The Reading test at a glance
You have 60 minutes for 40 questions across three sections. On the computer-delivered test you type or click answers directly; there is no extra transfer time on paper either, so your time management has to be right from the start.
- Academic Reading: three long passages taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, written for a general but educated audience.
- General Training Reading: shorter everyday texts (notices, advertisements, timetables), then workplace texts (job descriptions, policies, training material), then one longer general-interest passage.
As a rough guide, band 7 in Academic Reading needs about 30 correct answers out of 40. General Training needs more correct answers for the same band, because the texts are considered easier.
The question types you will meet
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (or YES / NO / NOT GIVEN for opinions)
- Matching Headings to paragraphs
- Matching Information (which paragraph contains a specific detail)
- Matching Features (people, dates or places to statements)
- Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion, sometimes with a word box
- Sentence completion and short answers
- Multiple choice
- Diagram label completion
Each type rewards a different reading skill, so practising them all, not just your favourites, is essential.
Common traps
NOT GIVEN versus FALSE
This is the most common source of lost marks. FALSE means the passage says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means the passage simply does not say. If you find yourself thinking "well, it is probably true in real life", stop. Your own knowledge does not count, only the text.
Matching Headings
Students often match a heading to a paragraph because one word appears in both. Headings describe the main idea of the whole paragraph, so read the first and last sentences carefully and ask what the paragraph is really about.
Word limits
If the instruction says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, a three-word answer is wrong, even if the meaning is correct. Spelling also counts.
Reading in English as an Arabic speaker
Most readers in Riyadh grew up reading Arabic from right to left, and many studied at least partly in Arabic at school and university. Strong Arabic readers often bring excellent comprehension skills, but a few English-specific habits are worth building:
- Reading speed: if you read every word, three long passages will not fit into 60 minutes. Practise skimming a paragraph for its main idea in 20–30 seconds.
- Vowels and spelling: written Arabic often leaves short vowels out, and some students recognise English words by their consonants. Check spellings carefully when you copy words from the text.
- Paraphrase: questions rarely use the same words as the passage. Building a habit of noticing synonyms (for example "rise" and "increase", "not until" and "only after") pays off quickly.
Expatriate readers from South Asia and the Philippines, many of whom used English throughout their education, usually find speed less of a problem but still lose marks on NOT GIVEN questions and word limits.
A timing strategy that works
- Spend about 17–18 minutes on Section 1, 19–20 on Section 2 and 22–23 on Section 3. The last passage is usually the hardest.
- Read the questions before the passage so you know what you are looking for.
- Do not get stuck. If a question takes more than a minute and a half, flag it and move on.
- Never leave a blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.
How to practise IELTS Reading in Riyadh
Our 52 Reading sets cover Academic and General Training, with explanations for every answer so you can see why the correct option is right. The screens include a highlighter, notes and drag-and-drop answers, just like the computer test.
A practical weekly pattern for a busy Riyadh schedule:
- Two weekday evenings: one full timed section each, then 15 minutes of review.
- One weekend session: a full 60-minute Reading test.
- Daily: five minutes on Daily Vocabulary and your flashcards, which suits a metro ride or a coffee break.
Once you are consistently scoring around 30, move on to the Charged sets. These are deliberately harder Listening and Reading sets for students aiming at band 7 and above, with denser passages and trickier distractors.
Get started
Try a free sample Reading set today. If you like the way the explanations work, register for Full Access: $12 for 2 months, covering every Reading set and mock test.