This article is part of our Complete IELTS Preparation Guide — all four skills covered with interactive practice exercises.
The IELTS Reading test is one of the most time-pressured components of the exam. You have 60 minutes to read three passages and answer 40 questions — with no extra time to transfer answers. Understanding every question type and having a clear strategy for each is the difference between Band 6 and Band 7+.
This guide walks through every question type in detail, with step-by-step IELTS reading strategies, a time management plan, vocabulary tips, and a full comparison of Academic and General Training reading.
IELTS Reading: The Overview
Both Academic and General Training versions of IELTS include a 60-minute reading section. The Academic test features three long passages drawn from books, journals, newspapers, and magazines on topics of general academic interest. Passages range from approximately 700 to 900 words each and increase in complexity from Passage 1 to Passage 3.
General Training reading differs in structure: Section 1 contains shorter texts such as advertisements or notices; Section 2 contains two workplace-related texts; Section 3 contains one longer, more complex text similar to the Academic passages. Both formats have 40 questions and the same 60-minute time limit, with no extra transfer time — you write answers directly on the answer sheet as you go.
Raw scores out of 40 are converted to band scores on the 1–9 scale. The conversion differs slightly between Academic and General Training, with General Training being slightly more lenient at lower bands.
Band Score Conversion
| Raw Score (out of 40) | Academic Band | General Training Band |
|---|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 | 8.5 |
| 33–34 | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| 30–32 | 7.0 | 7.5 |
| 27–29 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| 23–26 | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| 19–22 | 5.5 | 6.0 |
| 15–18 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
All Question Types and How to Tackle Each
True / False / Not Given
This is the most feared question type. You are given a series of statements and must decide whether each one agrees with the passage (True), contradicts the passage (False), or whether the passage contains no information about it (Not Given).
The critical distinction is between False and Not Given. False means the text explicitly says the opposite of the statement. Not Given means the text simply does not mention the point — even if the statement seems logically plausible or likely to be true in real life.
Step 1: Read each statement and underline the key subject or claim.
Step 2: Scan the passage for the relevant section (questions follow the order of the text).
Step 3: Ask: does the passage state this, contradict this, or simply not address it?
Step 4: Never infer or use outside knowledge. If the passage does not say it, it is Not Given.
Students mark Not Given as True because the statement “seems right.” Always base your answer only on what the passage actually states, not what you already know about the topic.
Yes / No / Not Given
Very similar to True/False/Not Given, but the key difference is what you are evaluating. Yes/No/Not Given questions ask you to assess the writer’s opinions, claims, or views, not factual information.
Yes means the statement agrees with the writer’s opinion. No means the statement contradicts the writer’s view. Not Given means the writer does not express a view on this matter.
True/False/Not Given = facts and information. Yes/No/Not Given = opinions and views. Look for opinion markers: believes, argues, suggests, considers, claims, feels, thinks.
Matching Headings
You are given a list of headings (usually more than the number of paragraphs) and must match each heading to the correct paragraph. This tests your ability to understand the main idea of each paragraph.
Step 1: Read all the headings first so you know what ideas to look for.
Step 2: Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph — these usually contain the main idea.
Step 3: Match the heading that captures the overall point of the paragraph, not just a detail mentioned within it.
Step 4: Leave any paragraph you find difficult and come back once you have eliminated options.
Students often match a heading because it contains a word that also appears in the paragraph. A heading must reflect the main idea of the whole paragraph, not just one sentence within it. Distractor headings are designed to catch this mistake.
Matching Information
You must find which paragraph contains a specific piece of information — a detail, reason, description, or example. Unlike Matching Headings, you are looking for specific information, not a main idea.
Step 1: Read each question and underline the key detail or concept you need to find.
Step 2: Scan each paragraph quickly for that information — do not read every word.
Step 3: Note that some paragraphs may be used more than once (the instructions will state this) or not at all.
Sentence Completion / Summary Completion
You complete sentences or a short paragraph using words from the passage. The instructions specify the word limit, typically ONE WORD ONLY, NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, or NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
Step 1: Read the sentence or summary and predict the type of word needed (noun, adjective, verb, number).
Step 2: Identify the part of the passage the question refers to by scanning for key words from the sentence stem.
Step 3: Copy the exact word(s) from the passage — do not paraphrase or change the form.
Step 4: Always check the word limit — exceeding it means an automatic wrong answer, even if the content is correct.
Copy words exactly as they appear in the passage. IELTS markers deduct marks for spelling errors. British spellings (e.g. colour, organised, behaviour) are accepted alongside American spellings.
