BAND 6 SECRETS // PREMIUM CONTENT

Band 6 Reading: The “Detective” Strategy Guide

Table of Contents

1. The Reading Reality Check
2. The “Detective” Method: Skimming vs. Scanning
3. Time Management: The 17-20-23 Rule
4. Question Type 1: Matching Headings
5. Question Type 2: True, False, Not Given (The Logic Map)
6. Question Type 3: Sentence Completion (Gap Fill)
7. The Power of Synonyms (The Keyword Hunt)
8. Dealing with Difficult Vocabulary
9. Common Examiner Traps
10. Ted’s 10-Day Reading Challenge

1. The Reading Reality Check

The IELTS Reading test is NOT a test of your knowledge. It is a test of your Search Skills.

The Problem: Students try to read every word, get confused by hard vocabulary, and run out of time. The Solution: Stop reading like a student and start searching like a detective. You only need to find the answers, not understand the whole philosophy of the text.

2. The “Detective” Method

A detective has two main tools: the Helicopter (Skimming) and the Sniper (Scanning).

A. Skimming (The Helicopter View)

Goal: Understand the “Map” of the text in 2 minutes.

• Read the Title and Subheadings.
• Read the First Sentence of every paragraph.
• Ignore the details.
• Result: Now you know that Paragraph A is about History, B is about Problems, and C is about Solutions.

B. Scanning (The Sniper View)

Goal: Locate a specific piece of information.

• Look for Keywords from the question (Names, Dates, Numbers, Capital Letters).
• Don’t read the sentences. Let your eyes “hop” over the text until you hit the keyword.
• Result: You found “1994” or “Professor Smith” in 5 seconds.

3. Time Management: The 17-20-23 Rule

You have 60 minutes for 3 texts. Text 1 is usually the easiest, and Text 3 is the hardest.

• Text 1: 17 Minutes (Fast!)
• Text 2: 20 Minutes
• Text 3: 23 Minutes (Needs more thinking)

The Transfer Rule: There is NO extra time to transfer your answers to the sheet. Write your answers directly on the answer sheet as you go!

4. Question Type: Matching Headings

This is where students lose the most time.

The Strategy:

1. Read the Headings first and underline keywords.
2. Go to the shortest paragraph first.
3. Read the first and last sentence of that paragraph.
4. Match it. If you are stuck between two headings, move on and come back later.
5. Cross out headings as you use them.

5. True, False, Not Given (The Logic Map)

This is the most “hated” question type. Let’s simplify it.

Ted’s Golden Rule: If you spend more than 2 minutes searching for one answer and can’t find it, it is probably NOT GIVEN.

6. Question Type: Sentence Completion

“Complete the sentences with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.”

The Strategy:

1. Check the Word Limit (if it says ONE word, and you write TWO, you get zero).
2. Predict the Type of Word (Is it a name? A number? An adjective?).
3. Scan the text for the keywords near the gap.
4. Check your spelling! If you copy the word from the text but spell it wrong, you lose the mark.

7. The Power of Synonyms

The answer is NEVER the exact same word as the question. It is always a “mask.”

• Question says: “A variety of animals…”
• Text says: “Many different species…”
• Question says: “Annually…”
• Text says: “Every year…”

Action: Start a “Synonym Diary.” Every time you get a reading question wrong, write down the word in the question and the word they used in the text.

8. Dealing with Difficult Vocabulary

What do you do when you see a word like “idiosyncratic” or “ubiquitous”?

1. Don’t Panic. The examiner puts hard words there to scare you.
2. Look at the “Neighbors.” Read the words around it. Is the sentence happy or sad?
3. Ignore it. Often, the hard word is just an extra detail. You can usually find the answer without knowing exactly what it means.

9. Common Examiner Traps

• The “All” Trap: The question says “All students,” but the text says “Most students.” The answer is FALSE.
• The “Frequency” Trap: Watch out for words like always, often, sometimes, rarely. They change the whole meaning.
• The “Names” Trap: Sometimes two people are mentioned in one paragraph. Make sure you are looking at the right person’s opinion!

10. Ted’s 10-Day Reading Challenge

If you do this, your score will jump:

• Day 1-3: Practice ONLY Skimming. Spend 20 minutes just reading titles and first sentences of 10 different articles.
• Day 4-6: Practice ONLY T/F/NG. Do 5 sets of these questions until you understand the logic.
• Day 7-9: Practice Time Management. Do one full 60-minute test and see if you finish on time.
• Day 10: Review your Synonym Diary.

Keep Going, Champion!

Remember why you started this journey. Your dreams are waiting for you.

You’ve got this!

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