VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
*****************


ĐINH THỊ HÀ PHƯƠNG


A STUDY ON IELTS TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES:
READING SECTION
NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CHIẾN THUẬT LÀM BÀI ĐỌC IELTS


M.A. Combined Programme Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10





Hanoi – 2014

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

ĐINH THỊ HÀ PHƯƠNG


A STUDY ON IELTS TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES:
READING SECTION
NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CHIẾN THUẬT LÀM BÀI ĐỌC IELTS


M.A. Combined Programme Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10
Supervisor: Dr. Đ Th Thanh H




Hanoi - 2014


i

DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this thesis is my original work and it has been written by me in
its entirety. I have acknowledged all the resources of information which have been used in
the thesis.
I also hereby state that I accept the requirements of the University relating to the
retention and use of M.A. Thesis deposited in the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the
library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the

normal conditions established by the librarian or the care, loan or reproduction of the
paper.
Signature


Đinh Thị Hà Phương
Date:










ii



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The writing of this dissertation has been one of the most significant academic challenges I
have ever had to face. I would never have been able to finish my dissertation without the
guidance of my supervisor, help from my friends and students, and support from my
family and my fiancé.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Do
Thi Thanh Ha for her continuous support throughout my thesis with her patience and
knowledge. I would definitely attribute the level of my Masters Degree to her

encouragement and effort, and without her this thesis would not have been completed. Her
guidance helped me in all the time of the research and writing of this thesis.
Besides, I would like to thank the students who participated in the research and my friends
for enthusiastically supporting me.
My sincere thanks also go to my family: my parents, my elder brother, my sister-in-law
and my little nephew who were always encouraging me with their best wishes.
Finally, I would like to thank my husband for his patience. He was always there cheering
me up and stood by me through all the good and bad times.








iii



ABSTRACT
This study describes the test-taking strategies that test-takers employed in the
Reading section of the IELTS test. As one of the first attempts to investigate the test-taking
strategies in response to the True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given reading tasks, the
paper aims at exploring the frequently used strategies and their effectiveness reflected in
the test-takers‟ reading performance. In the recent study, the possibility of guessing the
answers in responding to the True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given is of particular
interest. To fulfill these primary aims, both quantitative and qualitative methods with the
use of stimulated recalls were adopted. Verbal protocol data was collected from 10 ISP
students who had attended IELTS Preparation Course and achieved an average IELTS

score of 6.0. The students were asked to recall their thoughts as they were struggling for
the answers to two academic reading texts after they finished reading. The participants‟
verbal reports were then transcribed and decoded so that they could reveal the commonly
used strategies as well as their effectiveness. The findings of the study provide insight into
the response behaviors prompted by a specific reading task in the IELTS Test.








iv



LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Page
Figure 1 - Cognitive processing in reading
Figure 2 - A Heuristic for Thinking about Reading Comprehension
Figure 3 - The IELTS Academic Procedures and Components.
Table 1 - Frequencies of various task types
Table 2 - Description of True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/ Not Given reading
task and suggested test-taking strategies
Table 3 - Common study methods of strategy
Table 4 - Description of participants
Table 5 - IELTS band score descriptors
Table 6 - Equivalences of common tests to Common European Framework of

Reference levels.
Table 7 - Description of the reading passages
Table 8 - Overall strategies used by test-takers: Approach to the task
Table 9 - Reported use of different reading test-taking strategies from
protocols.

7
8
13
15
17

18
25
26

27
29
35
38








v


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Abstract
iii
List of figures
iv
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study
1
1.2. Aims and objectives
1
1.3. Scope of the study
2
1.4. Expected outcomes and significance of the study
2
1.5. Overview of the rest of the paper
3
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1. Reading
4
2.1.1. Definition of reading
4
2.1.2. Purposes of reading
5
2.1.3. Reading process

5
2.2. Reading comprehension
8
2.3. Reading strategies
9
2.3.1. Language learning strategies
9
2.3.2. Reading and test-taking strategies
9
a. Reading strategies
10
b. Test-taking strategies
11
2.4. The IELTS test
12
2.5. IELTS Reading
14
2.5.1. Topics
14
2.5.2. Question types
14
2.6. IELTS Reading and Test-taking strategies
17
2.7. Study of strategies
18
2.8. Related studies
19
2.9. Summary of previous studies
23



vi

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

3.1. Participants and setting
25
3.2. Research method
27
3.3. Research Instruments
28
3.3.1. Background questionnaire
28
3.3.2. Reading test
28
3.3.3. Video tapes
29
3.3.4. Immediate retrospective account of strategy use
29
3.4. Data analysis procedure
31
3.4.1. Data collection procedure
31
3.4.2. Protocol data
31
3.4.3. Data analysis
31
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1. Reported use of different strategies and their effectiveness

