IELTS Reading: 'keyword technique' steps

I often talk about the "keyword technique" in my reading lessons. But the "keyword technique" isn't special; it's just a convenient name that I use. Here's what I mean when I use this name:

1. Read the first question and underline "keywords". These are the words that you think you will need to search for in the passage. They are the words that communicate the meaning of the question: normally nouns, verbs and adjectives.
2. Read the passage at normal speed from the beginning. Look out for the keywords from the question, or any words which have a similar meaning (look for synonyms and paraphrasing).
3. Underline the keywords that you find in the passage.
4. Read the sentences around those keywords carefully. You may need to read them several times.
5. Check back to the question, and compare it with the relevant part of the passage.
6. Decide on the answer.

Note: The main point of the "keyword technique" is that you have some specific words to look for in the passage. But remember: Locating the answer is just the first step. The second step is reading carefully, making sure you understand what you are reading, and comparing with the question.

To see me use the "keyword technique" in a quick video lesson, click here.

Comments

[paul]

I have reviewed all reading videos today. These videos helped me scored 7.5 easily on Reading almost 3yr ago. Thanks !

[Simon]

Good work Paul. I'm glad my videos helped!

[Hope]

Hello, Simon and everyone!

I am preparing for the test and confused about what I have to write in "True/False/Not Given" tasks. Some people say you can write down "T/F/NG",others say it would be marked as a mistake and therefore you need to write "True/False/Not Given". Could you please comment on that? and in the "fill in the gap" tasks there are sometimes more than one word missing, e.g. _____ and ______ for one question. What is the right way to write them on the answer sheet? Do I have to use comma in this case? Thank you in advance for your response