Duration: 90 minutesModule: ReadingFocus: How the test is built, skimming vs scanning, signal words, paraphrase, prediction
Objectives
Understand how Academic Reading is built — 3 passages, 40 questions, 60 minutes, no extra transfer time.
Tell the difference between skimming (general meaning) and scanning (specific detail), and choose the right one per question.
Identify paragraph purposes and the signal words that reveal them.
Spot paraphrase — the single most important reading skill — and locate keywords fast.
Recognise the main question types and what each one targets.
How today is paced
Six timed blocks fill the 90 minutes. If your group moves quickly, an Extension Bank at the bottom has extra timed drills — we never run out of material.
0:00 – 0:10
Warm-Up: 60-Second Scan Challenge
You have 60 seconds to scan the passage below and find the five facts listed. Don't read everything — go straight for numbers, dates, and capital letters. It's a scavenger hunt, not a read-through.
01:00
Scan timer — 60 seconds
Sample passage — The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system. It stretches over 2,300 kilometers and is home to more than 1,500 species of fish. Discovered by European explorers in 1770 by Captain James Cook, the reef faces threats from climate change, including coral bleaching events that occurred in 2016 and 2017. Conservation efforts, led by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority established in 1975, have protected about 33% of the area as no-take zones. Tourism generates approximately $6.4 billion annually for the Australian economy, but overfishing and pollution remain concerns. In 2020, UNESCO considered listing it as "in danger," but the status was deferred after lobbying.
Find these five facts
Length of the reef in kilometers:
Year Captain James Cook discovered it:
Number of fish species:
Year the Marine Park Authority was established:
Annual tourism revenue in billions:
2,300 (over 2,300 km)
1770
1,500 (more than 1,500)
1975
$6.4 billion (approximately)
How fast did you find them? If you finished under 60 seconds, your scanning instinct is already good. If you went over, you were reading sentences — break that habit.
Skim vs scan — the difference
Skimming = reading fast for general understanding. Eyes move across the page, catching the first line of each paragraph plus bold words. Goal: know the topic of every paragraph.
Scanning = hunting for one specific piece of information and ignoring everything else. Goal: find a date, number, or name in seconds.
0:10 – 0:25
How Academic Reading Is Built
You can't budget your time if you don't know the shape of the test. Memorise this — it decides your whole strategy.
Feature
The fact
What it means for you
Passages
3 long texts, ~2,000–2,750 words total
≈ 20 minutes each — no more
Questions
40 total (roughly 13 / 13 / 14)
1 question ≈ 1 mark, all equal
Time
60 minutes, no extra transfer time
On paper, copy answers as you go. On computer, you type straight in.
Difficulty
Passage 1 easiest → Passage 3 hardest
Bank marks early; don't get stuck on Passage 1
Spelling
Wrong spelling = wrong answer
Copy words exactly from the text
Quick check — true or false?
Write T or F. We'll go over the strategy lessons hiding inside each one.
You get 10 extra minutes at the end to copy answers onto the sheet.
The three passages get harder as you go.
A hard question in Passage 3 is worth more marks than an easy one in Passage 1.
If your answer means the right thing but is spelled wrong, you still get the mark.
You should aim to spend about 20 minutes per passage.
FALSE — Academic Reading has NO transfer time. The 60 minutes includes writing your answers.
TRUE — that's why you bank easy marks first.
FALSE — every question is worth exactly one mark. A hard one is not "worth more," so never sink five minutes into one question.
FALSE — spelling must be correct. Copy directly from the passage.
TRUE — 20 minutes per passage keeps you on pace.
The golden rule of timing
Every question is one mark. If a question is fighting you after 90 seconds, guess, flag it, and move on. A blank earns zero; a guess might earn one. Leave nothing blank.
0:25 – 0:40
Text Structure & Signal Words
Most academic paragraphs do one of five jobs: introduce, give an example, compare/contrast, show a result, or conclude. Spot the job in the first sentence and you'll save minutes per passage.
Label each paragraph's purpose
Read each paragraph and choose its purpose: Introduction · Example · Contrast · Result · Conclusion. Underline the signal word that gave it away.
Urbanization is a growing trend worldwide, with more than 50% of the global population now living in cities. This shift has led to economic growth but also environmental challenges.