33
4.1.1. Overall strategies used by test-takers: Approach to the task
33
4.1.2. Specific reading and test-taking strategies
36
4.2. Possibility of guessing
63
4.2.1. Dealing with unknown words
63
4.2.2. Handling questions with uncertainty
68
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION

5.1. Summary of the major findings
71
5.2. Implication for IELTS preparation
72
5.3. Limitations and suggestions for further research
72
REFERENCES

APPENDIXES


1

CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION
The first chapter discusses the rationale, the aim and objectives, the scope as well as
the expected outcome and the significance of the study together with a brief overview
of the research. The three research questions, in particular, are clearly identified to

work as the guidelines for the whole paper
1.1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study
Generally recognized as one of the most reliable means in assessing English language
proficiency, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) has gained
its popularity in many countries since 1990s. The IELTS, as now it stands, serves as a
testimony which provides assessment of language aptitude for immigration and study
purposes. IELTS candidature, in particular, has witnessed a rapid growth in recent
years with over 1.5 million test-takers every year including thousands of Vietnamese
candidates. With the development of the IELTS, much attention was paid on IELTS
research with its four skills-based modules that make up the test.
Previously, although much literature has been devoted to IELTS related topics; little
was revealed about the cognitive processes underlying the performance of
Vietnamese candidates in the IELTS Reading Test. All of these reasons stated have
become the motivations that stimulate the researcher to conduct “A study on IELTS
test-taking strategies: Reading Section.” The paper is among the first attempts
putting the emphasis onto the test-takers‟ test-taking strategies and the hidden
cognitive processes in reading comprehension.
1.2. Aim and objectives
In the current study, an attempt is made primarily to investigate the test-taking
strategies employed in performing True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given
reading tasks. Therefore, the term test-taking strategies which is used in the current
study refers to not only the general strategies in taking a reading test but also the
reading strategies that aid the comprehension.

2

The aim of the study is to gain an insight into how Vietnamese test-takers employ
different test-taking strategies in performing True/False/Not Given or Yes/No Not
Given tasks in IELTS Reading. By documenting the process that the testees went
through to deal with the reading tasks, the researcher hoped to investigate the real use

of different test-taking strategies in response to each individual testing item.
Afterwards, all strategies which lead to either correct and incorrect answers were
examined so that they could reflect their effectiveness and reveal facts about the
possibility of guessing in the test-takers‟ answers. To achieve this aim, the recent
study sought for the answers to the following research questions:
1. What test-taking strategies are frequently used by Vietnamese test takers in
performing True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given of IELTS Reading Test
(Academic Module)?
2. What is the effectiveness of test-taking strategies reflected in learners‟
scores in True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given of IELTS Reading Test
(Academic Module)?
3. What can be learnt about the possibility of guessing in True/False/Not
Given or Yes/No/Not Given test format?
1.3. Scope
The study is aimed to document the test-taking strategies of 10 Vietnamese EFL
learners who had already attended IELTS preparation course in International
Standard Program at Vietnam National University, Hanoi and got their latest IELTS
band score of 6.0.
1.4. Expected outcome and significance of the study
By conducting this research, the researcher expects to find out the most commonly
used test-taking strategies among the students and evaluate the effectiveness of those
techniques.
Once finished, the paper could serve as a good reference for those who wish to have a
closer view into the test-taking strategies employed by the students in response to a
specific reading comprehension task, True/ False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given.

3

IELTS candidates who are planning to sit for the test could also refer to the findings
of the study so that they could draw their own lesson for more effective use of test-

taking strategies in reading test. The paper could be also of great use for IELTS
trainers who want to have a closer look at how their trainees would actually perform
in the real test for better IELTS preparation instruction.
1.5. Overview of the rest of the paper
The rest of the paper includes the following chapters:
Chapter II – Theoretical Background – provides the background of the study.
Chapter III – Methodology – describes in details the participants, instruments of the
study as well as the procedure which the research follows.
Chapter IV – Findings and discussion – analyzes data found out and discusses the
outcomes of the study.
Chapter V – Conclusion – summarizes the main issue of the paper, the limitations of
the research and gives some suggestions for further studies.
The References and Appendixes includes a list of references that the researcher used
for the research, the reading test, guided questions for stimulated recalls, samples of
background questionnaire and verbal protocol transcripts.


