Skimming is not the enemy
“Read quickly” is common IELTS advice. The problem is when skimming turns into guessing.
Skimming should answer “Where is the information likely to be?” It should not answer “What is definitely correct?”
Two reading modes
MAP MODE — fast: find topic / paragraph location
EVIDENCE MODE — slow: read the exact sentence and nearby context
See it in action
For the statement “The researcher originally expected the experiment to fail”, skim to find the relevant paragraph, then stop skimming.
Text: “Although colleagues were doubtful, Chen believed the trial was likely to succeed.”
Answer: FALSE — the text contradicts the statement.
The keyword matching danger
A question may say “expensive”, while the text says “costly”, “financially demanding”, or “required substantial investment”. Match meaning, not only visible keywords.
Use skimming for
Locating a paragraph
Understanding structure
Finding topic shifts
Quickly revisiting an idea
Common mistakes
Answering from vague memory
Seeing one keyword and choosing immediately
Reading every sentence at one speed
Confusing NOT GIVEN with FALSE
Skim to locate.
Read to prove.