English Reading Test Tips for ESL/EFL Students | ESL Reading

If you’re looking for some of the best tips for ESL reading comprehension tests, then you’re in the right place. Check out these tips and tricks for scoring highly on ESOL reading comprehension tests. It’s English reading tests made easy!

English Reading Test Taking Tips

Whether you are taking the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, or some other test with a reading component, there are a few things you should do to read for a test.

1. Read the questions first. This is a test with a time limit. You are not trying to understand everything; you are trying to answer as many questions correctly as possible within that time limit. By reading the questions, you will know what to look for in the text. Do NOT read the answer (choices) section, as this will just confuse you and waste time.

2. Figure out what type of question it is. Will you be looking for context clues for a definition, synonym, or antonym? Cause and effect relationship? The author’s purpose (entertainment, information, persuasion, etc.)? The main idea and/ or details? A timeline or sequence of events? A character analysis (for example, how did the character feel in paragraph 4?)?

3. Practice lots! The key to getting better at just about anything, including ESOL reading comprehension tests is to practice lots. You can easily find practice tests for the reading portion of the IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC tests online. Just Google and you’ll see lots of examples. Then, get down to work. A large part of these exams is being familiar with the testing format.

4. Get familiar with skimming and scanning. These are important reading skills for English proficiency tests. Basically, you’re reading to get an overview of what the passage is about. Or, you’re reading very quickly for one specific piece of information. There is usually not enough time to read the entire thing word for word, so practice reading more quickly!

All About Keywords for ESL Reading Comprehension Tests

1. Circle the key words if you are allowed to write on the test paper. If you are not allowed to, write them on a sheet of scrap paper. These are the numbers, nouns, 5W and H words, etc. that tell you what information you need to find.

2. Scan the text looking for those keywords, synonyms, or (in the case of 5W and H words) transition words which match the words you have circled. For example, if one question begins with “why”, you should look for words and phrases like: because, for the reason that, so, as a result, etc.

3. Underline those keywords in the text (if you can write on the test booklet) and reread the question you think it might answer. Now, carefully reread the sentence with underlined words. Most texts on timed tests will have the answer in the sentence with the keywords. If not, almost all of the rest will have the answer in the sentence before or after the sentence with the keywords. Only a few will require you to keep reading.

4. Once you have found the answer to the question in the text, read all of the possible answers following the question. Choose the answer which best answers the question.

NEVER do This on an ESL Reading Comprehension Tests!

No matter what, do not spend too much time on one passage or one question. When you do reading tests, you’re often under a time crunch. There is a lot to read, and plenty of questions to answer in a short time. If you don’t understand something, spend a little bit of time trying to figure it out, but not too much. Go on to the next reading passage, or set of questions. Come back to it at the end if you have time.

Don’t get stuck on any one thing and not finish a lot of the test because of it.

Advanced Level English Reading Test-Taking Tips

If you are an advanced-level student and want some pro tips for English reading tests, here is the section for you!

1. There may be more than one good answer for English reading tests, but one will be best.

2. Other answers are distractors—they seem correct if you are reading quickly, but one detail in the answer makes it incorrect.

3. Watch out for answers which include a direct quote from the text, but are unrelated to the question.

4. If you are not sure which answer is best, cross out the ones you know are wrong. Then, you won’t have to remind yourself again.

5. Watch out for other tricks, such as the question giving you one paragraph, but additional correct information is in another paragraph. The correct answer will only include information from the paragraph named in the question.

Always Follow the Instructions for ESOL Reading Exams

Follow the instructions! This seems obvious, but you may be worried about finding the answers and don’t notice the instructions. On the IELTS, the reading portion has written answers. If you:

• misspell your answer
• use incorrect grammar
• write an answer which is too long
• choose one answer but you should choose two
• answer “true” to a Yes/ No question

Your answer will be incorrect, even if it is really correct.

ESL Reading Passage Practice

If you want to get some practice with ESL reading passages, have a look here at some of the top recommendations:

GrammarBank

Excellent ESL 4 U

Learn English Feel Good

Love these English Reading Tips?

If you liked these English reading tips about how to improve your score on the TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS test, then you’ll need to get the book 71 Ways to Practice English Reading: Tips for ESL/EFL Learners. 

Maybe you want to improve your English reading for a test. Or perhaps you want to be able to read English novels easily and quickly. Perhaps you want to be able to travel to English-speaking countries confidently. Whatever the case, this book will help you improve your English reading in a fun, interesting way.

You can check out 71 Ways to Practice English Reading on Amazon today. It’s available in both electronic and print formats. It’s really easy to read the digital one on any device-Smartphone, Tablet, Kindle, Mac, or PC by downloading the free Kindle reading app.

Have your say about these English Reading Exam Tips

Do you have any top tips for reading proficiency exams? Leave a comment below and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other English learners, like yourself who are trying to improve their English reading test scores.

Last update on 2021-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API