OET Reading
OET Reading Test
PreparationINTENSIV
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OET Reading
They are likely to include the following:
Increasing comprehension
Vocabulary and language skills
Increasing your speed
Reading skills
Reading with a purpose
Test preparation for OET
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E What are yourreading goals?
OET Reading
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E Reading
Reading for information
Facts
Opinions
Possibilities
Things that are Definite
OET Reading
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E Reading Skills
Reading for information is a skill. Reading strategies can be used to vary the approach to any given text.
Activating prior knowledgeClarifying
Context clues
Drawing conclusions
Evaluating
Inferring
Predicting
Re-reading
Re-stating
SettingA purpose
SkimmingAnd Scanning
Visualizing
OET Reading
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E Reading Skills
This is not an exhaustive list of all reading strategies.
Choose the appropriate techniques during your reading.
These reading strategies will increase your comprehension, retention and command over the subject matter.
OET Reading
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E Skimming andScanning
Scan the heading• Look for keywords / ideas• Make a list of related
words• Get a sense of the topic• Try to predict what the
article is about
OET Reading
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E Skimming andScanning
Look at pictures / diagrams and captions
• For additional keywords / ideas / information on what the article is about
OET Reading
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E Skimming andScanning
“All of the birds appeared healthy,
but the tests revealed that 19 of
the penguins, 5 per cent, carried
the Plasmodium parasite, which
causes malaria. The infected birds were
spread across the archipelago, suggesting the
parasite is not restricted to one small colony of
penguins. Galapagos penguins move
around the islands, so the parasite
is likely to spread further, say the
researchers.”
• Read the 1st sentence of a paragraph
• Read the 2nd sentence of a paragraph
Save time when reading
Can you make an informed guess of what the paragraph is about?
OET Reading
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E Skimming andScanning
• Skim several timesNote chapter and section titlesLook for meaning / topic
• Read first sentence of each paragraphNote the main ideaOther sentences elaborate idea (further details)
• Speed up your reading - look at groups of wordsLook at phrases / groups of words and read in “chunks”
• Take note of unknown terminology / wordsTry to work out what they mean by the context of the sentence / paragraph
OET Reading
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E Skimming andScanning
• Practice speed readingTry reading several words, a phrase or even a sentence at a timeRead newspaper articles by scanning down the column instead of reading each word
• Practice with discipline-specific journalsAgain, reading several words at a timePractice coping with unknown, technical words or phrases by noting the context of the word or phrase.
ABC Australia Health
http://www.abc.net.au/health/BBC World Servicehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/index.shtmlBBC Healthhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/health/
New England Journal of Medicine
http://content.nejm.org/Science Magazine for the American Association for the Advancement of Sciencehttp://www.sciencemag.org/archive/Naturehttp://www.nature.com/
British Medical Journalhttp://www.bmj.com/
Journal of the American Medical Associationhttp://jama.ama-assn.org/
Medical Journal of Australiahttp://www.mja.com.au/The Free Medical Journals Sitehttp://www.freemedicaljournals.com/
OET Reading
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E What skills are being tested?
• Can you distinguish between fact / fiction or something that is definite or a possibility?
• Can you follow a complicated argument made over several paragraphs?
• Can you recognise connections between ideas? (What is the “cause” and what is the “effect”)
• Can you get the “gist” - work out the meaning of a word / phrase from the context in which it was used?
OET Reading
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E Understanding the way the text has been written
• The order of eventseg: firstly … secondly … initially … subsequently …
• Consequenceseg: due to … therefore … as a result …
• Contrasting or alternative ideaseg: however … on the other hand … despite …
• The extension of an ideaeg: in addition … furthermore …
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
According to the article …
What is the article about?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
The statistics provided …
Correct number / percentage?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
The phrase …
What is it about?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
The term …
Relates to what?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
The writer argues …
Is the author arguing for or against something?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Which of the following statements best summarise the article …
Which mutiple choice is the best / most appropriate fit?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
In the future …
In the text, the writer posits what might or will happen
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Which statement most accurately reflects the writer’s point of view …
Which multiple choice is the most appropriate one?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Some questions ask for a reason
Why is …
You need to provide the best explanation
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Sometimes questions are in a negative form
The writer does not say …
True or false?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Sometimes questions are in a negative form
Which of the following statements does not match the information given …
True or false?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Sometimes questions are in a negative form
The survey does not include …
True or false?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Sometimes questions are in a negative form
Which of the following is not mentioned …
True or false?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Sometimes questions are in a negative form
Which of the following is false …
Which one is not true or incorrect?
OET Reading
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E TypicalQuestions
Sometimes questions are in a negative form
Which of the following is not given as a problem …
Which statement is written in a positive / affirmative way?
OET Reading
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E Do’s andDon’t’s
• It’s OK to answer only 80% - 90% of the questions
• DON’T get stuck on one question - keep going and come back to it at the end
• DO use a soft pencil(s) and have an eraser if necessary
• DO record all your answers on the answer sheet BEFORE time has expired
• DON’T give more than one answer per question
OET Reading
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E Reading Strategies
Skimming the Article:
• Get a rough idea of what the article is aboutthe main idea
• Get a rough idea of the key words / ideas / people and, where they are located on the page
• Familiarize yourself with the layout of the article
• Familiarize yourself with the kind of writing and language used
OET Reading
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E Reading Strategies
Suggested strategy:
• Look at both articles ….. Make a quick choice on which one to read first
• Read the questions and note the key ideas (not just words)
• Read the opening paragraph and the conclusion carefully
• Read the first and last sentences of each remaining paragraphs to gain some idea of the main points.
• Look for words and phrases that you want to refer to later
OET Reading
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E Reading Strategies
Scanning:
• Use to obtain specific information from a piece of text
• When scanning, ignore information that is not relevant to the particular question
OET Reading
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E Reading Strategies
Suggested Strategy:
• Identify the style of question
• Ensure you have read the question accurately- are there any alerts?
• Locate the relevant section in the text and scan carefully
• Don’t assume the exact words used in the question will be used in the text
OET Reading
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E The OET:
Aiming to Succeed:
• 2 Readings - Part A and Part B
• Each passage will have 10 - 12 Multiple choice questions
• Aim for 60 - 65% which should give you a good chance of passing OET Reading
• Use pencil to answer questions on a computer readable answer sheet.
OET Reading
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