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Good IELTS reading exam practice starts with knowing exactly what you’ll face: 3 passages, 40 questions and 60 minutes, across 10 question types that each have their own trap. This guide explains every question type, how to manage your time, the mistakes that cost the most marks, and the best free practice materials.
In Pakistan, IELTS is taken on computer, so you type your answers straight in and there’s no extra time at the end to transfer them. Every correct answer is worth one mark, and there’s no negative marking.
- The IELTS Reading Exam Format
- Academic vs General Training Reading
- All 10 IELTS Reading Question Types Explained
- How to Practise for the IELTS Reading Exam
- Time Management in the IELTS Reading Exam
- The Most Common IELTS Reading Mistakes
- The Best Free IELTS Reading Practice Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
IELTS Reading is 60 minutes, 3 passages and 40 questions, with no penalty for wrong answers and, on computer, no extra time to transfer answers. Learn each question type’s trap, look at the questions before you read, and give each passage about 18–20 minutes. About 30 correct is Band 7 in Academic Reading, about 35 in General Training.
The IELTS Reading Exam Format
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time | 60 minutes, with no extra time |
| Passages | 3 |
| Questions | 40, about 13–14 per passage |
| Marks | 1 per correct answer |
| Wrong answers | No penalty, so answer every question |
| On computer | You type your answers directly; there’s no separate transfer time |
From the official IELTS Academic Reading format.
Academic vs General Training Reading
Both Reading tests have 40 questions in 60 minutes, but the texts are different, and so is the scoring. See the official Academic and General Training formats.
| Academic Reading | General Training Reading | |
|---|---|---|
| Texts | Three long texts from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, written for a non-specialist reader | Everyday texts: notices, adverts, workplace documents and books |
| Structure | Three passages, from descriptive and factual to discursive and analytical | Section 1: two or three short factual texts. Section 2: two work-related texts. Section 3: one longer, more complex text |
| Correct answers for Band 7, on average | About 30 out of 40 | About 35 out of 40 |
Raw-score figures are IELTS’s published averages; the exact number varies slightly by test version.
Practise with material for the test you’re taking. Not sure which one you need? Read IELTS General vs Academic.
All 10 IELTS Reading Question Types Explained
IELTS uses 11 official Reading task types. This guide groups them into 10, because matching features and matching sentence endings work the same way. Each comes with its own instructions, so read them every time.
You choose the right answer from A, B, C or D, or sometimes more than one. The trap: wrong options often reuse words from the passage with a changed meaning. Find the part of the passage the question is about, read it closely, and rule out each wrong option for a reason, not because it looks unfamiliar. The questions usually follow the order of the passage.
TRUE means the passage says it. FALSE means the passage says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means it doesn’t say either way. The trap: choosing FALSE because a statement sounds unlikely. If the passage doesn’t mention it, the answer is NOT GIVEN. The questions follow the order of the passage.
The same logic as TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN, but about the writer’s views and claims, not facts. YES means the writer holds this view, NO means the writer holds the opposite view, and NOT GIVEN means the writer doesn’t say what they think.
You match statements to the paragraph that contains them. The statements don’t follow the order of the passage, which makes this task slow. Read all the statements first, then work through the passage paragraph by paragraph. A paragraph can contain more than one answer.
You match a heading from a list to each paragraph, and there are usually more headings than paragraphs. A heading sums up the whole paragraph, so read the first and last sentences for the main idea, then check the middle. Don’t pick a heading just because it shares one word with the paragraph.
Matching features asks you to match statements, such as research findings, to the people or categories in a list. Matching sentence endings gives you the start of a sentence and a list of endings. The endings rarely use the passage’s words, so read for meaning, and check that the finished sentence is grammatical too.
You complete sentences with words taken directly from the passage. Keep to the word limit: “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS” allows one or two words, and an answer over the limit is marked wrong. The finished sentence must be grammatical. The questions follow the order of the passage.
You fill gaps in a summary, flow chart, table or notes, either with words from the passage or from a box of options; the instructions tell you which. These questions usually cover one section of the passage, so find that section first.
You label parts of a diagram using words from the passage. Find the part of the text that describes the object or process, then match each label to it in order.
You answer questions with words from the passage, within a word limit. Find the exact piece of information asked for and copy it accurately: don’t paraphrase. The questions usually follow the order of the passage.
How to Practise for the IELTS Reading Exam
Time Management in the IELTS Reading Exam
IELTS doesn’t set a time for each passage, so you need your own plan. Here’s a sensible starting point; adjust it once you know which passages take you longest.
| Part | Time |
|---|---|
| Passage 1 | 18 minutes |
| Passage 2 | 20 minutes |
| Passage 3 | 18 minutes |
| Checking and guessing | 4 minutes |
Fill every blank before time runs out: a guess can score, a blank can’t.
If a question has taken more than about 90 seconds, guess, mark it and move on, then come back if you have time at the end. This is a personal practice rule, not an IELTS rule, but every question is worth the same one mark, so no single question deserves five minutes.
The Most Common IELTS Reading Mistakes
Reading the whole passage slowly and carefully before looking at the questions.
Look at the questions first, so you know what you’re looking for. Then skim the passage for its structure, and scan for the details each question needs.
Answering from what you already know: “I know this is true about climate change.”
Every answer must come from the passage. Your general knowledge doesn’t count, and it can mislead you.
Going over the word limit: answering “NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS” with four.
Count your words. “A”, “an” and “the” count as words; a number written in digits counts as one word; a hyphenated word counts as one.
Spending 8 minutes on one difficult TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN question, then running out of time.
Each correct answer is worth one mark, whatever the question. Guess, mark it, move on, and come back at the end.
The Best Free IELTS Reading Practice Resources
- Official IELTS sample questions: free, with every task type. Start with the Academic sample questions.
- Our free 40-question Reading practice test: three passages, a full answer key and an explanation for every answer.
- British Council: free preparation resources, and IELTS Ready. If you book your test with the British Council in Pakistan, IELTS Ready Premium (40+ practice tests, model answers and feedback from IELTS experts) is included free; see the British Council’s benefits page.
- IDP: free practice tests and reading materials on IDP’s preparation page.
- Cambridge IELTS books: paid practice tests from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, one of the three organisations that own IELTS.
- The Guardian and BBC websites: good daily reading to build speed and vocabulary, though not a replacement for timed IELTS practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
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