What the Reading test looks like
IELTS Reading lasts 60 minutes and has 40 questions across three passages. There is no extra transfer time in the computer-delivered test, and in the paper test you write answers directly on the answer sheet within the hour.
- Academic Reading: three long passages from books, journals and magazines, often on science, history, environment or social topics.
- General Training Reading: shorter everyday texts such as notices and adverts, then workplace texts such as job descriptions and policies, then one longer general-interest passage.
Roughly 30 correct answers out of 40 often gives band 7 in Academic Reading. General Training needs more correct answers for the same band because the texts are easier.
The question types you will meet
On IELTS Learning, our 52 Academic and General Training sets cover all the main types, with explanations for every answer:
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (and YES / NO / NOT GIVEN for opinions).
- Matching Headings to paragraphs.
- Matching Information: which paragraph contains a detail.
- Summary completion with a word box, using drag-and-drop like the computer test.
- Multiple choice, sentence completion, note and table completion, and diagram labelling.
The two traps that cost the most marks
NOT GIVEN
Many students mark FALSE whenever a statement "feels wrong". The rule is simple but strict: FALSE means the passage says the opposite; NOT GIVEN means the passage does not say it at all. Engineers in particular tend to use logic and background knowledge to fill gaps. In IELTS you must not. If the passage does not state it, it is NOT GIVEN, even if you know it is true.
Matching Headings
Headings are about the main idea of a paragraph, not a word that appears in it. Examiners deliberately put a tempting word from the paragraph into a wrong heading. Read the first two sentences and the last sentence of the paragraph, decide its purpose in your own words, then look at the list.
A timing strategy that works
Aim for about 17 to 18 minutes on Passage 1, about 20 minutes on Passage 2 and 22 to 23 minutes on Passage 3, because the passages usually get harder.
- Look at the questions for a section before reading.
- Skim the passage for one to two minutes to get its structure.
- Answer questions in order where they follow the text (most types do; headings and matching information do not).
- If you are stuck for more than 90 seconds, flag the question and move on.
- Leave no blanks. A guess cannot lose you marks.
On our computer-style screens you can highlight words, add notes and flag questions, exactly the habits you will use on test day.
Reading habits for Coimbatore students
Students from Coimbatore's engineering and science colleges usually read textbooks and lab manuals well but rarely read long non-technical prose. The fix is to read outside your field: popular-science magazines, long-form journalism on history and society, and opinion pieces. Twenty minutes a day during the bus ride or before bed makes a visible difference within a month. Try summarising each article in one sentence afterwards; that is exactly the skill Matching Headings tests.
If you are a textile, fashion technology or agriculture graduate, you will occasionally meet passages close to your subject. That helps with vocabulary, but be careful: background knowledge is exactly what tricks people on NOT GIVEN questions.
General Training candidates, often working professionals planning migration, should practise the workplace section carefully. Job advertisements, HR policies and training notices have precise wording that the questions test closely.
How to practise in stages
- Untimed accuracy first. Do one passage slowly, then read every explanation, including for answers you got right.
- One question type per week. Use your Mistake Notebook to see which type fails most often and practise only that type until your accuracy improves.
- Timed single passages. Give yourself 20 minutes per passage.
- Full timed sets. Three passages in 60 minutes.
- Charged sets. Once you reach about 30/40 consistently, move to the harder Charged Reading sets, built for students aiming at band 7 and above.
Start your IELTS Reading practice in Coimbatore
You can try free sample Reading sets without paying. Create your free account or look through the practice tests, and pick up new vocabulary daily with Daily Vocabulary. Consistent IELTS Reading practice, a little every day, beats a long weekend cram.