5 Skimming Strategies to Improve Your Reading Skills

The Reading test is one of the four components of the IELTS exam. It usually takes about 60 minutes and consists of 40 questions. It is designed to test a wide range of reading skills which include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognizing writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose.

As an IELTS test taker, improving your reading skills is essential. Enrolling in an IELTS online course review is one way of developing your reading skills. They will give you tips and strategies on how to ace the reading test. But did you know that skimming is an essential tool that can help you enhance your reading skills?

What is skimming?

Skimming is a type of fast reading that is used in getting the general idea of the text. To apply skimming in your IELTS online review, you have to prepare yourself by paying attention to the cues-headings, boldface and italic type, indenting, bulleted and numbered lists. You need to be alert for key points and phrases, the names of people and places, dates, nouns, and unfamiliar words.

What are the benefits of skimming?

Skimming can save you hours of reading long texts. Aside from that, it can also be a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a content-heavy selection. Moreover, skimming can help you in understanding the main idea and the tone of the texts in a short period of time.

5 skimming strategies

During your IELTS online course review, you can practice skimming texts to help you improve your reading skills. Here are 5 skimming strategies that you need to know:

     1.    Read the first paragraph

The first paragraph usually discusses the general idea of the text. As you read the introductory paragraph, you will get the main concept of what you are reading.

     2.    Look for key points

Find key points that you think will help you get the whole idea of the text. Search for important facts, unusual vocabulary, and words that are clues to important relationships.

     3.    Check the first sentence of each paragraph

As you skim through the text, take note of the first sentence of each paragraph. Usually, the first sentence states the general thought of the whole paragraph.

     4.    Pay attention with the headings and sub-headings

Take note of the headings and sub-headings of the text. It will help you identify the concepts from the text you are reading.

     5.    Don’t forget to read the last paragraph

The last paragraph usually contains the summary of the whole text. Don’t forget to read it to help you understand the text properly.

Improve your reading skills by applying these 5 skimming strategies to help you ace the reading test. Enroll now in JRooz IELTS online review and plan your career abroad!

REFERENCES:

College of St. Benedict. “Skimming Tips.” AcademicTips.org. Accessed February 1, 2018. https://www.academictips.org/acad/skimming.html.

"Skimming and Scanning—TIP Sheet." Butte College. Accessed February 1, 2018. http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/readingstrategies/skimming_scanning.html.

"Skimming." Teaching English | British Council | BBC. Accessed February 1, 2018. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/skimming.

Sutz, Richard and Peter Weverka. "How to Skim Text." Dummies. Accessed February 1, 2018. http://www.dummies.com/education/language-arts/speed-reading/how-to-skim-text/.