English as a Second
Language
How can I improve my reading?
• Read as much as possible. Try to read in English as often as possible. A little bit every day or two helps a lot. Go back and re-read texts a second time and a third time. This helps to familiarise you with the use of English in real sentences and expressions.
• Read for fun. Reading is at its most enjoyable when the flow is uninterrupted, when you get absorbed in a good story or an
interesting article, when time flies by. It’s no different when you read in another language. If a text is too difficult, if there are too many
words or phrases you don’t understand, then reading becomes
difficult, it stops being fun. Where possible, don’t just read for study and work purposes, read things that interest you too.
How can I improve my reading?
• Keep on reading. It’s natural to stop in a text at a word or expression we don't understand and freeze. Unfamiliar words can disrupt the flow of reading and understanding. Don't stop! When you arrive at an unfamiliar word then skip it and keep reading. When you get to the end of the
passage, read it a second time using the same technique. The context with the words you do understand should help you to unlock the general
meaning of the whole text. You can revisit words you don’t know later and look them up in a dictionary or ask someone.
• Reading improves everything. Lots of research has been carried out on reading in a foreign language and it clearly shows that reading practice doesn’t just improve reading. It also helps you to get better at English in writing, speaking and listening as you become more familiar with words and how words are used in context.
How can I improve reading in exams?
• Be prepared. Know exactly what each type of question is asking you to do. Is it a multiple choice? Is it filling in the gaps of a text? How many words do you have to write? How much time do you have? It's a good idea to underline important words in any exam question to help you focus on the instructions.
• Speed up. In exam situations you will often need to read a text more quickly than before. Practise reading texts quickly: you can time
yourself. For example, give yourself 3 minutes to read 300 words,
then give yourself 2 minutes to read 300 words, then try in 1 minute. You can repeat this idea with the same text at first, but then try it
How can I improve reading in exams?
• Don’t freeze. Remember, in an exam you aren’t allowed to ask
someone or look up a new word. If you don’t know a word, and you can’t guess a general meaning from the other words around it, then skip it, don’t waste time!
• Make predictions. When a question gives you multiple answers to choose from, try to answer the question without looking at the
answers first. Then look at the answers and check if one matches your prediction.
• Practise. There are lots of materials available to help you prepare for any exams. Get as much practice as you can with different question types from the reading paper.
Skimming and Scanning
• Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes.
• Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material.
• Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts.
• While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact.
What are some skimming techniques?
• Always think about the title, headings, and topic sentences of reading passages, as they are the main ideas. Always read the major parts
such as the titles and headings carefully when you are skimming a reading passage. The main idea of entire readings, sections, or
paragraphs of reading passages should become clear when doing this. • Reading either the first sentence, or the first and last sentence of a
paragraph is another great skimming technique. The first and/or last sentence of a paragraph will provide enough information about the general overview of a paragraph for the most part. Heading match and title match questions are easier to answer when using this
What are some skimming techniques?
• For example, get the main idea of the paragraphs by reading the first and last sentence.
• Reading the introduction and conclusion of a reading passage is one skimming technique when doing questions like a title match. This will allow you to get the main idea of the reading passage.
• In order to get the general overview of the reading passage, read the first and last paragraph.
What are some scanning techniques?
• Key words are most important when scanning. When scanning a text, vocabulary such are proper nouns, dates, numbers, and times is what you are looking for. Specific details can also be found when using
scanning techniques.
• When scanning a reading passage, it is most important that you know the key words in the question so that you can find the key words in the reading passage.
• When looking for specific details, there are different ways to scan a reading passage. Here are some examples:
• You can follow your finger or a pen/pencil in order to create better
scanning techniques. Circling or underlining the key words within the reading passage is another good option to consider.
What should I expect in the reading exam?
• Remember the total time allowed for the reading and writing sections is 2 hours and 10 minutes – YOU must mangae your time accordingly • Practice papers and timing yourself in the run-up to the exam is vitally
important – you need to know how long each section takes you personally
• Everyone is different but a good rule of thumb to follow is • Part 1 10 minutes
• Part 2 – 15 minutes • Part 3 – 15 minutes • Part 4 -20 minutes
Part 1 – 10 minutes
• Read 5 short texts – adverts, emails, notices etc.
Part 2 – 15 minutes
• One long text
• 6 sentences have been removed
G E A C B F
Part 3 – 15 minutes
• 4 separate texts provide the answers to 7 questions • read the question and choose the appropriate text
A D A C B C A
Part 4 – 20 minutes
• one long text
• Answer 8 ‘wh’ questions
1938 Canadian fly scientist 2/two lead friends Smallville
