What the Reading module looks like
You get 60 minutes for 40 questions across three passages. There is no extra transfer time on the computer test, and on paper the 60 minutes includes writing answers on the sheet. Each correct answer is one mark; band 7 in Academic Reading needs roughly 30 out of 40, while General Training needs more correct answers for the same band.
The common question types are:
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (or YES / NO / NOT GIVEN for opinions)
- Matching Headings to paragraphs
- Matching Information (which paragraph contains a detail)
- Summary, sentence, note and table completion, sometimes with a word box
- Multiple choice with one or more answers
- Matching features (people, dates or theories to statements)
- Diagram and flow-chart labelling
A timing plan for 60 minutes
Passages get harder as you go, so do not split your time evenly. A practical plan:
- Passage 1: about 17 minutes.
- Passage 2: about 20 minutes.
- Passage 3: about 23 minutes.
If a question is taking more than two minutes, flag it and move on. On the computer test, the navigator shows flagged questions so you can return at the end. Never leave a blank: there is no negative marking.
Academic vs General Training Reading
Academic passages come from books, journals and magazines: long, dense texts on science, history, psychology or environment, often with an argument running through them. General Training starts with short everyday texts (notices, adverts, timetables), moves to workplace texts (contracts, staff guidelines, training material), and ends with one longer general-interest passage. GT feels easier at first, but because more correct answers are needed for each band, careless mistakes cost more.
The two traps: NOT GIVEN and Matching Headings
NOT GIVEN
This is where most students lose marks. The rule is simple but hard to follow under pressure: answer only from the passage, never from what you know.
- TRUE: the passage says the same thing, usually in different words.
- FALSE: the passage says the opposite.
- NOT GIVEN: the passage does not say either way.
If you find yourself reasoning "it must be true because...", that is usually NOT GIVEN. Watch qualifiers: "some", "most", "always", "only", "first".
Matching Headings
Headings summarise the main idea of a paragraph, not a detail in it. The classic trap is a heading that repeats a word from one sentence in the paragraph. Read the first two lines and the last line of each paragraph, decide the main idea in your own words, then look for the heading. Do this question type first when it appears, because it gives you a map of the passage for the other questions.
From competitive-exam reading to IELTS Reading
If you have prepared for BPSC, UPSC or bank exams in Patna, you already have useful habits: reading quickly, eliminating options and working against a clock. Those transfer well to IELTS Reading practice. A few habits need adjusting:
- General knowledge can hurt you. In GS, outside knowledge helps. In IELTS, it pushes you towards wrong TRUE answers when the correct answer is NOT GIVEN.
- Paraphrase is everything. IELTS rarely uses the same words in the question and the passage. Train yourself to spot "a rise in" matching "grew" or "climbed".
- Spelling counts. In completion questions, a misspelt word is wrong, even if you found the right place.
- Hindi-medium readers: if you studied mainly in Hindi until college, you may read accurately but slowly. That is fixable. Daily timed passages build speed faster than reading novels.
Long English texts are also good practice in the gaps between other study: an English newspaper editorial, a science magazine article on your phone during a wait at Patna Junction. But nothing replaces timed IELTS passages.
How to practise IELTS Reading on IELTS Learning
You have 52 Academic and General Training sets, each with explanations that show where in the passage the answer is and why the other options are wrong.
- Weeks 1–2: one question type at a time, untimed, reading every explanation.
- Weeks 3–4: full passages with a timer, using the highlighter and notes as you would on test day.
- From week 5: full 60-minute Reading tests inside your mocks.
Every wrong answer goes into your Mistake Notebook automatically. Review it weekly and you will see a pattern within a fortnight.
Charged sets for band 7+
Once you are consistently scoring around 28–30 out of 40, move to the Charged Reading sets. They use denser passages, closer distractors and trickier paraphrasing, so that the real test feels manageable.
Start with the free sample Reading sets: register free or browse the practice tests.