4

CHAPTER II - THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Key words: Reading comprehension, Reading strategies, IELTS Reading, Test-
taking strategies, retrospective study.
2.1. Reading
2.1.1. Definition of reading
According to Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, reading can be defined as
the process of perceiving a written text in order to understand its contents which can
be done silently, and the understanding that result is called reading comprehension.
However, the term reading can also be understood as saying a written text aloud
which can be done with or without understanding the text. Another definition of
reading which can be found in Collins English Learners‟ Dictionary is an act of

looking at and understanding point. This definition puts the emphasis on the
involvement of the act of the eye during the process of reading and was supported by
Harmer (1989) as eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the
significance of the message.
So far, many scholars have been working out the definition of reading. According to
Smith (1973), reading is to understand the author‟s thought. Rumelhart (1997)
proposed a different view on reading which is, in his opinion, actually an interaction
between reader and text. This view was shared by a number of researchers
(Silberstein, 1994; Goodman, 1971, cited in Falke, 1982; Alderson, 2003; Griffiths
et. al., 2011; Falke, 1982). Goodman (1971) in his book titled Reading: A
Psycholinguistic Guessing Game put forward the definition that reading is a
psycholinguistics process by which the reader, a language user, reconstructs as best
as he can, a message which has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display, a
cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing and confirming (p.135). As Falke
(1982) defined, in English the “graphic display” can be either printed or written.
Among the many definitions of reading that have arisen in recent decades, a
comprehensive view should account for the active process of using one‟s won prior
language knowledge and experience and the cues found in the text to understand

5

what the writer has encoded (Saengpakdeejit, 2009), since reading is not simply a
cognitive skill, nor does it have a straightforward outcome as the same text can be
understood in different ways by different readers. For the recent study, however,
reading also refers to the active thinking process that IELTS test-takers take so as to
understand and complete different reading tasks of the test.
2.2.2. Purposes of reading
The purposes of reading refer to readers‟ aims and objectives. Therefore, different
readers may have different purposes in their mind with the reading text in their hand.
According to Ruiqi (2007), basically there are two main reading purposes including

reading for getting information and reading for pure fun or enjoyment.
Grabe and Stoller (2002), however, divided reading purposes into seven subtypes
which are more specific: reading for search for simple information, reading to skim
quickly, reading to learn from the text, reading to integrate information, reading to
write, reading to critique the text and reading for general comprehension.
2.2.3. Reading process
Reading process is claimed by Gascoigne (2005, cited in Saengpakdeejit, 2009) to be
a selective process which is characterized as an active process of comprehending. So
far, there have been three widely accepted reading models developed to depict the act
of reading or the way and procedure that readers use to construct meaning from the
reading texts. The three reading models are bottom-up, top-down and interactive
(Barnett, 1989).
In bottom-up model, reading is compelled by the text, proceeds from part to whole,
constructs meaning from letters, words, phrases, sentences. Readers process the text
in linear direction (Nunan, 1991). Therefore, in this model, readers are believed to
play a rather passive role. The basis of bottom-up reading model lies in the linguistic
knowledge of the reader (Samuel & Kamil, 1988).
In top-down model, the understanding of the text is constructed from whole to part.
The readers predict what come next, test their prediction and adjust or confirm. In

6

this model, readers actively use their background knowledge. Goodman (1971)
described reading using top-down model like a “psycholinguistic guessing game” in
which the “reader reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been encoded
by a writer as a graphic display” (p.135).
Interactive model is a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches. This
model was discussed as the process of combining textual information with the
information the reader brings to a text (Widdowson, 1979); therefore, the meaning of
the text is, in fact, “synthesized based on information provided simultaneously from

several knowledge sources” (Stanovich, 1980, p.35)
Weir, Hawkey, Green and Devi (2006) summarized the cognitive processes
contributing to reading comprehension outline by Khalifa and Weir (forthcoming) in
the following figure:

7


Figure 1 - Cognitive processing in reading
(Khalifa and Weir forthcoming, cited in Weir, Hawkey, Green and Devi, 2006, p.161)



8

2.2. Reading comprehension
Sedita (2001) claimed that reading comprehension is the ability to determine
meaning from text. It is a complicated, interactive process where readers construct
meaning based on information they get from the text combine with their own
knowledge. Gough and Tunmer (1986) supported that reading comprehension is
actually a process of decoding. According to the RAND Reading Study Group,
reading comprehension is the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing
meaning through interaction and involvement with written language which entails 3
elements: the reader who doing the comprehending (bring his own capacities,
abilities, knowledge and experiences), the text to be comprehended and the activity
(the purposes, the processes, the consequences). The dynamic interaction between
these elements of reading comprehension can be depicted in the following figure.

