Do you find it difficult to understand the text in the OET reading paper? Well,
in this video we're going to show you how to identify the main ideas in Reading parts B and
C and we'll also show you some study tips to help you pass the OET exam, let's get started!
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this series let's go the material from this video is all taken from our online digital course reach
oetb available for nursing and medicine it has lots of great activities to help you improve
your reading including test practice so be sure to check it out links below
let's look first at why identifying the main idea of a paragraph is important for
the oec reading paper in reading a you need to skim and scan to find specific information
however in reading parts b and c you will need to identify the main idea of the paragraph
to be able to understand the attitude and opinion of the writer and the gist of the text this can be
extra challenging when you have the time limit of 45 minutes for parts b and c together which comes
to about two minutes per question being able to identify the main idea of the paragraph will help
you use your time effectively you will need to understand the focus and message of the paragraph
in order to answer the question accurately once you've identified the main idea it will also
make it easier to identify the distractors in the answer option and direct you to the correct answer
let's take a closer look at how to do this here we have an example text taken from our reach oetb
course for part b we can see from the headline botulinum toxin a botox bladder wall injection
what the text is about if we read the first paragraph we can identify the idea that the
treatment is used when conventional treatment has been ineffective and is repeated when symptoms
return usually after six to nine months if we read the next paragraph we can see that
the procedure is described and alternative to botox bladder wall injections are given
now let's look at the questions and options which answer would you choose
we know that the first paragraph says it's a procedure which needs to be repeated when
symptoms return so the best fit option is b option a is incorrect as it states that it's used when
oral medication has not worked and in the text there is no mention of oral medication being used
in conjunction with the injections we also know that option c is incorrect because it states the
opposite and that the injections paralyze instead of stimulating so let's take a look
at some study ideas to help you practice identifying the main idea of reading b
read notice boards for example around hospitals and at the dentists
you can also read policies on websites
read documents in the workplace if you're working in an english-speaking environment for example
instruction and procedure manuals or you can find them on the internet if you don't have access
it's a good idea to summarize each paragraph to understand what is the main idea of the paragraph
so let's have a look at reading c here is an extract from our reachoetb course
we can see that the topic sentence here introduces the topic of the paragraph
that the debate continues this is followed by the benefits of breastfeeding and finally we
can see contrasting claims from manufacturers of formula milk and if we summarize the ideas of this
paragraph into our own words we can see that while the debate about breastfeeding versus formula milk
continues there are many benefits to breastfeeding and only claims from formula milk manufacturers
now let's look at how this can help us answer the question correctly here we have the questions
and options the breastfeeding debate highlights the a benefits of breast milk over formula milk
b constituents of breast milk and formula c reasons why women chose not to breastfeed
or d message that breast milk is better for babies which answer do you think fits best
the answer is a supported by the main idea of the paragraph now let's take a look at some
study ideas that you can use in preparation for part c here we have a text taken from
the conversation website with the headline what happens if a far more lethal coronavirus emerges
in pets so first practice your skin reading and quickly skim through the three paragraphs
so let's have a look at the first paragraph in more detail together
so it's a good idea to summarize the main idea in your own words to practice
understanding the main idea and the focus of the paragraph let's take a look at an example
scientists have been discussing whether animals need to be culled or vaccinated
against coronavirus to prevent further mutations as part of a long debate
let's look at the next paragraph which is slightly more information
dense read the paragraph now and take a few moments to summarize the main idea
here is an example there has been evidence since april 2021 that cats mink big cats dogs
ferrets and other species could be infected with and transmit the virus to other animals
and that the source is most likely to be bats so other wildlife could also be infectable
now try with the third paragraph how would you summarize the main idea of this paragraph
what did you write let's have a look at an example here to compare with the consequences
of domesticated animals possibly spreading the virus to humans could complicate controlling
the pandemic and preventative measures like vaccinations and quarantining may be needed so
here are a few more study tips to help you prepare for reading part c using past oet papers and
academic texts available read the whole text and summarize the main ideas of it into one paragraph
you can also select individual paragraphs and then summarize the main idea in one or two sentences it
can also help to read a text and create a spider diagram of the main ideas and supporting points
top tips for identifying the main idea of a paragraph
notice the structure of a paragraph using the topic sentence and understanding the evidence
examples or concluding statements can help to give you an overview of the paragraph read the
paragraph as a whole and not just that individual sentence level to understand how the ideas connect
within the paragraph practice summarizing the main idea of the paragraph in your own words
and this will help you not to be too distracted by the other answer options so which part do you
find more difficult reading b or reading c please let me know in the comments below be sure to check
out our website the links below to see how we can help you pass your oet exam and if you want more
help on this topic check out our other videos on oet reading by clicking here see you next time bye
do you find it difficult to understand something yes i wasn't recording the audio
don't forget to check out our website and see the courses that we've got for you sounds weird
i'll remember next up this is it
now let's look at how this can help us answer the question correctly be sure to check out our
website to see how we can help you with your oet preparation course and don't that forget