The Art of Skimming and Scanning in IELTS Reading
The Art of Skimming and Scanning in IELTS Reading
Reading quickly and effectively is a crucial skill when taking the IELTS exam, and mastering the art of skimming and scanning can significantly boost your performance. These techniques allow you to absorb key information from the text without having to read every single word.
In this post, we'll take an in-depth look at these techniques and illustrate their application using sample IELTS reading passages.
WHAT ARE SKIMMING AND SCANNING?
Skimming is a top-down reading technique that involves quickly going over a text to get its general idea or gist. This technique helps you understand the overall theme, main arguments, and important points in the text.
On the other hand, scanning is a bottom-up reading technique, which involves searching for specific information, keywords, or phrases in a text. This technique is particularly helpful for directly answering questions like fill-in-the-blanks, matching headings, or true/false/not given.
SKIMMING IN ACTION
Consider the following paragraph:
"Mars, often referred to as the 'Red Planet', is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system. It is named after the Roman god of war due to its reddish appearance, which is caused by iron oxide (rust) on its surface. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features both reminiscent of both Earth and the moon."
To skim this passage, start by reading the first sentence completely to get an overview. Then, your eyes should move quickly over the rest of the text, picking up keywords and phrases such as "The Roman god of war," "reddish appearance," "iron oxide," "terrestrial planet," "thin atmosphere," "surface features," "Earth," and "the moon."
From this skim, you should be able to summarize the passage: "Mars, named after the Roman god of war for its red color caused by iron oxide, is the fourth planet from the Sun with features similar to Earth and the moon."
SCANNING IN ACTION
Let's use another passage:
"The Giant Panda, native to south-central China, is a bear species known worldwide for its striking black-and-white coat. The pandas live mainly in bamboo forests and consume almost exclusively bamboo. Despite their vegetarian diet, pandas are classified as carnivores because of their ancestral lineage. They are also known for their 'pseudo thumb,' a flexible wrist bone, which allows them to manipulate bamboo while eating."
Suppose your task is to answer the question: "What unique feature helps pandas manipulate bamboo?"
To scan the text, quickly move your eyes through the passage, looking for the relevant keywords or synonyms from the question, such as "unique feature," "manipulate," and "bamboo." You will find the answer in the last sentence: the pandas' 'pseudo thumb.'
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE SKIMMING AND SCANNING
1. Identify the text's structure: Understanding how a text is structured can make skimming and scanning more efficient. For instance, academic articles often have an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction and conclusion usually contain the main idea, while the body paragraphs have details and examples.
2. Look for keywords and phrases: When skimming, pay attention to words or phrases that stand out or are repeated. When scanning, look for the specific information you need, such as names, numbers, or words related to the question.
3. Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph: These sentences often contain the main ideas and can give you a quick overview of the text.
4. Use your finger or cursor: Use your finger or cursor to guide your eyes while scanning. This physical movement can help you stay
5. Predict Information: Based on the type of the text (for example, an argumentative essay, a descriptive passage, or a news article), try to anticipate the kind of information it might contain. This will help you target your skimming and scanning more efficiently.
6. Focus on Transition Words: Words like 'however,' 'therefore,' and 'meanwhile' can provide crucial information about how ideas are connected or contrasted. Noticing these can help you understand the main arguments of a text when skimming.
7. Practice Regularly: Like any other skill, skimming and scanning improve with practice. Regularly challenge yourself with new texts of varying lengths and complexities.
8. Time Yourself: Get into the habit of timing your reading exercises. This way, you'll be able to track your progress and gradually enhance your speed.
9. Use a Variety of Texts: Practice with different types of texts - news articles, academic papers, essays, reports, etc., as the IELTS test includes a wide range of text types.
10. Underline or Highlight: When you're practicing (and only when practicing, since you can't do this on the actual IELTS), underline or highlight keywords or phrases that stand out to you. This will train your mind to notice such information more quickly over time.
11. Don't Subvocalize: Subvocalization is the habit of pronouncing words in your head as you read. It can significantly slow you down. Try to break this habit to improve your reading speed.
12. Be Selective: Not all parts of the text are equally important. Titles, headings, and the first and last sentences of paragraphs often contain key information. Pay special attention to these when skimming.
13. Use Context Clues: If you come across an unfamiliar word, look at the words and sentences around it. These context clues can often help you understand the general meaning of the word without having to look it up.
14. Ignore Minor Details: When you're scanning, you're looking for specific information. Try not to get distracted by other details in the text. If it's not what you're looking for, move on.
15. Read in Chunks: Instead of reading word by word, try to read phrases or groups of words. This can help you increase your reading speed and improve comprehension.
16. Make Mental Summaries: After skimming a section, take a moment to mentally summarize what you've read. This will help you retain the main ideas.
17. Stay Calm: It can feel stressful when you're trying to read quickly under time pressure. But remember, getting stressed can slow you down. Try to stay calm and focused.
18. Take Breaks: If you're practicing for extended periods, make sure to take short breaks. This can help prevent fatigue and maintain your reading speed.
In conclusion, remember that the ultimate goal of skimming and scanning is to efficiently identify the general idea or specific information in a text, rather than understanding every minute detail. These techniques are not intended to replace thorough reading; rather, they are strategic tools designed to enhance your reading efficiency, particularly under time constraints such as those in the IELTS Reading module. Avoid becoming overwhelmed by unfamiliar vocabulary or complex sentences, as these can detract from the main objective of quickly extracting key points. With consistent practice and strategic application of these skills, you'll be well-equipped to navigate the IELTS reading module, bolstering your confidence and efficiency, and ultimately maximizing your IELTS Reading score.
Post Credit: Banglay IELTS