Multiple Choice
You choose the best answer from four options (A, B, C, D) or sometimes select multiple correct answers from a longer list. Multiple choice in IELTS is notoriously tricky because the wrong options often contain words from the passage but misrepresent the meaning.
Step 1: Read the question stem carefully before looking at the options.
Step 2: Locate the relevant section of the passage and read it carefully.
Step 3: Use elimination: cross out any option that is clearly wrong, contradicts the passage, or is not mentioned.
Step 4: Between remaining options, look for the one that most precisely matches the passage — beware of answers that are partially correct but not the best match.
Short Answer Questions / List Selection
Short answer questions ask you to answer a question using words from the passage within a stated word limit. List selection asks you to choose a specified number of correct items from a list.
Short answers: Treat these like sentence completion. Identify key words in the question, scan for the relevant passage section, and copy the answer directly from the text.
List selection: Read all the options, locate the relevant part of the passage, and systematically check each option against the text. Do not rely on general knowledge.
Time Management: Splitting 60 Minutes
The most common reason candidates underperform on IELTS Reading is running out of time. Here is a recommended time split:
In practice, stronger readers spend 17–18 minutes on Passages 1 and 2, banking 2–3 extra minutes for Passage 3. If you are spending more than 2 minutes on a single question, move on and return at the end — unanswered questions score zero, so a guess is always better than a blank.
Unlike the Listening test, IELTS Reading gives you no extra time to transfer answers. Write your answers on the answer sheet as you complete each question, not at the end.
Should You Read the Passage or Go to the Questions First?
The most effective approach for most candidates is the skim-then-scan method:
- Skim the passage (2–3 minutes): Read the title, subheadings, first sentence of each paragraph, and the last paragraph. This builds a mental map of where different information lives.
- Read the questions: Underline key words in each question so you know exactly what to look for.
- Scan for answers: Return to the passage and scan for specific information, reading in detail only the relevant section.
Reading the entire passage word-for-word before looking at the questions is inefficient and consumes too much time. Equally, going straight to the questions with no passage overview makes it harder to locate answers quickly.
Vocabulary Strategies for Unknown Words
IELTS passages often contain technical or academic vocabulary you may not recognise. These strategies help you handle unfamiliar words without losing marks:
- Context clues: Read the sentence and the sentence before/after. The surrounding text usually hints at meaning. Look for contrast words (however, although, but) and similarity words (similarly, likewise, also).
- Word roots and affixes: Break the word into recognisable parts. Bio- (life), -ology (study of), -tion/-sion (noun suffix), un-/in-/dis- (negative prefix). For example, biodegradable = bio (life) + degradable (able to break down).
- Grammatical function: Identify whether the unknown word is a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. This narrows its possible meaning significantly.
- Don’t panic: You rarely need to understand every word to answer the questions. Focus on locating the specific information required, not on comprehending every sentence perfectly.
Common Mistakes in IELTS Reading
| Mistake | Why It Happens | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Exceeding the word limit | Including articles or extra words | Count words carefully; articles (a, the) count |
| Confusing False and Not Given | Applying outside knowledge | Only use what the passage states, nothing else |
| Running out of time on Passage 3 | Spending too long on Passages 1–2 | Use a watch; move on from difficult questions |
| Matching headings by keyword | Seeing a shared word and assuming a match | Read the full paragraph; match the main idea |
| Spelling errors in gap-fill | Misreading or miscopying from passage | Copy the exact word; double-check spelling |
| Writing answers on question paper only | Assuming transfer time exists | Write on answer sheet throughout the test |
Academic vs General Training Reading
The key differences between the two versions are the text types and the difficulty curve:
| Feature | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | One long academic text (~750 words) | Two or three short texts (adverts, notices, schedules) |
| Section 2 | One long academic text (~800 words) | Two workplace texts (manuals, job descriptions) |
| Section 3 | One complex academic text (~900 words) | One longer text on a topic of general interest |
| Text sources | Academic journals, textbooks, magazines | Everyday materials, workplace documents |
| Score conversion | Standard band scale | Slightly more lenient at lower bands |
| Who takes it | University/professional applicants | Secondary school, work experience, migration |
Practise These Skills with Free Exercises
The best way to improve IELTS Reading is timed practice with authentic-style texts. These exercises on LexFizz help you build the core skills:
- Cloze Dropdown — practise selecting the right word from options, mirroring gap-fill question types.
- Match Up — develop the rapid matching skills needed for Matching Headings and Matching Information.
- Group Sort — categorise information quickly, training the scanning ability used across all Reading question types.