What the Reading test looks like
IELTS Reading is 60 minutes long, with 40 questions across three sections. Every correct answer is worth one mark, and your raw score is converted into a band.
- Academic Reading uses three long passages from books, journals and magazines. The topics are general academic subjects such as science, history or psychology, written for a non-specialist reader.
- General Training Reading starts with shorter everyday texts, such as notices and adverts, moves on to workplace texts like job descriptions or staff guidelines, and finishes with one longer general passage.
A student applying to a UK university from King Abdulaziz University and a nurse preparing for General Training face very different texts, so practise the right version. Also note that GT Reading needs more correct answers than Academic for the same band.
The question types you need to know
You will meet most of these over a few tests:
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (or YES / NO / NOT GIVEN for the writer's views)
- Matching Headings
- Matching Information (which paragraph contains…)
- Matching features or sentence endings
- Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion, sometimes with a word box
- Sentence completion and short answers
- Multiple choice
Each type needs its own approach. Matching Headings tests the main idea of a paragraph; summary completion tests detail. Treat them the same way and you lose time.
The two traps that cost the most marks
NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN means the passage does not say whether the statement is true or false. Many students, especially strong general readers, use their own knowledge to decide. If a statement about the Red Sea sounds right to you as someone from Jeddah, that does not matter: only the passage counts. Ask yourself, "Does the text actually confirm or contradict this?" If you cannot point to the words, it is probably NOT GIVEN.
Matching Headings
The trap here is matching a heading to one word in the paragraph instead of the whole idea. A heading that mentions "costs" may match a paragraph that uses the word "price" once, while the real main idea is about safety. Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph, decide its main idea in your own words, and only then look at the list.
A timing plan for 60 minutes
Because there is no transfer time on the computer test, and only a little in practice even on paper, plan like this:
- Passage 1: about 17 minutes. Usually the easiest; bank the marks.
- Passage 2: about 20 minutes.
- Passage 3: about 23 minutes. Usually the hardest.
If a question is taking more than about two minutes, flag it and move on. On our computer-style screens you can use flag for review and the question navigator exactly for this. Never leave a blank: there is no penalty for a wrong answer.
How to practise Reading in Jeddah
Reading is the module where little and often works best. A single passage takes about 20 minutes, which fits into a lunch break on campus, a quiet hour after a shift, or the time before evening family plans.
IELTS Learning has 52 Reading practice sets for Academic and General Training, with explanations for every answer. A good routine:
- Do one passage under time, with the highlighter and notes tools.
- Check your answers and read every explanation, including for the questions you got right by guessing.
- Let the Mistake Notebook save your wrong answers, and review them a few days later.
- Once a week, do a full three-passage test under the 60-minute limit.
Outside the test, build your reading speed with English sources you enjoy: science articles, business news about the port and Red Sea trade, or long-form features. Arabic-speaking students often read accurately but slowly in English; daily reading is the cure.
Charged sets for band 7 and above
For many students in Jeddah the target is 7 or more, often for postgraduate study or professional registration. That usually means around 30 out of 40 in Academic Reading. Our "Charged" Reading sets are harder than standard sets, with denser passages and closer distractors, so that the real test feels more manageable. Use them once you are scoring steadily around band 6.5.
Getting started
Create a free account to try the free sample Reading sets, then add Reading from the full practice tests. Regular IELTS Reading practice with careful review is what moves your score, not the number of passages you rush through.