IELTS Academic Reading 2025: Check IELTS Reading Question Types & Band Score

In this question type, you’re presented with a set of statements. Your aim is to identify the nature of the given statement.
 

The statement is 
 

• True: If it is supported by the information given in the passage
• False: if the passage has contradictory information 
• Not given: If there is insufficient information to confirm or deny the statement.
   

How to answer: 
 

• Read the given statements carefully, and mentally note the keywords.
• Using the keywords, find references in the passage that can help you decide whether the given statement is true or false.
• If you cannot find sufficient information, it is most likely ‘Not Given’.

In this question type, you're required to determine whether statements align with the writer's views or claims:
 

• Yes: The statement agrees with the writer's views.
• No: The statement contradicts the writer's views.
• Not Given – The information is not mentioned in the passage.
   

How to answer:
 

• Read the statement carefully and identify the main idea.
• Scan the passage to find relevant information that supports or contradicts the statement.
• Avoid making assumptions; base your answer strictly on the passage.

Matching information is very similar to the Matching Features task type. In this task, you will be given statements that match the passage's correct paragraph. The statements can be descriptions, summaries, facts or explanations of different paragraphs. 


How to answer: 
 

• Read the given set of statements and identify the keywords
• Skim through the passage to get an idea of the subject that is being discussed in each paragraph
• Locate the keywords in the passage to find references 
• Verify the context and finalise your answers

In this task, you'll be presented with statements and a list of features such as dates or locations and characteristics such as height, length, and colour. They may also be potential solutions to a problem statement given in the question.

These statements are extracted directly from the passage. Your aim is to connect the features to the corresponding statements by identifying their relationships within the passage.
 

How to answer: 

• Read through the questions and identify keywords 
• Scan the text and identify the primary subject in each paragraph. Also, try to note the keywords
• Look for synonyms if you can’t directly link the keywords to the passages 
• Then, read through the questions and make connections

These questions require you to match a paragraph with a heading that most accurately summarises it. The main intention behind this task is to check how well you can understand and recognise the subject of discussion in each paragraph.

How to answer: 

• Read through the passage and make a mental note of the ongoing discussion in each paragraph 
• Read the set of headings carefully, paying special attention to the keywords 
• You can try using the process of elimination for each question and eliminate headings that absolutely cannot match the given paragraph
• Review the headings and paragraphs and confirm your answers

In this question type, you will be given incomplete sentences, and you will have to complete the end of the sentence by selecting suitable words or phrases from the given list. 


How to answer: 
 

• Skim through the incomplete sentences to get an idea of the context
• Recognise keywords in each sentence
• Scan your list of options and look for the keywords
• Verify the context and check if the word flows with the rest of the sentence 
• Finalise your answers

The sentence completion task is similar to note completion. You will be given a paragraph with incomplete sentences. You must resolve these sentences by identifying the missing information from the passage.
 

How to Answer: 

• Skim through the passage and familiarise yourself with the general tone and subject of the paragraph
• Look for keywords that will help you identify the missing information
• Go through the passage and locate the keywords. You should also look for synonyms or paraphrased information
• Review and finalise your answers

Under this task, you’re required to fill in missing words in a summary, notes, a table, or a flowchart based on the passage.
 

• Summary Completion: A short version of part of the text with blanks to fill.
• Note completion: Involves filling in missing information in a set of notes.
• Table completion: Requires you to complete a table with information from the text.
• Flow-Chart Completion: A step-by-step sequence where some stages need to be completed.
   

How to answer: 
 

• Read the summary to understand what information it’s missing
• Identify keywords and locate them in the main passage to find missing words 
• Review the context of the words you’ve chosen to match the summary
• Finalise your answers 

This task requires you to label parts of a diagram using words from the passage. The diagram could be a scientific illustration, a machine, or a process.
 

How to answer:
 

• Study the diagram and identify the missing labels.
• Note down the keywords related to the diagram from the passage.
• Reread the passage to find the corresponding information that matches the keywords.
• Match the information with the correct labels on the diagram.