IELTS Academic Reading – Task Type 7 – Locating Information
Task Description
What are candidates required to do?
In this task type, candidates are asked to locate specific information in the numbered paragraphs of the passage, and to write the letters corresponding to the correct paragraph in the boxes on their answer sheet.
What kind of information might candidates be asked to find?
Candidates may be asked to find
- specific details
- an example of some kind
- the reason for an event, change etc
- a description
- a comparison
- a summary
- an explanation
Will candidates need to find information in every paragraph of the text?
Not necessarily.
Is it possible to identify a section or paragraph more than once?
There may be more than one piece of information that candidates need to locate in a given paragraph. When this is the case, candidates will be told that they can use a letter more than once.
What type of text is most frequently used with this task type?
This task type can be used with any text as it may test a wide range of reading skills, from locating detail to recognising a summary or definition etc.
Understanding the Task
To see an example of this task type please click on the link below
To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the task yourself and analyse what you had to do to find the right answer.
Look at this Sample Task Type 7. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.
Sample
Task Type 7 Task (PDF)
Answers
Things to consider
Now look at these questions about how you approached the task and consider your answers.
- Did you read the passage carefully before beginning the task?
- How did you begin the task?
- Did you look for key words in the item and then scan the passage for them?
- What skills are being tested in this task type?
- How can you help your students to develop these skills?
