IELTS Reading: About

IELTS Reading assesses different reading skills. The questions are the same for both Academic and General Training tests, but the passages are different. The Reading test has three parts, and you get around 60 minutes for 40 questions.

The sections get harder as you go, so save time for the tough questions. Try to limit each section to 20 minutes. You might finish the first part faster and have extra time for the others.
 

IELTS Academic reading is split into three sections, typically featuring one passage each. The timings and number of sections remain the same for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Reading sections. 
 

A number of questions follow each section. There are various question types featured in the IELTS Academic and General Sections, including

• Multiple Choice Questions
• True or False or Not Given
• Flow Chart Completion
• Matching Headings
• Sentence Completion
• Summary Completion
   

Let’s explore the differences between the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Reading Test in detail.

The IELTS exam has two types, and the choice of test depends on your intention of moving to an English-speaking country. The IELTS Academic is best for university-level admissions, whereas the IELTS General Training test is good for migration and admissions for courses that are below degree level.  

Adding to this distinction, the IELTS Academic Reading test features academic-level excerpts from Magazines, Articles, Academic Journals and Textbooks. The texts are written in different styles, such as descriptive, illustrative, and narrative, supported by a logical argument.
 

On the contrary, the IELTS General Reading test passages are sourced from advertisements, instruction manuals, company guidelines, newspapers, and more. The passages featured in the IELTS General test are in an increasing difficulty order, meaning it starts with an easy passage and ends with a slightly complex one.
 

At a glance: 

The questions also differ in both. Below are the task/question types for exams. 

IELTS Academic Reading: Question Types 

• Matching features
• Table completion
• Flow-chart completion 
• Identifying information (true, false, not given)
• Matching headings
• Matching sentence endings
• Multiple choice (more than one answer)
• Multiple choice (one answer)
• Note completion
• Sentence completion
• Summary completion (selecting from a list of words or phrases)
• Summary completion (selecting words from the text)

IELTS General Reading: Question Types 

• Flow chart completion
• Identifying information
• Matching information
• Matching features
• Matching headings
• Note completion
• Sentence completion
• Short-answer questions
• Summary completion
• Identifying information (true, false, not given)

We’ve explained all the reading question types you’ll encounter in your IELTS Academic Reading and General Reading tests! Some questions are specific to Academic and General tests, while others are common in both. 

However, you must keep in mind that though some questions are common for both types of IELTS exam, but the source of passage, complexity and the subject of discussion will differ. 
 

You must familiarise yourself with common terms used in IELTS Reading preparation. Here are some. 

• Keywords: Focus points/words that help you locate important information within the passage
• Skimming: Reading for gist and to understand the main idea
• Scanning: reading quickly to locate a specific piece of information
• Reading for detail: Reading to understand a logical argument, opinions, attitudes and the writer’s purpose

And with that, let’s dive into the question types! 

Matching Features 

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

Table Completion

In the table completion task, you’ll be given a table with missing information. Your job is to study the table thoroughly and fill in the blanks. 
 

How to answer: 

• Study and analyse the given table
• Identify what the question is about and note down the keywords
• Your keyword can be a synonym or a related word
• Reread the passage and find the corresponding information 

Flow-chart Completion

In flow-chart completion tasks, you must complete the diagram or flow chart by filling in the missing information. 
 

How to answer: 

• Break the flowchart structure into segments and analyse what it’s trying to say
• Read the questions 
• Skim the passage and look for key phrases from the flowchart
• Once you identify the missing information, refer back to the question to check if it’s right

Matching Headings 

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

Note Completion 

Note completion questions feature passages that are followed by incomplete notes. The challenge here is to extract the missing information from the given passage and complete the note. 

How to Answer: 

• Skim through the questions and note the keywords 
• You can use the keywords to identify what information is missing in the note
• Scan the passage and locate the keywords from the given note
• Review your answers by rereading the passage and the corresponding note

Sentence Completion 

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

Summary Completion 

In summary completion, you’ll be presented with an incomplete passage summary. Your aim is to complete this summary with the missing information. 
 

There are two types of tasks under summary completion. 

1. Summary Completion (Selecting from a list of words or phrases)

Under this question type, you will receive a summary paragraph with missing information. You will also be given a set of possible answers. You must select the right word from the given words or phrases. 

How to Answer: 

• Go through the summary, focusing on the missing information
• Identify keywords that can help you find answers
• Use a method of elimination while going through the list of words/phrases 
• Review and finalise your answers 

Summary Completion (Selecting words from the text)

Under this task, you will be given a summary with incomplete sentences. However, you will not be given any list of words/phrases to choose the missing information. You must refer to the main passage to fill in the missing information. 
 

This task typically only appears in the IELTS Academic Reading test. 

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 

Identifying information (True, False, Not Given)

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, 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’

Matching Sentence Endings 

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

Multiple Choice Questions

MCQs are straightforward; you will be given a question followed by one or more correct answers. You must select the option that best matches the information given in the passage. There are two types of MCQ questions that are asked in IELTS Readings. 

1. Multiple Choice Questions (More than one answer) 

Under this question type, you must select two or more possible answers that accurately match the passage. 

How to answer: 

• Skim through the questions and identify the keywords
• Use the elimination method and recognise options that include inaccurate or false information as per the given passage 
• Verify the final answers with the passage 

2. Multiple Choice Questions (One answer) 

This is the typical MCQ type. You just need to select one answer out of the 4 options given to you.

How to answer: 

• Skim through the questions and identify the keywords
• Use the elimination method and recognise options that include inaccurate or false information as per the given passage 
• Match each option with the passage and choose an answer most accurately supported by the information in the passage. 
• Cross-check your answers and finalise them

Matching Information 

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 

Short-answer Questions 

In this task, you will be given a set of questions with missing information, typically sentences with blank spaces. You must complete each statement with one word or phrase (as instructed). 

How to answer: 

• Read the questions first to understand what information you need to look for in the passage
• Skim the passage and look for keywords 
• You may have to look for synonyms or paraphrases to locate the answer 
• Verify your answers and finalise them

The IELTS Reading Band Score contributes to your overall score. IELTS Reading is scored on a scale of 0-9, just as the other modules. 

There are 40 questions on your IELTS Reading test, and each right answer will get you one point. There is no negative marking for wrong answers. The sum of all the right answers will give you your ‘Raw Score’.Your final score is calculated by converting your raw score to the IELTS band scale. 
 

The IELTS Reading Academic and General Tests are scored on the same scale. However, it's important to note that due to the increased complexity of the Academic Reading section, achieving a higher band score requires a higher percentage of correct answers than the General Training Reading section. There will be slight differences in conversion to band scale. 

Here is a conversion table for your reference.