What the Reading paper looks like
You have 60 minutes for 40 questions across three sections. On the computer-delivered test there is no extra time to transfer answers, so the hour is the hour.
- Academic Reading uses three long passages taken from books, journals and magazines. The third is usually the hardest.
- General Training Reading starts with short everyday texts, such as notices and adverts, then workplace texts, then one longer general passage. GT needs more correct answers for the same band.
Question types include TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN (or YES/NO/NOT GIVEN), Matching Headings, Matching Information, summary completion with or without a word box, sentence completion, multiple choice and short answers.
A timing strategy that works
The most common pattern among students who stall at 6 is spending 25 minutes on the first passage. Try this instead:
- About 17 minutes for Passage 1, 20 minutes for Passage 2 and 23 minutes for Passage 3.
- Skim the passage for one to two minutes to get the topic and the structure of each paragraph.
- Read the questions, then scan for the matching part of the text.
- If a question takes more than about 90 seconds, flag it and move on.
- Return to flagged questions only when the passage is finished.
On our practice screens you have the same flag for review and question navigator as the real computer-delivered test, so you can build this habit before test day.
The two traps that cost the most marks
NOT GIVEN
Students who were taught at school to find the "right meaning" in a text often try to reason their way to TRUE or FALSE. The test is stricter. If the passage does not say it, the answer is NOT GIVEN, even if it seems likely in real life. Ask yourself: does the passage confirm this, contradict this, or simply not mention it?
Matching Headings
Headings test the main idea of a paragraph, not a single word. A heading that repeats a word from the paragraph is often a distractor. Read the first and last sentences of the paragraph, decide its purpose in your own words, then choose.
IELTS Reading practice for Dhaka students
Many students here grew up reading Bangla newspapers and textbooks, and some studied English mainly through grammar rules and set passages for SSC and HSC. That builds accuracy, but not always speed. Others from English-medium schools read quickly but skim too carelessly for detail questions.
Whichever group you are in, the fix is regular timed practice. A few ideas that fit life in Dhaka:
- Do one passage on your phone during a Metro Rail journey or while stuck in traffic. One passage takes about 20 minutes, which is shorter than many commutes.
- Read one long article from an international English-language publication every day, and summarise each paragraph in a few words.
- Keep a list of paraphrases you missed. IELTS rarely uses the same words as the question, so "rise" in a question may be "upward trend" in the text.
If you studied for university admission tests at DU or BUET, you already know how to work under time pressure; apply the same discipline here, and do not let one hard question eat five minutes.
If you are a BUET or medical student used to technical reading, do not assume science passages will be easy. The questions test careful reading of the exact claim, not your knowledge of the subject.
How to practise on IELTS Learning
IELTS Reading practice works best in short, timed blocks with a careful review afterwards.
- 52 Reading sets for Academic and General Training, with explanations for every answer, so you can see why an answer is NOT GIVEN rather than FALSE.
- Charged sets: harder passages and trickier questions for students aiming at band 7 and above. Use them once you are scoring around 28 to 30 out of 40 on standard sets.
- Mistake Notebook: every wrong answer is saved automatically for review.
- Full mock tests to practise all three passages in a single hour.
You can try free sample Reading sets before deciding on Full Access ($12 for 2 months). As a guide, band 7 in Academic Reading usually needs roughly 30 out of 40; General Training needs more. Check the exact score you need with your university or employer, and use the Band Score Calculator to see where your raw score sits.
Building vocabulary for Reading
Reading scores rise when you recognise words quickly, so add a small daily habit. Our free Daily Vocabulary gives you five new words a day, and the flashcards bring them back at the right intervals so they stay.