IELTS Academic Reading · The reading skills · Lesson 2 of 12
Developing reading skills 2: detail, opinion and inference
Read in detail, recognise what the writer really thinks, and understand what a text suggests without saying it directly.
In this lesson you will
- read in detail so that small words do not catch you out
- recognise the writer's opinion, attitude and purpose
- separate the writer's view from the views of other people
- read for inference and know when an idea goes too far
Introduction
Three more reading skills
Surveying, skimming and scanning help you find the right part of a text quickly. These three skills help you understand it once you are there. The British Council describes the Reading test as assessing skills that include “reading for detail” and “recognising writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose”.
| Skill | The question you ask | Where it helps most |
|---|---|---|
| Reading in detail | What exactly does this sentence say? | Every question type, once you have found the right place |
| Recognising the writer's opinion | What does the writer think, and how do I know? | Yes / No / Not Given, multiple choice, matching features |
| Reading for inference | What does the text suggest without saying it directly? | Understanding attitude and purpose, multiple choice |
Part A
Reading in detail
Reading in detail, or close reading, means reading every word of one or two sentences slowly and carefully. Do it only after you have used scanning to find the right place. Pay special attention to:
| Look for | Examples |
|---|---|
| Limiting words | only, mainly, some, most, few, a few, almost, at least |
| Negatives | not, never, hardly, rarely, unless, without |
| Contrast and condition | although, however, despite, if, unless |
| Who did what | names, the former / the latter, pronouns such as this and they |
| Time and order | before, after, until, since, tenses |
Find the important word
Click the one word in each sentence that most changes its meaning.
Only two of the cities saw less traffic.
The new line has hardly reduced congestion.
The plan will go ahead unless residents object.
Prices have almost doubled.
Trams are rarely delayed by the weather.
Does it mean the same?
Read each sentence from a text and the statement below it.
- Most visitors arrive by train.
All visitors arrive by train. - Prices almost doubled.
Prices rose by nearly 100%. - The scheme will continue unless funding is cut.
The scheme will end if funding is cut. - Dr Lee, who trained under Professor Ito, discovered the effect.
Professor Ito discovered the effect. - The bridge was completed before the railway.
The railway was finished first. - Few students failed the exam.
Most students passed the exam.
Part B
Recognising the writer's opinion
A text can contain facts, the opinions of other people and the opinion of the writer. To answer correctly, you must know which is which.
| Type | Signals | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The writer's own view | I believe, surely, unfortunately, clearly, it is hard to justify | I am less convinced. |
| Other people's views | critics argue, supporters claim, according to, it is often said | Supporters describe this as a triumph. |
| Evaluative words | remarkable, disastrous, merely, so-called, far from | this is far from a minor detail |
Watch out: when a writer reports a view with Critics argue that…, it does not mean the writer agrees. Keep reading to see what the writer says next. Words such as however and yet often show the writer's real position.
Fact or opinion?
Whose idea is it, if it is an idea at all?
- The bridge opened in 1998.
- Sadly, the bridge has become an eyesore.
- Critics argue that the bridge spoiled the view.
- In 2020, 40% of residents used the bridge daily.
- Surely it is time to rethink this policy.
- According to the mayor, the bridge was a great success.
- I am not persuaded by the council's reasoning.
What is the writer's attitude?
- This remarkable discovery has transformed medicine.
- The policy has been a costly failure.
- Whether these results can be repeated remains to be seen.
- The study involved 200 participants over two years.
- These so-called solutions have solved nothing.
What is the writer's purpose?
- A vaccine works by training the immune system to recognise a virus.
- Governments must act now, before it is too late.
- While solar panels are cheaper to run, wind turbines produce more power.
- This report ignores the evidence and misleads the public.
Part C
Reading for inference
To infer means to understand something that a text suggests but does not say directly. You combine the clues in the text and reach a conclusion that they support.
Note: inference is rarely used in IELTS tests, but it is good to learn because it can help you recognise the writer's opinions more accurately.
| The text says | A sound inference | Goes too far |
|---|---|---|
| Anna checked her watch again and looked towards the door. | Anna is waiting for someone or something. | Anna is angry with her husband. |
| The company, which once employed 3,000 people, now has a staff of 400. | The company has become much smaller. | The company will close soon. |
The test for a good inference: can you point to the words that support it? If you are using your own knowledge or guessing, it goes too far. This matters in IELTS, where many answers must be clearly stated in the text. In True / False / Not Given and Yes / No / Not Given questions, an idea that the text does not support is Not Given.
Can it be inferred?
Read each sentence from a text and the statement below it.
- Despite the heavy rain, the stadium was full.
