Reading
Following what it, they, this and these point back to, and why the answer often sits a sentence earlier. With a practice exercise.
Reference words in IELTS reading are the small words that stand in for something already mentioned: it, they, this, these, those, such, the former. Writers use them to avoid repetition, and IELTS uses them because following them requires real understanding.
They matter more than their size suggests. When a question asks who said something and the passage says he argues that, the answer is not in that sentence at all. It is wherever he was last named.
How they work
A sentence can contain the answer and still not name it.
A university education should be available to everyone as this will help with employment. This stands in for a university education, which is why the sentence is not clumsy.
A reference word usually refers to the previous sentence, but not always. Some point back two or three sentences, or to a whole idea rather than a single noun.
They find courses difficult, but courses are difficult for them. Same people, different word, because one is the subject and one is the object.
These factors, such schemes, those countries. They gather up several things mentioned earlier, and you have to work out exactly which ones.
The former is the first of two things mentioned, the latter is the second. Getting these the wrong way round reverses your answer completely.
Classifying and matching questions often hide the answer behind a reference word, so the name you are looking for appears nowhere near the statement.
Method
Six checks, and the last one settles almost every doubtful case.
Reference words almost always refer to something already written. Start at the word and read back, not on.
It and this replace one thing. They, these and those replace more than one. That alone rules out half the possibilities.
Grammar narrows it; meaning decides it. If two nouns both fit grammatically, only one of them will make sense in the sentence.
This does not always replace a noun. It can replace an entire previous sentence, particularly after a full stop.
In passages quoting several researchers, he and she can shift between them. Mark each name as you meet it so you never have to reread.
Replace the reference word with what you think it means and read the sentence. If it reads naturally and stays true, you have it right.
Practice
Read the passage, then decide what each underlined word refers to.
New Zealand is becoming an increasingly popular destination for overseas visitors. It attracts tourists and people on business, but the vast majority come as students.
Mostly from Asian countries, they stay for anything from a few weeks to several years, studying at language schools, colleges and universities. New Zealand can offer good homestay accommodation, a clean environment and a reasonable cost of tuition.
These factors attract an ever-increasing number of overseas students, accounting for millions of dollars in revenue. Two agencies monitor the sector: one inspects the schools themselves, the other handles student complaints. The latter receives several hundred cases a year.
1It refers to
New Zealand. Substitute and read it back: New Zealand attracts tourists and people on business. A popular destination is grammatically possible but is a description of New Zealand rather than the thing doing the attracting.
2They refers to
Students. The previous sentence ends with the vast majority come as students, and it is the students who stay for weeks or years. Asian countries is the nearest plural noun, which is exactly why it is offered.
3These factors refers to
Accommodation, environment and tuition cost. These gathers up the three things listed in the sentence immediately before, not the list two sentences earlier.
4The latter refers to
The agency that handles complaints. The latter means the second of two things mentioned. The former would have been the inspecting agency.
5Which reference word could replace Professor Edwards in a following sentence?
He. One person, so a singular pronoun. This is the same skill in reverse, and it is worth practising both directions.
Reference words are the commonest reason candidates find the right paragraph and still get the answer wrong, particularly in Section 3 where the passages get long.
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Five reference words in a short passage is straightforward. A thousand-word Section 3 passage contains dozens, and the answer is often behind one of them.
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Small words that stand in for something already mentioned, such as it, they, this, these, those, such, the former and the latter. They let a writer avoid repetition.
Almost always backwards, to something already written. Start at the reference word and read back rather than on.
The former is the first of two things mentioned, the latter is the second. Confusing them reverses your answer, so check which was named first.
Yes. This and that often replace an entire idea rather than a single noun, particularly at the start of a sentence.
Replace the reference word with what you think it means and read the sentence back. If it reads naturally and remains true, you have it.
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