Let me ask you a quick question: Can you read every single word in all three IELTS Reading passages within 60 minutes? Probably not! If you try, you’ll run out of time — and that means losing easy marks.
This is why you need two essential skills: Skimming and Scanning.
- Skimming helps you get the main idea of the passage without reading every word.
- Scanning helps you quickly find specific details like names, numbers, or dates.
Mastering them will save you time and make the Reading test much more manageable.
Step 1: Understand What Skimming Is
Let’s start with skimming. Skimming means quickly moving your eyes across the text to understand the main idea.
It’s more than just reading the first and last sentence because IELTS passages are often complex and can hide the main idea in the middle.
Key Strategy:
- Look at the title and headings to understand the topic.
- Read quickly through the text, focusing on main ideas, not details.
- Pay attention to topic sentences, repeated keywords, and bold/italic terms.
- Ignore examples, numbers, and minor details.
- After skimming, you should be able to answer: “What is this text mainly about?”
Example 1: Skimming Practice
Global Tourism Trends
In recent decades, global tourism has become one of the largest industries in the world. Millions of people now travel internationally every year, drawn by the desire to explore new cultures and experience different lifestyles. While tourism brings significant economic benefits to many countries, it also creates challenges such as environmental damage and cultural disruption. To address these issues, governments and organizations are developing sustainable tourism strategies that aim to balance growth with conservation.
Question:
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Tourism is always harmful to the environment.
B. Governments should ban international travel.
C. Tourism brings benefits and challenges, so sustainability is important.
How to Skim This Quickly
- Read the title (if given) – e.g., “Global Tourism Trends.”
- Glance through the passage:
- First sentence: Global tourism has grown massively.
- Look for repeated ideas: tourism, economic benefits, challenges, sustainable strategies.
- Last sentence: Solutions for sustainability.
- Ignore details like “millions of people” or “environmental damage” explanations.
✅ Answer: C. Tourism brings benefits and challenges, so sustainability is important.
Step 2: What About Scanning?
Scanning is when you look for a specific piece of information — a number, a date, or a name. You don’t read everything, you just hunt for the keyword.
Key Strategy:
- Find the keyword in the question.
- Move your eyes quickly down the text.
- Stop only when you find the number, date, or name.
Example 2: Scanning Practice
The Great Wall of China stretches over 21,000 kilometers across northern China and is considered one of the most remarkable architectural feats in history. Construction began as early as the 7th century BC, but most of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty, between the 14th and 17th centuries. Originally constructed to protect against invasions from northern tribes, the wall also served as a trade and communication route. Today, it attracts millions of visitors annually and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Questions:
- How long is the Great Wall of China?
- When did construction begin?
- During which dynasty was most of the wall built?
- In what year did it become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
How to Apply Scanning:
- Step 1: Look for keywords in the question: how long, construction begin, dynasty, year & UNESCO.
- Step 2: Scan the text quickly for numbers, dates, capitalized words (like dynasties).
- Step 3: Stop when you find the answer.
✅ Answers:
- 21,000 kilometers
- 7th century BC
- Ming Dynasty (14th–17th centuries)
- 1987
Step 3: Combine Both Skills
In the real test, you often need to use both skimming and scanning. First, skim the text to know which paragraph talks about what. Then scan for details to answer the question.
Example 3: Both Skills Together
Passage:
Global warming is a serious environmental issue caused mainly by human activities. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Scientists warn that if temperatures rise by more than 1.5°C, the consequences could be catastrophic, including rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
Questions:
- What is the main idea of the passage? (Skimming)
- What gas contributes to global warming? (Scanning)
- What temperature rise do scientists warn about? (Scanning)
✅ Answers:
- Global warming and its causes and consequences.
- Carbon dioxide.
- more than 1.5°C.
Skimming helps you get the big picture of the passage, while scanning lets you find specific information without wasting precious minutes. These two techniques work best together: skim first to locate the right section, then scan to find the detail you need.
Practice these strategies regularly, and you’ll notice a big difference in speed and accuracy. The more you train your eyes to move quickly and focus on keywords, the closer you’ll get to your target band score. So, start practicing today — because in IELTS Reading, every second counts!