Purpose: Signal word:
For example, in Beijing, rapid urbanization has resulted in severe air pollution, affecting millions of residents. Measures like vehicle restrictions have been introduced to combat this.
Purpose: Signal word:
However, not all cities face the same issues. In contrast, Singapore has managed urbanization sustainably through green building initiatives and efficient public transport.
Purpose: Signal word:
As a result, urban planners must balance development with environmental protection to ensure livable cities for future generations.
Purpose: Signal word:
Introduction — no signal word, but topic-establishing tone ("is a growing trend")
Example — "For example"
Contrast — "However" / "In contrast"
Result / Conclusion — "As a result"
Signal words to memorise
Introduction: firstly, to begin with
Example: for instance, such as, for example
Contrast: however, in contrast, on the other hand, whereas, although
Result: therefore, as a result, consequently, thus
Conclusion: in summary, overall, to conclude, in short
0:40 – 0:55
Paraphrase: The Hidden Skill Behind Every Question
IELTS almost never uses the same words in the question and the passage. The question says it one way; the text says it another. Find the match and you find the answer. This is called paraphrase — and recognising it is the skill that separates Band 5 from Band 7.
See it in action
Question: "The factory cut its spending on staff." Passage: "The plant reduced its expenditure on its workforce."
Same meaning, almost no shared words. cut → reduced · spending → expenditure · staff → workforce · factory → plant.
Drill A — Match the paraphrase
Match each question phrase (1–6) to its paraphrase from a passage (A–F). Write a letter beside each number.
Question says…
Passage says…
1. became more popular
A. occurred without warning
2. happened suddenly
B. grew in appeal / gained favour
3. was very expensive
C. proved difficult to obtain
4. was hard to find
D. came at a considerable cost
5. fell sharply
E. had a wide range of uses
6. was useful in many ways
F. declined dramatically
1–B · 2–A · 3–D · 4–C · 5–F · 6–E
Notice the patterns: verbs swap for synonyms (grew/gained), and "expensive/cheap/fast/slow" usually appear as longer descriptive phrases (came at a considerable cost). Train your eye to read for meaning, not matching words.
Drill B — Locate the keyword
Not every word in a question is equally useful. Circle the word you'd actually scan for — usually a name, number, or an unusual noun that's hard to paraphrase.
"In 1969, the company opened its first overseas branch." → Best scan target:
"The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust." → Best scan target:
"Scientists studied the migration of the Arctic tern." → Best scan target:
1. 1969 · 2. Wellcome Trust · 3. Arctic tern
Names, dates, and proper nouns rarely get paraphrased — they're your anchors. Scan for those, then read the sentence around them carefully.
0:55 – 1:10
Question Types & Where to Look
Each IELTS Reading question type targets a specific kind of paragraph. Knowing this saves you from re-reading.
Question type
What it tests
Best paragraph to look at
Matching headings
Main idea of each paragraph
Topic sentence (usually first or last)
True / False / Not Given
Specific factual details
Any — scan for keywords, in order
Multiple choice
Specific details + nuance
The example or contrast paragraph
Summary / sentence completion
Vocabulary + paraphrase
The paragraph matching the summary's topic
Matching features (people → views)
Who said what
Wherever names appear
The "in order" trick
True/False/Not Given and sentence-completion questions usually follow the order of the passage. If Q5's answer is in paragraph C, Q6's answer is almost never back in paragraph A. This narrows your search dramatically.
Match question to paragraph type
Which paragraph type does each question most likely target?
"Choose the best heading for Paragraph A." →
"True / False / Not Given: Urbanization affects over 50% of people." →
"What is the main cause of air pollution in Beijing? A traffic / B factories / C weather." →
"Complete the summary: Singapore manages growth through ______ building and public transport." →
Introduction / topic sentence — headings match topic sentences.
Result / detail — the "50%" is a specific number, scan for it.
Example — the Beijing example paragraph mentions causes.
Contrast paragraph (Singapore) — answer: "green". Copy the exact word.
1:10 – 1:30
Practice: Skim → Predict → Answer
Workflow: skim the passage in 5 minutes, make predictions, then answer in 10 minutes. Did your predictions help?
