Skimming, scanning and timing the Reading test

What the exam asks

• Every question is worth one mark, and wrong answers lose nothing, so a blank always scores zero while a guess may score.
• Questions come in blocks of one task type. Most tasks follow the order of the text. Matching information, matching headings and matching features do not, because they cover the whole passage.
• Completion answers must use words from the text, be spelled correctly and stay within the word limit, for example NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
• On computer, the passage and questions sit side by side. You can highlight words and add notes, and the question bar at the bottom of the screen shows which numbers are still unanswered. You type answers as you go. The older paper test gave no transfer time for Reading either.

At 200 words a minute, reading 2,700 words once takes about 13–14 minutes, and reading them carefully twice would use half the test. So skim once for structure, then read closely only the sentences the questions send you to.

Core ideas

Skimming: build a map, not an understanding

Give each passage 2–3 minutes (less for short General Training texts). Read:

1. the title, subtitle and any introduction in italics;
2. the first sentence of each paragraph, plus the last sentence if the paragraph is long;
3. any figure, table or glossary;
4. the final paragraph, which often states the conclusion or the writer’s view.

Note 3–5 words per paragraph (A: local sun time; B: railways → London time). This map tells you where to scan later, and it does most of the work for matching headings.