IELTS Reading: skimming, scanning and True / False / Not Given

อ่าน 3 นาที · ปรับปรุง 2026-11-07

You have 60 minutes for 40 questions, so reading every word is not possible. Learn when to skim for the main idea, when to scan for details, and how to separate False from Not Given — the question type that costs most candidates marks.

The IELTS Reading test has 40 questions and lasts 60 minutes. In the Academic test there are three long passages from books, journals and newspapers. There is no extra time to transfer answers, so time management is essential.

The most important skill is knowing how to read for each question — not reading everything slowly.

Skimming: reading for the main idea

Skimming means reading quickly to understand the general idea of a paragraph or passage. Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph and let your eyes move quickly over the rest. You are asking: "What is this paragraph mainly about?"

Use skimming for:

• Matching headings to paragraphs,
• understanding the structure of the passage before answering questions,
• questions about the writer's main purpose.

Learn more: skimming.

Scanning: finding specific information

Scanning means moving your eyes quickly to find a particular word, name, number or date. You do not read for meaning until you find the target.

Use scanning for:

• sentence or summary completion,
• short-answer questions,
• locating the part of the text that a question refers to.

Tip: scan for words that are easy to spot, such as names, numbers, dates and capitalised words. Learn more: scanning.

Paraphrase is everywhere

The questions rarely use the same words as the passage. The text might say "the population decreased sharply", while the question says "the number of people fell dramatically". Strong vocabulary — especially synonyms from the Academic Word List — helps you recognise these paraphrases quickly. This is why vocabulary study improves reading scores, not only writing scores.

True / False / Not Given

These questions ask whether a statement agrees with the information in the text. (For the writer's views, the options are Yes / No / Not Given, but the logic is the same.)

• True — the text says the same thing, often in different words.
• False — the text says the opposite or something that clearly contradicts the statement.
• Not Given — the text does not provide enough information to decide.

The most common error is choosing False when the answer is Not Given. Ask yourself: "Does the text contradict this statement, or does it just not mention it?"

Example text: "The bridge was completed in 1932 and remains the widest long-span bridge in the world."

• "The bridge was finished in the 1930s." → True (1932 is in the 1930s).
• "The bridge was completed in 1925." → False (the text says 1932).
• "The bridge was the most expensive project of its time." → Not Given (cost is not mentioned).

Watch the qualifying words

Small words change the meaning completely: all, some, most, always, usually, only, never. If the text says "some researchers believe" and the statement says "researchers agree", the answer is likely False or Not Given — not True.

Managing your 60 minutes

• Aim for about 20 minutes per passage, and remember the third passage is often the hardest.
• Do not spend more than two minutes on any single question. Mark it, move on and return later.
• Answer every question — there is no penalty for wrong answers.
• Check spelling in completion questions, because misspelled answers are marked wrong.

Building reading speed

• Read regularly in English — news, science articles, opinion pieces.
• After reading, summarise each paragraph in one sentence. This trains the skimming skill.
• Keep a vocabulary notebook of paraphrases you notice: "rose → increased → went up".

Practise next

• Strengthen academic vocabulary in the IELTS dictionary.
• Read the guide to IELTS Writing Task 2.
• Official test format: IELTS website.

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