Figure 2: A Heuristic for Thinking about Reading Comprehension (RAND
Reading Study Group, 2002)




9

2.3. Reading strategies
2.3.1. Language learning strategies
As language learning strategies is the broader term which covers other learning
strategies for different skills including reading, it is worth reviewing literature on it
for better understanding of the general background before investigating the use of
reading strategies in details. Since 1960s when research into language learning
strategies began, there have been a lot of attempts in defining the term by a number
of scholars (Tarone, 1981; Ellis, 1985, Weinstein and Mayer, 1986; Chamot, 1987;
O‟Malley and Chamot, 1990; Nunan, 1991; Oxford, 1990 and Cohen, 1998)
The definition that is believed to be most comprehensive and widely accepted,
however, was proposed in O‟ Malley and Chamot‟s book titled Learning Strategies
in Second Language Acquisition in which learning strategies was defined as “special
thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or retain
new information” (1990, p.1). Despite of different approaches in defining the term,
most of the definitions suggest a similar goal of language learning strategies which is
to facilitate the language learning process and to help the learner achieve their aim in
using the target language.
O‟Malley and Chamot (1990) also classified learning strategies into three major
types:
 Metacognitive strategies: are higher order executive skills that may entail
planning for, monitoring or evaluating the success of learning activity (p.44).
 Cognitive strategies: operate directly on incoming information,
manipulating it in ways that enhance learning (p.44).
 Social strategies: involve the interaction between the language learner with
others either their language instructor or peers.

2.3.2. Reading and test-taking strategies
So far, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of gaining a better
insight into how reading and test-taking strategies are employed during the test as
part of the process of construct validation.

10

a. Reading strategies
Since reading strategies are parts of language learning strategies in general, it have all
of the characteristics of language learning strategies.
According to Cohen (1990), reading strategies refer to behaviors that a reader engage
in at the time of reading and consciously applied. However, Barnett (1989) argued
that reading strategies could be either conscious techniques controlled by the reader
or unconscious processes applied automatically. Although the two terms reading
skills and reading strategies are often confused, in this study, the term reading
strategies is used to refer to techniques used to monitor or manage their reading, aid
the readers in comprehending the text (Sheorey & Mokhtari, 2001)
According the classification of Sheorey& Mokhtari (2001) and Karbalaei (2010),
there are three types of reading strategies: Global reading strategies, Problem-solving
strategies, Supporting Reading Strategies
 Global Reading Strategies (GLOB): generalized or global reading strategies
aimed at setting the stage for the reading act. Examples this kind of strategies are
setting a purpose for reading, previewing text content, predicting what the text is
about, etc.
 Problem-Solving Strategies (PROB): localized, focused problem-solving or
repair strategies used when problems develop in understanding textual information.
Examples of this kind of strategies can be checking one‟s understanding upon
encountering conflicting information, re-reading for better understanding, etc.
 Support Reading Strategies (SUP): involve using the support mechanisms
or tools aimed at sustaining responsiveness to reading, e.g. use of reference materials

like dictionaries and other support systems.
Pressey and Afflerbach (1995) classified reading strategies into three broad
categories including (1) planning and identifying strategies which help in
understanding the meaning of the text, (2) monitoring strategies which regulate
comprehension and learning and (3) evaluating strategies to reflect or respond to the

11

text. The same array of reading strategies was present in many studies on second
language reading.
As mentioned earlier, reading comprehension consists of the three elements which
include comprehension strategies (RAND Reading Research). (Rezvani et.al, n.d.)
pointed out that reading comprehension is, in fact, the interactive cognitive process in
which readers interact with texts and authors‟ perspective. During this process,
readers construct meaning of the text by using their knowledge of language.
Gass and Mackey (2000) defined the cognitive process as the search and storage
mechanisms, inferential mechanisms and retrieval processes. These processes are
thought to operate at an unconscious level. While cognitive process is claimed to be
unconscious, reading strategies are the skills which are consciously used to aid the
reading comprehension. Therefore, the strategies employed by readers during the task
completing process can reveal the fact about the way readers manage their interaction
with written text, to make reading more effective and to improve comprehension
(Singhal, 2001). In short, reading strategies can reveal the actual cognitive process
and can be considered as part of the cognitive process.
b. Test-taking strategies
According to Rogers and Harley (1999), test-taking strategies help test-takers make
use of the characteristics and the format of the test to increase their scores in testing
conditions. These test-taking strategies may include: reading the instructions
carefully, scheduling the given time properly, making use of clue words in the
questions, etc. Test-taking strategies, therefore, can be defined as those test-taking

