention the most important objects in his article. If we read the way a news writer treats every word in his article, then we read in such a way that we treat every word very important. That is one attitude that we need to develop in reading-every word is very important.
Recipe book – I do believe everybody needs to learn how to cook. We are trying to cook a delicious IELTS score here. A culinary recipe has so many components: dish’s name, ingredients, equipment needed, preparation steps, etc. A recipe book tells you what to do with what and when and how. You must be careful with everything especially with sequence. So be careful also when reading instructions or passages in the Reading module of IELTS. Remember what we are trying to cook here.
Online Q and A – it could be about anything that strikes your interest but should be the ones answered by experts. The reason why I recommend reading online Q & A’s is that I want you to take note of how experts provide their answers to questions. You will be answering around 40 questions in the Reading task of IELTS. You must be as precise and as accurate as an expert in giving your answers.
There are many other reading materials which can help you become an effective reader. Just remember to focus on what you are reading. You can also get yourself an IELTS book which you can use to train yourself or you can go for Online IELTS learning.
