I don’t know how to answer a particular reading question no matter how hard I try.
Note: We don't explain the answers to Reading questions over email because it is a slow way to learn, and we really care about helping you increase your scores as quickly as possible.
What to do if you can't understand an answer, make sure:
- You’re using authentic materials. Fake reading materials are often poorly made, which means that it is sometimes impossible to get the right answer to a question. See here for more on this.
- You’re using the right strategy for the question type.
- You’ve located the correct part of the passage for the question.
- You understand the key vocabulary in the question and the relevant part of the text. Use a dictionary to meanings of the words.
- You’ve read the relevant part of the text closely - that is, carefully and trying to understand the precise meanings of words and phrases and overall context.
- You’ve read around the answer - that is, not only the particular sentence which you think contains the answer, but also in the sentences coming before and after so that you fully understand the context.
If you’ve done all of this and you still don’t understand the answer, you have a weakness and you need to improve it.
Here are some possible reasons you can't understand the answer:
- You can translate the words to your own language, but you don't know all the different meanings of a word in English. --> improve your vocabulary
- You are trying to match words from the question with words from the text. --> improve your general reading skills
- You don't understand the grammar. --> improve your general reading skills
- You don't understand the context. --> improve your vocabulary and/or general reading skills
- You just always get a certain question type wrong. --> use the recorded Live Reading Lessons
The only way to increase your score is to improve your weakness. It's not to understand one answer to one question. Remember: you're not going to get this question on an actual test, so focus on your weakness. Everything else is a distraction.
If you have done all the steps above and you still need help, you can book a 1-to-1 lesson with a teacher.
The rules:
a) The question must be authentic (either a Cambridge question or materials produced by IDP/the British Council). IELTS Advantage materials will also be accepted. Please don't waste your time or other students' time with inauthentic materials.
b) Please state the source of the materials (Cambridge book number, test and passage number etc.)
c) You can submit ONE or TWO PARAGRAPHS and ONE or TWO questions related to the paragraphs. Please do not submit whole texts with multiple questions.
