The Broader the Better
Michael Buckingham Gray • November 17, 2023
Essential to Read Widely
When parents ask what the reading comprehension component of the GATE test is like, I reply that it is broad. Very broad!
The Department of Education in its official GATE Parent Presentation indicates that students may be tested on their ability to “understand and interpret a range of texts, which may include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama, together with diagrams, tables, charts or maps.”
Compare this to what the government post on their website of what Year Sevens may be tested on for NAPLAN - just non-fiction – and the difference could not be starker.
The message, then, is clear. The earlier GATE students interact with a wide range of texts, the better.
Parents can assist their children by buying poetry, or by discussing tables and charts the next time they appear in the newspaper. Parents can also help their children by booking them into Intuition’s GATE preparation classes - classes that will give an overview of all these texts and broaden their comprehension skills.
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By adopting some of the strategies of clever students, one can also improve reading comprehension marks.