processes which are selected by the respondents and to some degree conscious
(Cohen & Upton, 2007). These strategies may constitute shortcuts to arriving at
answers.
In their previous study, Cohen and Upton (2007) proposed a coding scheme which
clearly classifies reading strategies, test-taking strategies and testwiseness strategies.
Their checklist of strategies consists of 28 reading strategies, 28 test-taking strategies
and 3 testwiseness strategies in total.

12

However, Cohen (1998) also put forward the argument that test-taking strategies
consist of language use strategies and testwiseness strategies. Language use
strategies, according to Cohen, refer to actions that individuals consciously take in
order to enhance their use of the target language to accomplish language tasks.
Hirano (2009, cited in Pour-Mohammadi & Abidin, 2011) supported that there are
distinct types of strategies that respondents employ as they do the language tests
which include language learner strategies: the way learners operate their basic skills
of listening, reading, speaking, writing with the related skills of grammar, vocabulary
and translation.
The term test-taking strategies, in general, refers to the strategies which can be
applied to a variety of tests and may include the general approaches like preparing for
the test, reading the directions, allocating the time, avoiding making errors, etc. and
specific techniques for various kinds of tests such as multiple-choice, matching,
essay, short-answer, true-false, etc (Pour-Mohammadi & Abidin, 2011). However,
test-taking strategies in responding to a reading test, as discussed above, should not
be separated from reading strategies, one of the language learner strategies (Hirano,
2009).
In the current study, an attempt is made primarily to investigate the test-taking
strategies employed in performing True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given
reading tasks. Therefore, the term test-taking strategies which is used in the current

study refers to not only the general strategies in taking a reading test but also the
reading strategies that aid the comprehension.
2. 4. The IELTS test
The IELTS test is considered a typical proficiency test with 2 characteristics which
involve its relation to the application of what has been learnt, its base on a
specification of the language that is going to be needed in these applications.
Therefore, it is believed to be helpful testing tool in a number of circumstances to
decide whether a student is likely to cope with a course of specialist study (Harrison,
1983).

13

The IELTS Test composes of four skills namely Listening, Reading, Speaking and
Writing and there are two modules of the test and test takers can choose either IELTS
Academic or IELTS General Training to sit for. This really depends on their
academic or professional aspirations. The recent study, however, only focuses on
Academic module of the test which measures English language proficiency needed
for an academic, higher education environment. The IELTS Academic module
procedure and components, then, can be visualized by the following chart.

(IELTS Handbook, 2007)
Figure 3: The IELTS Academic Procedures and Components.


• Candidate listen to a number of recorded texts. These include a
mixture of monologues and conversations and feature a variety
of English accents.
• The recording is heard only once, and candidates are given time
to read the questions and write down their answers.
Listening (approximately 30 minutes)

• There are three reading passages with tasks. Texts are taken
from books, magazines, journals and newspapers, all written for
a non-specialist audience. At least one of the texts contains a
detailed argument.
Reading (60 minutes)
• The first task requires candidates to write a description of at
least 150 words. This is based on material found in a chart, table,
graph or diagram and demonstrates their ability to summarise
the main features of the input.
• The second task requires candidates to write a short essay of 250
words in response to a statement or question. They are expected
to demonstrate an ability to present a position, construct an
argument and discuss abstract ideas.
Writing (60 minutes)
• The test is a face-to-face interview. Candidates are assessed on
their use of spoken English to answer short questions to speak at
length on a familar topic, and also to interact with the examiner.
Speaking (11-14 minuties)

