The IELTS Academic Reading Module • • • • • • Background information Question types Skills Challenges Helping Ss prepare Questions? 1 An overview of the IELTS Academic Reading Module • Format 3 passages and 40 items (questions), each worth one mark • Timing 60 minutes: no time given for transferring answers to answer sheet • Texts based on authentic texts including magazines, journals, books and newspapers aim to represent material encountered in academic study may include diagrams, graphs, illustrations etc • Length total word count for three passages: 2000 - 2750 words. 2 Question types • Multiple Choice • Short-answer questions • Sentence Completion • Notes, Summary or Table/Flow-chart Completion • Labelling a Diagram 3 Question Types, cont. • Choosing Headings for Paragraphs or Sections of a Text • Locating Information • Identification of Writer’s Views/Claims or of Information in a Text • Classification • Matching Source: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teach/ielts/academic_reading/index.htm 4 Weir & Khalifa: a cognitive processing approach to defining reading comprehension “Bottom up” and “Top down” • Goal setter: identifies PURPOSE for reading, e.g. reading for gist-> strategies employed • Knowledge of the language, of the world, and of text structure Both are utilized in the… • Central processing core: L1 reading behaviors that the L2 reader is moving toward, from word recognition to the construction of a mental model of the text and creating “an organised representation of the text” Weir, C. & Khalifa, H. (2008). A cognitive defining reading comprehension processing approach towards 5 Reading types: easy to difficult. EASY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Scanning/searching for local information Careful local reading Skimming for gist Careful global reading for comprehending main idea Search reading for global information Careful global reading to comprehend a text Careful global reading to comprehend texts DIFFICULT Weir, C. & Khalifa, H. (2008). A cognitive processing approach towards defining reading comprehension, p. 9. 6 Skills tested The candidate is required to • identify the writer’s overall purpose, target audience, sources etc. • identify and follow key arguments in a text • identify opinions and attitudes as opposed to facts • locate specific information • read for detailed information • extract relevant information • distinguish the main idea from supporting detail 7 Skills tested, cont. • recognise key points for a summary • group pieces of information in a text in accordance with salient criteria • extract information from a prose text to put into a diagrammatic representation • make inferences • use correct spelling and correct grammar in answers Source: IELTS Teaching Resources, available at http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teach/ielts/ academic_reading/aboutthepaper/academic_read_skills_strats.htm 8 Challenges for candidates The exam itself •Time constraints •Rubric difficulty •Unfamiliar Q-types Reading skills •Vocabulary knowledge •Text structure awareness •Identification of main ideas Metacognitive skills and strategies •Fluency/speed •Application of background knowledge text types content 9 Challenge for the instructor 10 Washback ? washback: measurement-driven instruction Chen and Curtis 11 Or symbiosis? Using IELTS to practice academic reading • Pair work • • • • Synonym matching Annotation Discourse analysis Ss write test materials 12 A sample of academic reading activities • • • • • • • Vocabulary tasks Summary writing Interpreting charts and graphs Writing test materials Comparing texts Critical reading Reading for research: annotated bibliography 13 References Baker, A. & Brown, L. (1986). Metacognitive skills and reading. In P. Pearson, (ed.), Handbook of reading research, 353-394, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. Cheng, L. & Curtis, A. (2004), Washback or backwash: A review of the impact of testing on teaching and learning , in L. Cheng, Y. Watanabe, & A. Curtis. (eds.), Washback in language testing: Research contexts and methods, 3–18 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. Grabe, W. (n.d.). Foundations for reading assessment. Retrieved 7 May 2009 from http://testingforum.hau.gr/docs/W.Grabehandout-OK.pdf IELTS Teaching Resources IELTS Teaching Resources (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2008 at http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teach/ielts/ academic_reading/aboutthepaper/academic_read_skills_strats.htm Nation, P. (2001). Vocabulary learning strategies and guessing from context. In P. Nation, Learning vocabulary in another language, 217-262. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Weir, C. & Khalifa, H. (2008). A cognitive processing approach towards defining reading comprehension. Cambridge ESOL: Research Notes, 31, 2-10. Retrieved 7 May 2009 from http://www.cambridgeesol.org/rs_notes/rs_nts31.pdf 14 Useful websites for IELTS Reading • The British Council • Holmesglen Institute IELTS Reading Practice • City University of Hong Kong • Cambridge ESOL • Polytechnic University of Hong Kong 15