Shadowing Practice: How This One Simple Method Helped Me Get Band 9 Twice in IELTS Reading - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What's up everyone, welcome back to my channel.

Today, I'm finally making a reading video.

I haven't shared with you guys my reading scores because this is mainly a writing channel.

But I did get a lie twice on the reading test.

And in this video, I'm gonna share with you guys exactly how I did that.

Let's look at this passage of the mystery of the Easter Rhineland.

I think the best tip I can give you is to not answer all the questions one by one.

I mean, if you first do heading questions, which would require us to read all these paragraphs, right?

So if you first do heading questions and then move on to do true first not given, I'm pretty sure you will read at least some paragraphs twice.

That means you probably wouldn't be able to finish the whole passage in less than 20 minutes.

So what I would do is to first quickly go through all the question types.

So there are heading questions and there are true false not given questions and there is a summary question.

Since this text is a summary, it's about the whole passage.

That means the answer to question 38 may appear before 37.

So we really need to do all three types of questions

at the same time to avoid reading some parts of the passage twice.

Now let's start answering all these questions.

I wouldn't read all these headings right now because I wouldn't be able to remember them.

What I would do first is to read question 35 first.

There are no permanent residents living on Easter Island.

I think for true false not given questions, it's very important that we identify the keywords

because we need those keywords to help us locate the answer in the passage, right?

So I think permanent residence are the keywords here.

So I'm going to highlight them.

I would also read the question 38 because like I said, this text is a summary.

That means the answer to 38 may appear at the very beginning of the passage.

So we definitely shouldn't wait until the end to answer these three summary questions.

However, I'm not going to read this text very carefully because again, I wouldn't be able to remember it.

I will just read it very quickly

and try to identify some important words to help me locate the answer in the passage.

Easter Island is famous for the seemingly unexplained disappearance of its inhabitants and its infamous giant statues, the moai.

These statues are generally found on the island's plateaus, but some statues located in other parts of the island are.

Although the voiceover is at a normal pace, in reality, in an actual exam, I would read this part very quickly.

I think it's pretty obvious that 38 is about statues because the subject of this sentence is statues.

Now, I'm going to start reading the first paragraph.

I have three goals in mind.

I need to get a general idea what this paragraph is about so that I can choose a heading for it.

I also need to see if there is any information about permanent residence.

I also need to see if it mentions statues.

So I'm going to read it very quickly until I see information about permanent residence or statues, okay?

Easter Island, a small, hilly, treeless volcano, is one of the world's most celebrated archaeological sites.

However, it is rarely visited and not inhabited.

I think this may be the answer to question 35 because I know inhabit means something like people living in a place.

So basically this sentence says there are no people living on the island.

But I'm not sure about permanent.

This sentence says nothing about permanent.

So I think 35 is either true or not given.

I'm not sure.

So I'm going to highlight this and I will come back for 35 later.

Maybe I will get some information about permanent as I read the passage.

After I finish 35, I would immediately read question 36 because it may appear right after 35 in the passage.

So after arriving on Easter Island, I don't know this word,

but I think it means something like people because it has the same ending as agents.

So these people planted lots of trees there.

This word is definitely a key word.

I will highlight this to help me locate the answer in the passage.

I think trees is also an important word.

So when I read the rest of the paragraph, I will try to see if it mentions these people.

I will also try to find out if it mentions statues.

The island was named Easter Island by Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch captain, who visited the island on the 5th of April 1722

and was the first European to set foot on the island.

Following the mystery of its inhabitants, a Norwegian explorer called Thor Heyerdahl visited the island in the early 1950s.

Heyerdahl suggested that the original inhabitants of the island were Indian societies that had originated from the southern coast of America.

However, after a broad ethnographic, linguistic, and archaeological research, this theory was found to be inaccurate.

Okay, the rest of the paragraph doesn't mention these people.

It doesn't mention statues either.

However, I noticed something about permanent.

So here it says following the mystery of its inhabitants.

And here it's all about the mystery.

So now I'm pretty sure the answer is true because if the island had a permanent inhabitant, there would be no mystery.

So when I'm not sure about the question, I wouldn't waste time trying to figure out the exact answer.

I will just move on, since it may become more clear as we read the passage.

This is how I found the answer to question 35.

Now, we've finished reading paragraph A.

We need to choose a heading for it.

So when I'm dealing with headings, what I mainly do is to try to rule out those absolutely incorrect headings,

which helps me to narrow down to the few possible ones.

For example, mapping the universe to understand the past.

I don't know what mapping the universe means, but I think this is the wrong heading, because paragraph A says nothing about the universe.

Indication of an ancient research site.

I think this paragraph doesn't mention anything about research either.

Decline the population due to the lack of food.

I don't think it mentions the decline in the population.

Cultural significance of statues.

No, it doesn't mention statues at all.

A mystery that attracted the early explorers.

Yes, this paragraph does mention some explorers like Jacob and this guy.

And this paragraph is also about a mystery.

