Using Task-Based Techniques to Teach IELTS Reading
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Shadi
- Classroom Strategies
IELTS Reading is one of the hardest skills for learners to master , not because the language is always complex, but because the test is designed with highly effective distractors that look correct at first glance. Many learners understand the passage, but still lose points due to half-true statements, extreme wording, or subtle detail shifts.
Traditional practice (give passage → answer questions) doesn’t always prepare students for these traps.
A task-based alternative does.
Below is a powerful task type you can implement in any class — online or in-person — to help learners identify and resist distractors before they even read the text.
“Spot the Trap”: A Task-Based Technique for Teaching IELTS Reading
One of the biggest challenges IELTS learners face in Reading, especially in Multiple Choice questions, is falling for distractors. These “almost correct” options are intentionally designed to confuse test takers.
A powerful way to help students understand and defeat distractors is the Spot the Trap task: a task-based activity where students analyze answer options before reading the passage.
This simple shift dramatically improves their accuracy and confidence.
Why This Task Works
Traditional MCQ practice focuses on choosing the correct answer after reading the text.
But IELTS is not just about comprehension—it’s about avoiding traps such as:
- half-true statements
- information from the wrong paragraph
- keywords copied from the text
- extreme or absolute language
- answers that are logically possible but textually unsupported
When students analyse distractors first, they start reading with sharper attention and a clearer understanding of how exam writers manipulate options.
How to Run the Task
Step 1 — Provide Only the Answer Choices (No Passage Yet)
Example options:
- The research was unsuccessful.
- The experiment’s results were unexpected.
- The scientists disagreed on the method.
- The study took longer than predicted.
Tell students they are NOT trying to guess the answer.
Their job is to predict the tricks behind each choice.
Step 2 — Students Discuss Three Key Questions
For EACH option, they answer:
- Why could this option be tempting but wrong?
- What detail would make this option correct?
- What trap might IELTS exam writers be using here?
Below is the teacher model of how students might analyze the distractors.
Detailed Worked Example for Teachers
Option A: “The research was unsuccessful.”
Why tempting?
- Many texts mention challenges or failures, so learners may overgeneralize.
- The word unsuccessful feels negative—students easily latch onto negative language.
What would make it correct?
- A clear statement like: “The research failed to produce any useful results.”
What trap is used?
- Half-true trap: the study may have had difficulties but still succeeded overall.
Option B: “The experiment’s results were unexpected.”
Why tempting?
- Many scientific texts describe “surprising results.”
- Keywords like unexpected, surprising, unpredictable are common.
What would make it correct?
- A sentence such as: “The researchers were surprised by the outcome.”
What trap is used?
Keyword trap: the text might say the results were “significant,” “valuable,” or “important,” not “unexpected.”
Option C: “The scientists disagreed on the method.”
Why tempting?
- Students associate scientific teams with debates or conflict.
- IELTS often describes different viewpoints—easy to misinterpret.
What would make it correct?
- A sentence like: “Members of the research team had conflicting opinions about the methodology.”
What trap is used?
Wrong idea, right topic: the text may discuss disagreement about results, not the method.
Option D: “The study took longer than predicted.”
Why tempting?
- Long-term research, delays, or unexpected obstacles often appear in academic texts.
What would make it correct?
- A line such as: “The project exceeded the original timeline.”
What trap is used?
- Assumption trap: Students assume all research suffers delays, but the text may not mention time at all.
Step 3 — Students Finally Read the Passage
Now they read with:
- higher attention
- knowledge of possible traps
- reduced dependence on keyword matching
- better ability to differentiate between “true,” “false,” and “almost true”
Suddenly, distractors become visible.
Why This Task Fits Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)
This activity is a perfect TBLT-style task because:
- It starts with a real-life problem: choosing correct answers under exam pressure.
- Students work through meaning-focused discussion, not teacher explanation.
- The reading becomes the final task outcome, not the starting point.
- Learners develop autonomous exam strategies, not memorized tips.
Want an extension task?
Ask students to write their own distractors based on a short paragraph.
This teaches them how distractors are crafted and dramatically improves their ability to recognise them.
Bottom line
“Teach them to spot the trap, and they’ll walk into the IELTS Reading test with eyes wide open”
🎓 Ready to apply these ideas? Explore our ready-to-teach IELTS Lesson Plans, dive into more teacher articles, or scroll down to the footer and join the Teacher Newsletter for monthly, research-backed tips and printable tools.
