IELTS Research Reports

Anthony Green and Roger HawkeyJane Anne WilliamIn what respects doyou think the IELTSacademic readingtest reflects (or failsto reflect) the readingskills needed bystudents enteringEnglish-mediumhigher education?Finding suitable texts is usuallyeasier than for general Englishpapers.I think it does reflect the skillsrequired quite well - aboveall the ability to read a quitecomplex text at quite a fastpace and get the main pointsfrom it without being thrown byitems of vocabulary that arecompletely unfamiliar.Reflects: requirement forspeed; distinguishing betweenmain points and detail;interpreting texts that includeunfamiliar vocabulary; needfor a broad vocabulary andunderstanding of a widerange of structures; need forintellectual curiosityWhat changes, if any,would you like to seein the IELTS academicreading test and why?As far as I know, thetest reflects the readingskills needed by studentsreasonably well. //I think thetest is different, however, fromindependent reading. The textsare short and most of the lesssignificant information hasalready been cut by the itemwriter. Also, many of the items,for example note-taking ortables, provide the reader witha framework.NoneOther commentson IELTS academicreading module itemwriting.It's certainly a challenge attimes but enjoyable on thewhole.NoneTable 11. Experienced Item Writers340 www.ielts.org