The concept of 'cognitive load' refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In educational psychology, it is often divided into three types: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Intrinsic load is inherent to the complexity of the material itself, while extraneous load is generated by the way information is presented to learners. Germane load, on the other hand, is the effort devoted to processing and understanding the material, which contributes to learning. Research suggests that instructional design should aim to minimize extraneous load, but not necessarily intrinsic load, as the latter is tied to the difficulty of the subject. Effective teaching strategies often involve scaffolding to help learners manage intrinsic load, thereby freeing cognitive resources for germane processing.
❓ Theo đoạn văn, loại tải nhận thức nào mà thiết kế giảng dạy nên chủ yếu nhằm giảm bớt?
A. A. Tải nhận thức nội tại, vì nó không cần thiết cho việc học.
B. B. Tải trọng không liên quan, vì nó không trực tiếp đóng góp vào việc hiểu.
C. C. Tải trọng liên quan (germane load), vì nó làm quá tải trí nhớ làm việc.
D. D. Cả tải trọng nội tại và tải trọng ngoại lai, vì cả hai đều cản trở việc học một cách tương đương.
✅ 正确答案
B. Extraneous load, because it does not directly contribute to understanding.
IELTS Reading Tips
Skim the questions first, underline keywords, then locate in the passage
Watch for paraphrasing; correct answers are often reworded
Be wary of absolute statements (all, always, never) — usually wrong
Pay attention to content after transition words (however, but, yet)
Manage time: about 20 minutes per passage; skip difficult questions first