The Reading paper in brief
IELTS Reading lasts 60 minutes and has 40 questions over three sections. There is no extra time to transfer answers on the paper test, so you must manage the clock yourself.
- Academic Reading uses three long texts from books, journals and magazines. Topics range from archaeology to psychology to environmental science.
- General Training Reading starts with short everyday texts, such as notices and adverts, moves to workplace texts like job descriptions or policies, and ends with one longer general-interest passage.
GT Reading needs more correct answers for the same band than Academic, so do not assume it is the easy option. For Academic, around 30 out of 40 typically corresponds to band 7.
Question types you will meet
Our 52 practice sets cover the full range, each with explanations:
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (and YES / NO / NOT GIVEN for opinions).
- Matching Headings to paragraphs.
- Matching Information: which paragraph contains a given detail.
- Summary completion, sometimes with a word box.
- Multiple choice, sentence completion, table and flow-chart completion, short answers.
Each type needs a different reading method. Headings need gist reading; Matching Information needs scanning for specific detail; TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN needs very careful comparison of meaning.
The two traps that cost the most marks
NOT GIVEN versus FALSE
FALSE means the text says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means the text does not say it at all. Students with strong general knowledge, and that includes many science and engineering students at IIT Guwahati or Assam Engineering College, often answer from what they know rather than what the passage states. Train yourself to point to the exact sentence. If you cannot find one that confirms or contradicts the statement, the answer is probably NOT GIVEN.
Matching Headings
Paragraphs often contain a word that also appears in a wrong heading. That is deliberate. Read the first two sentences and the last sentence of the paragraph, decide the main idea in your own words, and only then look at the list. On our computer-style screens you drag each heading into place, just as on the computer test.
A timing strategy that works
Aim for roughly 17 to 18 minutes on section one, 20 minutes on section two and 22 minutes on the hardest final section. Leave a couple of minutes to check unanswered questions. Our mock tests show a countdown timer and a question navigator, and you can flag a question for review, which makes it easier to practise this discipline.
If one question takes more than about 90 seconds, guess, flag it and move on. A blank answer scores zero; a sensible guess sometimes scores one. Practise this time split in at least three full Reading tests before test day so that it becomes automatic rather than something you have to think about.
How to practise Reading in Guwahati's daily rhythm
Reading practice is the easiest module to fit into a busy schedule because you need no audio and no partner.
- Short drills on weekdays. One section, about 20 minutes, focused on a single question type. Phone is fine for this.
- Full Reading test at weekends. Three passages, 60 minutes, on a laptop, with the highlighter and notes tools.
- Review in the Mistake Notebook. Wrong answers are saved automatically, so you can see whether NOT GIVEN or headings is your real problem.
- Read outside the test. Long-form articles on science, history and the environment build the stamina Academic Reading needs. The North-East's own topics, such as river systems, biodiversity and tea history, are exactly the sort of themes IELTS passages like to use, so read about them in English.
Charged sets for band 7 and above
Once you are scoring steadily around 30 out of 40, regular sets may stop stretching you. Charged sets are harder Reading passages with denser vocabulary and more subtle distractors, built for students aiming at band 7 or higher. Many postgraduate applicants and nurses who need high component scores use them in the final month. A few weeks on harder passages also makes the real paper feel more manageable.
Begin with a free Reading set
Start your IELTS Reading practice with a free sample set from the practice tests page, or register free to sit the full sample mock. Build your word knowledge with Daily Vocabulary: five new words a day adds up over a few weeks. Full Access, ₹999 for 2 months, unlocks every Reading set and the Charged sets.