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Do you know how to quickly skim the texts in Reading Part A?

Skimming will help you with questions 1-7

Skimming will help you answer the first section of questions in Reading Part A

In Reading Part A there are 3 types of questions:

  • Matching
  • Gap fill
  • Short answer

The first section of questions will always be matching given information to the correct text (A, B, C, D). The best way to answer these questions is to use skimming reading techniques.

Skimming is when you move your eyes quickly over the page using headings and visual features like bullet points or lists to find the information you are looking for.

To skim effectively, you don’t need to start at the beginning of each text or read every word. Instead, pick out what specific information it is you are looking for in the question and then move your eyes quickly over the text until you find it.

In the first minute of the Reading Part A test, it’s a good idea to quickly read the headings and sub-headings of each of the 4 texts A-D to get a general understanding of each text and how it is different. This will then help you to go to the most likely text to contain the answer when you start skimming for the answer to the first question.