READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The technique scanning or looking for specific information is very useful when you know exactly what you are looking for in a text.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Since you have a very specific goal in mind, when you read, you only read the relevant part(s) and ignore the irrelevant.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Reading for specific information involves understanding what information, or what kind of information you're looking for, locating it and then reading the relevant part carefully to get a full and detailed understanding.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Sometimes, reading for specific information also involves reading to see if information is contained in a text.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

In real life, we often only read parts of texts (the parts that provide the information we're interested in). For example, if you want to know what's on TV tonight, you won't look at the programs listed in the TV listings for earlier in the day. In reading tasks in English exams, time pressure forces candidates to find information quickly so doing this helps in both real-life and exams.

WHAT IS SUGGESTED ABOUT READING TASKS IN EXAMS?

• The exam rules determine which skills you need to use.

• They require skills not used in normal everyday life.

• They usually give you plenty of time to achieve the task.

After identifying the information you need, it's helpful to determine which part of the text it is in. Headings can help with this, as reading for gist. The main reading skill employed is scanning. This involves moving very quickly over the text, ignoring unknown vocabulary and focusing solely on key words, phrases and ideas. Scanning should enable you to find specific information. Then read that part more carefully to get a full understanding.

READING FOR GIST CAN BE HELPFUL IN _____.

• locating specific word or phrase

• working out unknown vocabulary

• finding the general location of an idea

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Scanning consists of letting your eyes move quickly through the text until you find what you are looking for. As long as you know how the text is organized, this can be done quickly and without reading every word.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

In academic texts information is often grouped under headings, so to find a specific detail, you need to first locate the appropriate heading. If there are no headings, remember that the topic sentence of each paragraph is like a heading, as it tells you what the paragraph is about.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Because you already scan many different types of material in your daily life, learning more details about scanning will be easy.

Establishing your purpose, locating the appropriate material, and knowing how the information is structured before you start scanning is essential.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NO IDEA

Choose the tips for better scanning!

• Don’t try to read every word. Instead let your eyes move quickly across the page until you find what you’re looking for.

• Use clues on the page, such as headings and titles, to help you.

• In a dictionary or phone book, use the header words to help you scan. You can find these in bold type at the top of each page.