Lesson 10

PREDICTING MAIN IDEAS FROM
CLUES, DISTINGUISHING
BETWEEN OPINIONS AND
IDEAS.
PREDICTIONS
• Predicting upcoming information in a text

is another strategy that promotes
engagement with that text’s ideas, and
engagement promotes understanding.
After you skim a text, you might ask
prediction questions such as the following:
CONSIDERING A TEXT’S CONTEXT,
MAKING PREDICTIONS ABOUT A
TEXT’S INFORMATION, AND
IDENTIFYING A TEXT’S PATTERNS ALL
ARE READING STRATEGIES THAT
SUPPORT:
1.understanding the main idea
2.actively engaging with the text as a
reader, as engagement promotes
understanding and meaning-making
WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION DO I EXPECT TO FIND IN THIS TEXT?
WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION WOULD IT BE LOGICAL TO INCLUDE, BASED ON THE
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE AND/OR MAIN IDEA?
HOW DO I THINK THAT INFORMATION WILL BE PRESENTED?
WILL I END UP AGREEING OR DISAGREEING WITH THIS AUTHOR’S IDEAS AND EVIDENCE?
PREDICTIONS DO NOT ONLY OCCUR
BEFORE READING A TEXT. YOU
OFTEN CONSIDER YOUR
PREDICTIONS AS YOU READ, AND
REVISE THEM BASED ON THE
INFORMATION THAT YOU ARE
ACCRUING FROM THE READING.
AFTER READING, YOU MAY GO BACK
TO CONSIDER YOUR PREDICTIONS IN
LIGHT OF THE INFORMATION YOU
GAINED FROM THE TEXT. AS YOU
CAN SEE, PREDICTING IS ANOTHER
SKILLS THAT SUPPORTS ACTIVE
READING.
PREDICTING MAIN IDEAS FROM
TEXTUAL CLUES
• Written texts in English often follow a predictable structure .For
example , a text or paragraph may start with a general comment
or background information on a topic , followed by more specific
detail. The more general statement will outline the main idea of
the text and the details will provide supporting information .This
might take the form of a definition ,an example or an explanation
of the main topic. A typical paragraph may be organized in the
following way :general statement ,example ,explanation , or
problem , example(S), cause(s), solution (s)
MATCHING HEADING QUESTIONS
• This question type requires you to match the heading in the

question to the correct paragraph or reading section in the
text. There will always be more headings than paragraphs or
sections so that some headings will not be used. It is also
possible that some of the text may not be included in the task.
This task type is used with texts that contain paragraphs that
have clearly defined themes. It tests your ability to recognise
the main idea in the paragraph and to identify supporting
ideas.
THE QUESTION TYPE CAN BE TRICKY
BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
• It takes a little more time than other questions to complete.
• Often, there are more headings than paragraphs.
• Some paragraphs don't need headings.
• There are some similarities between headings.
• Headings that only include specific details rather than the
main idea may mislead you.
• Some headings have the same words that are in a paragraph
but don't match.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS APPEAR REGULARLY IN BOTH THE ACADEMIC AND GENERAL IELTS
READING TESTS. THEY ARE FAIRLY SIMPLE TO COMPLETE BUT IT’S EASY TO GET TRICKED INTO
PICKING THE WRONG ANSWER.
THE INFORMATION AND STRATEGY ON THIS PAGE WILL HELP YOU TO AVOID COMMON ERRORS AND
TO GAIN HIGH MARKS. THEY WILL ALSO SAVE YOU TIME IN YOUR TEST.
HERE’S WHAT’S INCLUDED:
EXPLANATION OF THIS QUESTION TYPE
KEY TIPS
THE STRATEGY
EXAMPLES FROM REAL TEST PAPERS
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS & MODEL ANSWER
THE AIM OF THIS TYPE OF QUESTION IS TO TEST IF
YOU CAN:
• Understand the main idea of each paragraph

• Scan for specific information
• Use detailed reading to differentiate between
several possible answers
THE TASK
YOU WILL BE ASKED TO:
•
1) Read the first half of a sentence, a statement or a
question about the text.
• 2) Choose the most appropriate sentence ending,
response or answer from a choice of a number of options
(usually 4). Only one is correct although several could
appear to be the right one on first reading, so beware.
KEY TIPS
READ THE QUESTIONS FIRST. IF YOU DO THIS, YOU’LL KNOW WHAT YOU’RE
LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU READ THE TEXT WHICH WILL SAVE YOU LOADS OF
TIME.
• The answers will be in order. It’s very helpful to know

that the answers come in order in the text which isn’t
the case with all question types. This makes it easier to
find them. So, if you’ve found answer 1 in paragraph 1
and answer 2 in paragraph 3, you’ll know that answer 3
won’t be too much further on in the text.
READ IN DETAIL. FOR SOME QUESTION TYPES, YOU’LL BE MOSTLY
SKIMMING AND SCANNING THE TEXT FOR THE ANSWERS. YOU’LL NEED
THESE SKILLS HERE TOO BUT WITH MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS, THE
DETAIL IS IMPORTANT.
• Watch out for distractors. Be aware that the test setters love to
include ‘distractors’ in the answer options to try and catch you out. A
prime example is qualifying words such as every, all, most, a few.
They are only small words but they can completely change the
meaning of a sentence.
REPEAT PREVIOUS LESSONS FOR TRUE
FALSE NOT GIVEN
YES NO NOT GIVEN
• Yes, No, Not Given questions are common in the IELTS

Reading test. There’s a good chance you’ll get one of
these or a True/False/Not Given question which is very
similar.
• It’s important that you understand the difference

between the two so here’s a quick explanation.
YES/NO/NOT GIVEN VS TRUE/FALSE/NOT
GIVEN QUESTIONS
• The difference is in the type of information contained in the text.
• Yes/No/Not Given – the text will contain the opinions, views or
beliefs of the writer or other people who are mentioned.
TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN – THE TEXT WILL
CONTAIN FACTUAL INFORMATION ABOUT A
TOPIC.
• For Yes/No/Not Given questions, you will be given a set of
statements and a text. Your task is to decide which of the
following applies to the information in each statement:
• it agrees with the views of the writer – YES (Y)
• it disagrees with or contradicts what the writer thinks – NO (N)
• it is impossible to know what the writer’s point of view is
– NOT GIVEN (NG)
THE BIG CHALLENGE
• The challenge with a Y/N/NG type question is that for some statements, the NOT GIVEN ones, you
will be searching for information that’s not there.
• This is the first reason why some people fear it.

• You can easily waste a lot of time going over and over the text to check that you haven’t missed the
information.
• The second challenge is the unfamiliarity of this type of question. Most people will have looked for
YES & NO statements in texts back in their school days but many have no experience of NOT
GIVEN statements.
• Hence, it’s extra important to have a strategy that gives you the confidence to make your decision
and move swiftly on.
IDENTDIFIYING FACTS
• Facts are often expressed with the verb to be and / or in the present
or past simple
IDENTIFYING OPINIONS
• Opinions are expressed in a number of ways , for example in

the use of
• Main verbs such as claim ,think
• Modal verbs ,such as could
• Adjectives , adverbs
• Words with negative connotations ( too , miss , impediment ,
trauma )
• Conditionals

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PREDICTING MAIN IDEAS FROM

• Predicting upcoming information in a text

• This question type requires you to match the heading in the

• Understand the main idea of each paragraph

YOU WILL BE ASKED TO:

• The answers will be in order. It’s very helpful to know

• Yes, No, Not Given questions are common in the IELTS

• It’s important that you understand the difference

• This is the first reason why some people fear it.

• Opinions are expressed in a number of ways , for example in

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