The test in one paragraph
IELTS Reading lasts 60 minutes, with 40 questions across three passages. There is no extra time to transfer answers in the computer-delivered test, and on paper the 60 minutes includes writing your answers on the sheet. Academic passages are long, academic-style texts on subjects from archaeology to economics. General Training starts with short everyday texts, such as notices and adverts, moves to workplace documents, and ends with one longer general text. Band 7 in Academic typically needs about 30 correct answers out of 40; General Training needs more correct answers for the same band.
The question types you will meet
- True / False / Not Given (facts) and Yes / No / Not Given (the writer's views)
- Matching Headings to paragraphs
- Matching Information: which paragraph contains a given detail
- Matching features, such as people to opinions
- Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion, sometimes with a word box
- Sentence completion and short answers, with a word limit
- Multiple choice, with one or more answers
On IELTS Learning, each of our 52 Reading sets is tagged by question type, so you can drill the ones that cost you most.
Two traps that cost the most marks
NOT GIVEN
The most common mistake is answering FALSE when the passage simply does not say. FALSE means the passage states the opposite. NOT GIVEN means the information is not there, or not there in enough detail to decide. If you find yourself thinking "well, it is probably true in real life", stop: your general knowledge does not count. Only the text does.
Matching Headings
Headings test the main idea of a paragraph, not a single matching word. A heading that repeats a word from the first line is often a distractor. Read the first two sentences and the last one, decide the purpose of the paragraph in your own words, then look at the list. On computer-delivered tests you drag headings into place, which our sets let you practise exactly.
A timing strategy that holds up
- Aim for roughly 17, 20 and 23 minutes on passages one, two and three, since they usually get harder.
- Read the questions first, then skim the passage for its structure, then scan for answers.
- Most question types follow the passage order, except headings and matching information, so use one answer to locate the next.
- Flag and move on if a question takes more than about ninety seconds. The navigator shows flagged questions so you can return.
- Never leave a blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.
Reading practice that fits a Navi Mumbai day
You probably already read a lot in English: case studies at an MBA college in Kharghar, research papers if you are an engineering or pharmacy student in Nerul, documentation and emails in an Airoli or Mahape office. That helps, but IELTS reading is different: you are hunting for precise answers under time pressure, not absorbing a whole argument.
- On weekday commutes, read one English opinion article or long-form piece on your phone and, at the end, write a one-line heading for each paragraph. It is excellent headings practice and fits a Harbour line ride.
- At home, do one full timed passage on a laptop, so you get used to the split screen, highlighter and navigator.
- At the weekend, sit a complete Reading test, then spend as long again reviewing every wrong answer.
Students reading for General Training, such as IT professionals planning to migrate, should not assume the first sections are easy. The volume of short texts can be tiring, and GT needs more correct answers than Academic for the same band.
Learning from every mistake
Each set on IELTS Learning shows the explanation for every answer and the part of the passage that proves it. Wrong answers go straight into your Mistake Notebook, so a week later you can try them again cold. If the same question type keeps appearing there, that is your next week's focus. The Reading chapter in Study Notes walks through each type with a method you can follow.
When you are ready for harder material
If your IELTS Reading practice is regularly reaching 32 or more, move to the Charged sets. These use denser passages, closer distractors and trickier paraphrasing, which is what separates band 7 from 8 and beyond.
Start with the free sample Reading set on the practice tests page, then register to open the full library.