Many people wanted to see the match. - Despite the heavy rain, the stadium was full.
Everyone in the city loves football. - After the heating was repaired, staff finally stopped wearing coats indoors.
The building had been cold. - Few of the town's young people stay after they finish school.
The town has no university. - The minister, who had promised to attend, sent a junior colleague instead.
The minister did not attend.
What does the text suggest?
Choose the conclusion that the text best supports.
- Although the museum has doubled its opening hours, visitor numbers have barely changed.
- The author's first novel sold millions of copies. Her second was largely ignored.
- Farmers who once relied on the river now drill deep wells for water.
Part D
Put the skills together
Survey and skim the passage first. Then use each skill to answer the questions.
Should cities bring back the tram?
A Forty years ago, most cities in the region tore up their tram lines to make room for cars. Today, more than a dozen have begun to rebuild them, at enormous cost. Supporters describe this as a triumph of common sense. I am less convinced.
B There is no doubt that trams are popular. In Westhaven, passenger numbers rose by 30 per cent in the first two years after the line opened in 2016, and the council's report attributes this entirely to the new service. Yet the same report admits that ticket prices were cut by half in that period. It would be surprising if cheaper fares had played no part.
C Advocates also claim that trams reduce traffic. The evidence for this is mixed at best. A 2021 study of five cities found that congestion fell in two, rose in one and remained unchanged in the others. Much of the new ridership, the researchers noted, came from people who had previously taken the bus.
D Trams do have real advantages. They are quiet, they produce no exhaust in city streets, and passengers using wheelchairs can roll straight on and off. For elderly passengers, this ease of access is far from a minor detail.
E But the cost is hard to justify. Westhaven spent £400 million on nine miles of track. For the same money, the city could have bought a fleet of electric buses, which would have brought most of the same benefits to every neighbourhood and not just those along a single line. Residents of the eastern suburbs, who still wait up to forty minutes for a bus, might reasonably ask why they have been forgotten.
F A tram may be a handsome symbol of a modern city. Whether it is the best use of public money is another question entirely.
Passage written for Tips4IELTS. The city and figures are invented for practice.
Reading in detail
Do the statements agree with the information in the passage?
- 1 The line in Westhaven opened in 2016.
- 2 A tram ticket costs the same as a bus ticket.
- 3 The 2021 study looked at seven cities.
- 4 The study found that congestion fell in most of the cities.
- 5 Some new tram passengers used to travel by bus.
- TRUE “after the line opened in 2016” (B).
- NOT GIVEN Ticket prices were cut, but tram and bus prices are never compared.
- FALSE “a 2021 study of five cities” (C).
- FALSE Congestion fell in only two of the five cities.
- TRUE “people who had previously taken the bus” (C).
The writer's opinion
Do the statements agree with the views of the writer?
- 6 Rebuilding tram lines is clearly a sensible decision.
- 7 Cheaper fares probably helped to increase passenger numbers.
- 8 Trams look better than buses.
- 9 Trams offer some genuine benefits.
- 10 Easy access is important for older passengers.
- NO “I am less convinced” (A) and “the cost is hard to justify” (E).
- YES “It would be surprising if cheaper fares had played no part” (B).
- NOT GIVEN The writer calls a tram “a handsome symbol”, but does not compare how trams and buses look.
- YES “Trams do have real advantages” (D).
- YES “far from a minor detail” (D).
Attitude and purpose
Choose the best answer.
- 11 Who describes the return of trams as “a triumph of common sense”?
- 12 What is the writer's attitude to tram projects?
- 13 What is the writer's main purpose?
Reading for inference
Which of these ideas does the passage support?
- 14 The council's report does not tell the whole story.
- 15 The council deliberately lied to the public.
- 16 The tram line does not serve the eastern suburbs.
- 17 Westhaven will close its tram line within ten years.
- 18 Some residents of the eastern suburbs may feel ignored.
- Can be inferred The report credits the service “entirely”, yet it admits that fares were cut (B).
- Goes too far The report itself admits the fare cut, and nothing suggests dishonesty.
- Can be inferred The residents still depend on a slow bus service and “have been forgotten” (E).
- Goes too far Nothing is said about the line's future.
- Can be inferred They “might reasonably ask why they have been forgotten” (E).
Summary
All six reading skills
- Survey the title, layout and glossary.
- Skim for the main idea of each paragraph.
- Scan for key words to find the right place.
- Read in detail to see exactly what the sentence says.
- Recognise the opinion: who thinks this, the writer or someone else?
- Infer carefully: only if you can point to the words that support your idea.
Lesson and passage written for Tips4IELTS.