Reading Test Skill Map
The path from passage to question to evidence to answer, in one picture.
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Treat reading as a structured path: Question → Passage → Evidence → Answer
What IELTS Reading tests: speed, finding evidence, spotting paraphrase, and logic.
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Tell us how you read a passage now, so you can see what slows you down.
Before we change your strategy, let's look at what you do right now. Be honest about how you approach a reading test—recognizing bad habits is the first step to breaking them.
Describe your first reaction when you see a new text.
Do you underline evidence in the text, guess, or just rely on memory?
Every answer must be backed by words in the passage. Here is why that changes how you read.
Many students treat the IELTS Reading test like reading a novel or a blog post. They read to enjoy the story or learn something new. This is a trap that drains your time.
IELTS Reading is actually a strategic evidence-hunting mission. Every question is a specific request for a piece of data hidden somewhere in the text.
The path from passage to question to evidence to answer, in one picture.
Treat reading as a structured path: Question → Passage → Evidence → Answer
Speed, evidence, paraphrase and logic: the four skills the test really checks.
Short examples: say which skill each one is testing.
You are reading a passage about renewable energy. The question asks you to select the best summary heading for Paragraph B, which discusses various historical attempts to harness wind power. Which specific reading skill is primarily being tested?
Say which part of reading feels hardest, and get advice on it.
Of the four core skills (Speed, Evidence Location, Paraphrase Recognition, Logic), which one do you struggle with the most? Provide a recent example.
Select the one that causes you to lose the most points.
Describe a specific moment you felt stuck on a practice test.