IELTSReadingmultiplechoice

In this lesson, we will cover the Multiple Choice question type, which will test your ability to choose the correct answer to a question. There are different numbers of answer choices, but test takers can expect to choose from usually 3 or 4 possible options, which are usually letters (A, B, C, or D). The most common exercise will require test takers to choose from 4 different options, but you may also have to choose two answers out of five options, or three answers out of six options. This question type requires scanning for specific information as well as understanding information in the passage, as you will have to either complete a sentence or answer a question.

Now let's look at some tips of how to approach this section and what not to do when approaching this type of question on the exam. Please note that we will provide the reasoning and tips on confronting the logic of the exam in our example, but the following is a simplified strategy to take when approaching this question type.

Similar to other sections in the IELTS Reading, answers for the Multiple Choice section will most likely come in order. This will help when reading the questions and scanning for information. Additionally, the strategy required is scanning for information and using Process of Elimination, which we will detail below.

What To Do:

1. Read the Questions and Underline Key Words – As the answers are most likely to appear in the text in the same order as the questions, test takers should pay close attention to the order of questions. Read each statement first in order to get an overview of the theme of the passage, and underline key words in both the question and the answer options.

Quick Tip: Pay close attention to “absolute” words in these answer options. These words include many adverbs of frequency and words that generalize ideas. The most common include: mainly, all, some, sometimes, often, usually, occasionally, hardly ever, never, only, and always. When these words are included in an answer option, it is usually harder to prove correct, and they are often included as answer options.

2. Scan for Information in the Passage – Once you have successfully understood the information presented in the question and answer options, it is time to search for this information in the text.

Quick Tip: If you are “stumped” by any given question, skip it and move on. Remember, the answers will most likely come in order for this section, so you can check your answers later and get a better understanding for where the difficult question’s answer may be.

3. Skim Read as Necessary – As we detailed above, scanning is an important strategy, but you’ll also have to understand the information in order to correctly answer the question. Check back on the answer options and begin to use Process of Elimination until you have reached an answer. Once you answered the question, you should make marks in the passage(such as a line or dot to signify where the answer can be found). This way you know what to reference when you want to double check if your answer is correct.

Process of Elimination (POE): More often than not, there will be two answers that are very difficult to choose from. For this reason, it’s best to use Process of Elimination (POE) for each question. First, you can eliminate the option that is the most different from what you believe to be the answer, or the most different from the information in the passage. If the option is not even discussed in the passage, you can eliminate it from your options first. Then, use POE for the remaining two options until you arrive at your answer. We will detail this strategy in our example below.

What Not To Do:

Do not read the entire passage. As a general rule for the Reading section, it is not necessary and actually time-restrictive to read the entire passage, word for word. Be sure to use the scanning technique, first and foremost, and then the skimming technique as necessary. Some test takers believe that reading the entire passage is helpful since there are many answer options in questions, but it is actually best to devote your time to the questions at hand and use your time wisely with POE.

Do not forget to use POE. Even if a question is very difficult, you can use POE to narrow down your options. With this in mind, do not leave anything blank. By using POE, you can increase your chances of getting the question correct, even if it’s just a guess.

Note: You may have noted that all of the answers came in order, which is common for this question type. Process of Elimination will come in handy when finding the correct answer, so be sure to read about how we discovered the correct answers.

Multiple Choice Recap
In this section, we examined the Multiple Choice section of the IELTS Academic Reading section. Here are some brief tips to remember when approaching this question type:

Do:

• Read the questions first, underline key words, and scan for information.
• Remember that answers will most likely come in order.
• Remember to use POE.
• Make marks in your passage as to where you’ve found various answers.
• Skip a question if it is difficult and move on. Then, you should be able to better locate the answer to a difficult question in the text, since it will most likely be between some of your marked information.

Don’t:

• Read the entire passage first.
• Leave any answers blank – by using POE, you can greatly increase your chances of answering the question correctly.
• Forget to pay close attention to the wording in the answer options. Just one word can change the meaning of the entire phrase.