Skimming and scanning
Good readers don't always read every word. Skimming means reading quickly to get the gist: what a text is mainly about. Scanning means searching a text for one particular detail, such as a name, a date or a number.
Key facts
- To skim, read the title, any headings, the first sentence and the last sentence. Ask: what is the whole text about?
- To scan, decide exactly what you are looking for first, then let your eyes run quickly over the text until you spot it.
- When you scan, look for clues that stand out: capital letters for names and places, figures for dates and times, and the key word of the question.
- Skim to decide whether a text is useful, or to get the general idea before a closer read. Scan to find a fact in a timetable, a dictionary, a list or a long article.
- In an exam, skim the whole text first, then scan for each answer and read the sentences around it carefully.
Worked examples
Example 1
Skim: ⟦Lost cat! Our cat, Pepper, has been missing since Tuesday. She is small and black, with a red collar.⟧ What is it mainly about?
- The title says ⟦Lost cat!⟧ and the first sentence says the cat is missing.
- The gist is ⟦a missing cat⟧. The collar and the colour are only details.
Answer: ⟦a missing cat⟧
Example 2
Scan: ⟦The coach arrived at eight, and by eleven they had reached the old lighthouse.⟧ What time did the coach arrive?
- The key word is ⟦coach⟧: find it in the text.
- Read the words next to it: ⟦The coach arrived at eight⟧. (⟦eleven⟧ is a different detail.)
Answer: ⟦at eight⟧
Example 3
Skimming or scanning? You look up a word in a dictionary.
- You want one particular thing: the word you are looking up.
- Searching for one detail is scanning.
Answer: scanning