05:00
Skim & predict — 5 min
Passage: The Impact of Renewable Energy
Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are becoming increasingly vital in the fight against climate change. Unlike fossil fuels, which release harmful greenhouse gases, renewables offer a sustainable alternative. In 2022, global investment in renewable energy reached $495 billion, marking a significant shift towards cleaner power.
One key advantage is the reduction in carbon emissions. For example, Germany's Energiewende policy, introduced in 2010, has led to a 40% decrease in coal usage by promoting wind and solar farms. This has not only improved air quality but also created over 300,000 jobs in the green sector.
However, challenges remain. The intermittent nature of renewables — solar power depends on sunlight, wind on weather — requires advanced storage solutions like batteries. In addition, initial setup costs can be high, though prices have dropped by 85% for solar panels since 2010.
Overall, with continued innovation, renewables could supply 90% of the world's energy by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency. Governments must invest in infrastructure to make this transition feasible.
Step 1 — Predictions (from skimming only)
Predicted main idea:
Predicted key points (list 2–3):
Predicted vocabulary/topics:
10:00
Answer questions — 10 min
Step 2 — Comprehension
What is the main advantage of renewable energy mentioned?
A low cost · B reduction in emissions · C easy storage · D unlimited supply
Your answer:
True / False / Not Given: Germany's policy was started in 2022.
Choose the best heading for Paragraph 2:
i — Challenges of Renewables · ii — Examples of Success · iii — Future Predictions · iv — Investment Figures
Your answer:
What percentage drop in solar panel prices is stated?
According to the passage, what could renewables supply by 2050?
True / False / Not Given: Wind power is cheaper than solar power.
B — "One key advantage is the reduction in carbon emissions."
FALSE — the policy was introduced in 2010, not 2022. ($495 billion in 2022 was the global investment figure — a classic distractor.)
ii — Examples of Success (Germany's policy, 40% coal decrease, 300,000 jobs).
85% (since 2010).
90% of the world's energy.
NOT GIVEN — the passage never compares the cost of wind versus solar. Don't use outside knowledge — if it isn't stated, it's Not Given.
Extension
Extension Bank — If Time Remains
Pull from these only if the group finishes early. Each is self-contained with its own answer key.
Extra 1 — 45-second scan sprint
Mini-passage — Coffee
Coffee originated in Ethiopia, where, according to legend, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats becoming energetic after eating certain berries around the 9th century. By the 15th century, coffee was being cultivated in Yemen, and the first coffee houses opened in Constantinople in 1554. Today, over 2.25 billion cups are consumed worldwide each day, with Finland recording the highest consumption per person — around 12 kg per year.
Country where coffee originated:
Year the first coffee houses opened in Constantinople:
Say a one-line paraphrase for each. (Speak it; then reveal sample answers.)
"The population doubled." →
"The discovery was accidental." →
"The method is no longer used." →
"The results surprised researchers." →
"The number of people grew to twice its size." / "There was a twofold increase in population."
"The finding was made by chance / unintentionally."
"The technique has been abandoned / has fallen out of use."
"The findings were unexpected / caught scientists off guard."
Extra 3 — True / False / Not Given decision drill
Based only on the Coffee mini-passage above, decide T / F / NG.
Coffee was grown in Yemen before it reached Constantinople.
Kaldi was the first person to sell coffee commercially.
Finland drinks less coffee per person than other countries.
TRUE — cultivated in Yemen by the 15th C; coffee houses opened in Constantinople in 1554 (later).
NOT GIVEN — the legend says he noticed the effect; selling it is never mentioned.
FALSE — Finland records the highest consumption per person.
Last 20 min
Timed Drill — A Harder Passage
Now put skimming, scanning, and paraphrase together on a tougher, exam-style passage. Read it, answer the True / False / Not Given and note-completion questions, then hit Check answers for an instant score. Start the timer when you're ready.
Wrap-up
Wrap-Up & Homework
Pair discussion: what's the real difference between skimming and scanning in practice? When would you use each during the actual test — and where does paraphrase come in?
Tonight's homework
Find one English article online (BBC, The Guardian, National Geographic — anything). Annotate it with three colours: yellow for main ideas, green for examples, pink for key dates/names. Then write three paraphrases of sentences from it. 30 minutes.