Talking about understanding instruction in IELTS reading section, you need to recognize some important things in this section. Those important things cover the following items.
- What type of question you have to answer (gap-filling, multiple choice, matching information, etc)
- Whether or not the question requires a specific or general answer.
- What form the answer should take (is it in form of number, date, etc)
Besides, you need to master well on how to scan the text for specific answer. The important point from scanning application is the use of time efficiently. You should not spend more than one minute to find each answer. You need to look in the given passage, table, diagram or graph for the answer required. Then, locate keywords in the question and find them. Sometimes, you need to look for its synonym in the text. The sentences around these words are most likely to contain the answer that you need.
If you have some unsure answers, make sure that you give mark on it so that you could go back to those questions later after finishing all questions in that section.
Next skill to master is checking your answers. You should make sure that you leave no blank answer as you will not lose any mark even if you make some incorrect answers. Instead, you could go back to the questions that you consider as difficult ones. In checking the answers, you must keep holding on the instruction given. You should be careful to avoid a simple mistake in answering the questions. In order to help you get the ability to complete this skill, you should also know how to work out with unfamiliar vocabulary and master some common connective words. If you know well about connective words, you will get a big help to understand the general meaning of the text.
Source: IELTS to Success Preparation Tips and Practice Test by Eric van Bemmel and Janina Tucker (Melbourne: 1997)
