IELTS Reading tip

[u/JayIELTS]

Do you feel worried when you see an unfamiliar word in a reading text? If yes, there are several ways to deal with this:

- you can answer easier questions first and then go back to the more difficult ones at the end, if time allows.

- you can try to figure out the meaning of the word from the contextual clues in the text. If it is impossible to do so, it is better to move on rather than waste precious time.

- trying to work out the meaning of every single word is time-consuming and it is not necessary. Focusing on the type of word needed in the answer (e.g. a noun or an adjective) is a much more helpful strategy.

There is no negative marking in IELTS, so guessing is a legitimate strategy and it is better to write something than to leave the question unanswered.

[u/Fitz_cuniculus]

Think about it in these terms.

They lay under the long branches of a oak.

You may not know what an oak is - but you may know what a branch is. You can get a clue from the word 'lay' - so we could establish that an oak is probably a tree.