10.3. Read Real English
What to read between now and test day, and how to read it.
The short version
Read real English, not more material about the test.
Fifteen minutes a day beats an hour once a week.
Read once for the map, then study one paragraph.
Read real English
The exam is not a vocabulary list. Use these for everyday reading, so that gist and paraphrase feel normal by the time you sit the test.
News stories and features written for learners, with the key vocabulary explained. bbc.co.uk/learningenglish
Researchers write short articles with a claim and a limit, close to the shape of an Academic passage. theconversation.com
Clear news at a steady pace, useful for paraphrase. learningenglish.voanews.com
Council notices, clinic leaflets, and workplace policies. Scan for a date, a not, and a number. That is the same move as General Training Sections 1 and 2.
How to read them
Fifteen minutes of a real article is more useful than another hour of reading about the test. Read it once for the map, then pick one paragraph. Ask what a question writer would turn into a gap or a True / False / Not Given statement. Then come back and time yourself on a Reading mock test.
Recap
Fifteen minutes of a real article beats another hour about the test.
Read once for the map, then pick one paragraph and study it.
Ask what a question writer would turn into a gap or a statement.
Next: a timed Reading mock test, now that you have met every question type.