It's about the mystery of its inhabitants, right?

We know this because we have already answered the question 35.

So answering 35 actually help us to choose the correct heading for the first paragraph.

That's another reason why we shouldn't do all the questions one by one.

So now I'm pretty sure this is the correct heading for paragraph A.

In the lecture exam, I would quickly go through the remaining headings just to make sure what I have just chosen is the correct heading.

But I'm not going to read them in the video.

Now let's move on to paragraph B.

So when reading this paragraph, I will try to find if it mentions these people.

And I will also try to find out if it mentions statues

and we also need to get a general idea of what this paragraph is about

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because we need to choose a heading for it always always have a goal in mind

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when you are reading a paragraph always know what kind of

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information you are looking for never never read a paragraph without any purpose

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so i will quickly read it until i see the information i'm looking for

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according to research

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and dna extracts from the exhumed skeletons on the island the

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original inhabitants of the island were from the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia.

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As I quickly go through this paragraph, I soon noticed this word which signals the text is about these guys, right?

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So now I need to start reading the text very carefully.

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According to the carbon dating of reeds collected from the graves, these people arrived on the island in 318 AD.

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It is believed that at that time the island had lots of trees.

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Okay, here it mentions trees the island had lots of trees

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but so far it's unclear who planted those trees let me continue to read to see

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if it mentions who planted those trees or not it is believed

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that at that time the island had lots of trees swarming with both land

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and seabirds and there were abundant food sources from fish plants

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and birds that made the human population grow rapidly giving rise to a rich artistic and and religious culture.

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All right, after reading the rest of the paragraph, now I'm pretty sure it doesn't say whether these people planted trees there or not.

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So I'm gonna choose not given.

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And this paragraph doesn't mention statues.

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So no information about 38.

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Now let's choose a heading for this paragraph.

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Again, I'm going to rule out those impossible headings to narrow down to a few possible ones.

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So paragraph B says nothing about the universe.

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This paragraph also doesn't mention research.

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It doesn't mention the decline in population.

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It says nothing about statues, right?

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We haven't found any information about statues.

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A loss of a habitat.

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I don't think so.

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The stone made giants.

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Doesn't seem like a correct heading.

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Trapped on an island.

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No, modern assumptions about a coincidence.

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So I'm actually not very sure about those headings but this one says the early days of the island's thriving environment.

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This seems like the correct heading.

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Let me quickly go through this paragraph just to make sure.

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So this paragraph says the island had lots of trees.

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It had both land and sea birds.

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And there were abundant food resources.

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And the human population grew rapidly.

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So now I'm pretty sure this is the correct heading for paragraph B.

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But of course, in an actual exam, I would read this last heading very quickly just to make sure it doesn't make any sense for paragraph B.

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Now, let's move on to paragraph C.

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But before reading this paragraph, I would first read question 37 so that I know what kind of information I will be looking for.

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The writer largely agrees with the conclusion drawn by Jade Diamond.

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So the name Jade Diamond is definitely very important and it can help us locate the answer in the passage.

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So when reading paragraph C, I will try to see if it mentions the guy, jade, diamond, and I will also try to see if it mentions statues,

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and I will also try to get a general idea of what this paragraph is about

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so that I can choose a heading for it.

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Among some of the most famous features of the culture of the inhabitants are the moai, which are gigantic stone statues.

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So as I quickly go through this paragraph, I soon noticed the word statues, which means the answer to question 38 may just be here.

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So now I need to read the 38 very carefully.

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I only read it very carefully right now because if I read it carefully earlier than necessary, I wouldn't be able to remember it.

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So it says these statues are generally found on the island's plateaus.

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plateau seems like an unusual word.

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Perhaps this can help me locate the answer.

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And I'm telling you, the few words around the blank are

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so important because essentially they are just a paraphrase of the original text, right?

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These few words are very important, but some statues located in other parts of the island are.

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We need to find the paraphrase of these few words in the passage.

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And the grammar tells us that we need an adjective or a noun or a combination of an adjective and a noun.

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Now I will start to read the paragraph very carefully and as I read it I soon noticed the word plateaus.

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Plateaus here.

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Plateaus.

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Here it also mentions plateaus.

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In addition to the statues that sit on the plateaus, there are other unfinished statues that spread across the island.

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I think the answer may be just here

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because I think spread across the island is a paraphrase of located in other parts of the island.

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But I'm not so sure.

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So I will quickly go through the next few sentences.

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Some of them are found in, I don't know this word, it doesn't matter.

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And others along Asian roads and the coastal areas.

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Now I'm pretty sure spread across the island means the same as other parts of the island

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because here it says ancient roads coastal areas these are parts of the island other than plateaus right

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so what makes sense i think unfinished makes sense

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because it's an adjective let's see

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if unfinished works some statues located in other parts of the

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island are unfinished yes i think this is the correct answer now i've finished 38 i will immediately read 39

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because again 39 may appear right after 38 in the passage

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the giant statues were formed out of a kind of

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so we are looking for a noun or a noun phrase here

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and again the few words around the blank are very very

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important formed out of a kind of we need to find

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a paraphrase of these few words in the passage also we need to see

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if the rest of the paragraph mentions this guy jade diamond or not.

