Reading: skimming, scanning and inference

Three speeds of reading

Skim fast to get the general idea and the shape of the text — read the first line of each paragraph. Scan to hunt one specific piece of information — run your eye down the page for a name, a number, a keyword. Read closely only the two or three sentences that hold your answer.

Do it in that order

Skim the whole text first (one minute), then read the questions, then scan for each answer. Reading every word from the start is what makes students run out of time.

Inference

Some answers are not stated. She put on her coat and looked at the clock again suggests she is about to leave and is impatient. Answer with the inference and the evidence — Cambridge nearly always asks “How do you know?” or awards a second mark for the quotation.