14

2. 5. IELTS Reading
Despite of two IELTS modules, the distinction between academic and general lies in
relation to reading and writing skills only since the listening and speaking
components are the same for both versions. There are two modules of IELTS
Reading namely Academic Reading and General Training Reading. While texts in
General Training Reading are mainly taken from notices, advertisements, official
documents, booklets, … and tend to focus on survival reading skills, Academic
Reading, as its name suggests, deals with issues which are of great importance to
those who want to enter undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeking

professional registration. Since in the recent study, the reading tasks in Academic
Reading is of central concern, the topics and the task types of the test will be
discussed in more details.
2.5.1. Topics
The topics of IELTS reading passage may vary, but are all of “academic nature”.
These topics may include general science themes, the environment, health and social
psychology, technological and social developments, developing countries, gender
issues and others (Everett & Colman, 1999). The topics of IELTS passages which are
taken from authentic sources are generally international but neutral (Brook-Hart,
2012) since “texts which may cause the reader offence or anxiety, texts which require
specialist knowledge, are too specific in content or rely on world knowledge or
knowledge outside the texts would not conform to the guidelines of an objective
testing procedure” (Everett & Colman, 1999, p. 23).
2.5.2. Question types
In the IELTS Reading Test (Academic Module), a variety of question can be found
and chosen from the following:
 Multiple choice
 Short-answer questions
 Sentence completion
 Note/summary/ flowchart/ table completion

15

 Labeling a diagram
 Matching headings for identified paragraphs/ sections of the text
 Identification of writer‟s views/ claims – yes, no or not given
 Identification of information in the text – true, false or not given
 Classification
 Matching lists/ phrases
The various types of questions expected in the IELTS Reading have been considered

one of the advantages of the test in assessing the test-takers‟ competence.
As stated by Brook-Hart (2012), the three most frequent IELTS reading tasks are
Multiple Choice, True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/ Not/Given and Matching
Headings. In their study with the aid of an IELTS corpus which consisted of 13
academic reading tests collected from two major sources (IELTS Practice Test and
official test material published by Cambridge University Press), Moore, Morton and
Price (2007) identified various task types as well as their relative frequencies as
showed in the following table:

Table 1 - Frequencies of various task types
As can be seen, the top five common task types include True/False/Not Given,
Section Summary Match, Gapped Summary, Information-Category Match and
Multiple choice which took up more than three quarters of the total number of testing

16

items with True/ False/ Not given (or Yes/ No/ Not Given) as the most common task
type which accounted for 21% of the task type in the corpus.
True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given task requires test-takers to locate the
pieces of information or writer‟s views or claims and decide their semantic
relationship with the prompts. The relationship can be either synonymy (True or Yes)
or non-synonymy (False or No). The additional component of the task, Not Given,
tests the ability of test-takers in deciding whether the propositional content of the
prompt statement presents in the reading passage. This question type was considered
one of the most challenging one as perceived by both teachers and students in the
study of Everett and Colman (1999) since the wording of the question often causes
confusion among test-takers. Also, to decide a statement Not Given, test-takers need
to appraise the content of the whole text at a global level rather than just stop at the
semantic unit of sentential level. Green (1998) argued that tasks that require Yes/No
or True/False responses are very much like guessing since the answers are not always

apparent due to confusing wording of the prompts; therefore, unlikely to yield much
useful information of knowledge and processes employed by an individual as she or
he make a genuine attempt at the task. However, Weir, Hawkey, Green and Devi
(2006) suggested further studies should give close attention to this type of question
since when compared to some certain item types which appear to provoke the use of
certain strategies, True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given encourages the use of
expeditious reading strategies rather than just simple direct word matching.
While other types of reading tasks are supposed to test certain skills namely reading
for gist and reading for specific details, True/False/Not Given is claimed to provoke
the use of expeditious reading. For these reasons, the researcher chose to focus on
True/False/ Not Given or Yes/ No/Not Given (T/F/NG or Y/N/NG) tasks in the recent
study to see whether there is a difference between the test-taking skills of test-takers
as they deal with this specific kind of reading task. Since the emphasis of the current
study is put on this particular kind of reading task, it will be discussed in more details
in the next section.


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2. 6. IELTS Reading and Test-taking Strategies
There exists a need for learning reading strategies since the reading texts used in the
IELTS test is long and complex. Because a variety of question types is used in the
reading passages, IELTS test-takers need to be familiar with certain techniques for
each question type. The following tables summarize the requirements for the focused
type of questions in the recent study, True/False/ Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given, as
well as the strategies needed to perform the tasks.
True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given
Example of task
instruction
Do the following statements agree with the information

given in the Reading Passage
In boxes 12-14 on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Task descriptions
In True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given exercise,
you have to analyze the passage by stating whether the
information given in a series of statements if correct,
contradictory or if there is no information about the
statement in the passage.
Skills needed
Scanning for specific information
Understanding factual information (T/F/NG)
Understanding the writer‟s views/ claims (Y/N/NG)
Test-taking
strategies
Identify the focus of the statement
Scan the passage to find the relevant part(s)
Table 2 - Description of True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/ Not Given reading
task and suggested test-taking strategies