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Let's start from here.

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On average, the moai statues are 14.5 feet tall with a weight of 14 tones, and they are mostly carved from ronororaku,

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a type of volcanic stone which is tough.

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I think carved from a type of volcanic stone may be a paraphrase of formed out of a kind of.

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Yes, it's very obvious, right?

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A kind of, and here is a type of.

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Isn't that too obvious?

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So I think volcanic stone is the answer let's see

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if it makes sense the giant statues were formed out of

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a kind of volcanic stone yeah it makes perfect sense now

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let's read question 40 again the few words around the blank are very very important current theories suggest

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that they served as a water function

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so we need to look for information about the function of the statues

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and don't forget about this guy jay diamond there are other larger moai statues

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that weigh 80 tones with a height of about 33 feet

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going by the enormous size of these statues it is assumed

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that it took about 50 to 150 people to move them across the island on rollers

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and sleds made from trees

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so the rest of the paragraph doesn't mention the function of the statues it doesn't mention jay diamond either

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so now the only thing i need to do is to

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choose a heading for this paragraph i think doing these two

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questions actually help us better understand this paragraph it's very obvious

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that this paragraph is about statues right i think there are

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only two headings about their truths one is this one the

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cultural significance of statues the paragraph doesn't mention the cultural significance we know this

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because we haven't found any information about about the function of

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the statues we haven't found the answer to question 40

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so this is the wrong heading now the only heading

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that mentions statues is this one the stone made giants the

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statues are actually very big you see there are some numbers about the statues in the in the paragraph

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so i think this is the correct heading for paragraph c.

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Now paragraph d, I'm not going to do the remaining questions in this video because it would be too boring.

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However, the method is exactly the same.

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We read the paragraph with the goal in mind.

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We need to see if it mentions the function of the statues.

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We also need to see if it mentions jade diamond.

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And of course, we need to choose a heading for it.

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So this paragraph doesn't mention j the diamond however it does contain the answer to question 40

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so i will just copy and paste it here

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and then we just need to choose a heading for this

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paragraph it wouldn't be very difficult to choose a heading for it

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because as you can see there are not so many headings left

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and for paragraph e a f g

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and h we only need to read it very quickly for

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the purpose of choosing headings for them we only need to stop

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and read carefully when we see j the diamond

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so yeah this is exactly how i got a 9 on

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the reading test i think the key is time management in

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order to avoid reading some parts of the passage again

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and again it's best to do some questions at the same

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time actually using this method i was actually able to finish the easiest passage

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which is usually the first passage of the reading test in like 15 minutes

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which left me more time for the most difficult passage

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so please give this method some practice i think it really works

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and i'm sure you guys already know for questions like truth was not given

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and summary questions we need to identify some keywords to help

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us locate the answers in the passage that's it for this video do you think it's helpful

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if you like it i will do more reading videos in

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the future let me know in the comment section below

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if you'd like more reading videos in the future thank you guys so much for watching i will see you soon

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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

This video isn’t just about IELTS tips—it’s a goldmine for english speaking practice. The speaker uses clear, conversational English, making it perfect for shadowing (or "shadow speak")—a technique where you repeat phrases aloud as you hear them. By mimicking the rhythm and pacing, you’ll build fluency and confidence, all while learning strategies to tackle reading exams. It’s a two-for-one: improve your English and boost your test skills.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Notice how the speaker uses conditional structures to explain strategies: "If you first do heading questions... you will read at least some paragraphs twice." This "if + present, will + base verb" form is key for giving advice. Also, phrases like "I’m pretty sure" and "I think" soften statements, a natural way to speak in English. Another gem: "What I would do is to first quickly go through all the question types"—using "what I would do" to outline steps. Practice repeating these to sound more native.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Watch out for words like "archaeological" (ar-kee-uh-LOJ-i-kuhl) and "ethnographic" (eth-nuh-GRAF-ik)—they’re tricky, but breaking them into syllables helps. The speaker also uses connected speech: "I’m gonna share" instead of "I am going to share." Mimicking this reduces "stiff" pronunciation. For improve english pronunciation, focus on how "statues" (STACH-ooz) is pronounced with a soft "u" sound. Try shadowing these parts slowly, then speed up to match the speaker’s pace.

Whether you’re prepping for IELTS or just want to speak more smoothly, this video’s natural flow makes it ideal for shadowing technique practice. Hit play, pause, repeat—and watch your English grow!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you like it i will do
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was named · was found · is believed
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	haven't shared · we've finished · have already answered
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	moai, which are · statues, which means · stone which is

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: How This One Simple Method Helped Me Get Band 9 Twice in IELTS Reading - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Grammar in this video

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