This may sound like a ‘million dollar question’ but the fact is that many of my students have achieved this and even 8.5 and 3 got band 9 in IELTS reading recently. So given a good level of English and the right techniques then Band 8 is really possible.
So what is stopping you?
I would imagine it is a mix of things. Generally when I begin to work with students I discover several things that they are doing which need to stop. I have written about these may times and they are the ‘rules’ and so-called ‘tricks’ that you can find all around the internet. They don’t really work and they are not helping you to get a high band. Things like – everything is in order - read just the first and last sentences of each paragraph – skim the whole text to get the main points. I don’t want to go over these in this article but rather be more positive about what you should be doing.
Keep it simple
Most students over-complicate things. Focus on the questions, scan the text, find the place, read that sentence or sentences (maybe the one before and after) choose the correct answer move on.
Be systematic
Most students jump about in the text – this wastes time and also stops you from analysing the sentence. If you have found most of your key words then it is likely you are in the right place. Read the sentence very carefully, don’t fly off somewhere else until you have checked this place well. If you really can’t find a suitable answer then either consider that there is another place with those exact key words (it is unlikely they will all be there but if you have jumped on just one then it’s possible) so check quickly and see if there is another place or move on and come back later.
Keep moving
1 minute per question! If you take 2 then you’ll need an extra 20 minutes to complete the test – if you take longer, then the test will be lost. That’s the reality. There is plenty of time if your approach is good. Stick to 1 minute keep moving on and you will have time after you complete all the questions to come back to any you were not sure about or couldn’t find.
Take your time
This may sound like a contradiction but I guess I mean don’t panic. Many students do this. If you start to follow these simple techniques than soon you will discover that there is plenty of time to complete everything (providing of course that your English level can cope with Band 8 and this is key). Try to really focus on the questions and read each word and when you find the place in the text do the same. Go back and forth from question to text. This doesn’t really take much time.
Use the information you already know to help you
As you work through the questions you will get a sense of what information is contained in the paragraphs - use this to locate new answers. If you have good awareness of what you are reading you will soon be able to go straight to the right paragraph. Consider also when you haven’t read something – it will be in paragraphs you haven’t looked at yet – go there first.
Keep practising and you’ll get both faster and more accurate
These techniques may take time at first. Don’t worry once you have practised they will get faster and what is more important, you will get more answers correct – that is the most important thing.