IELTS Reading

The IELTS Reading Test is the second section of the IELTS exam.

The set of questions extensively examines reading skills. The IELTS Reading Test questions include reading for main ideas, skimming, reading for details, reading for gist, deciphering logical arguments, understanding the purpose, attitude, and opinion of the writer, and so on.

A test taker can mark the answers on the question paper but must transfer them to the answer sheet within the allocated time. No extra time will be provided. Both the IELTS Academic test and the IELTS General Training test have the reading section examination. The former is more challenging than the latter.

Here is a detailed guide to the IELTS Reading Test (for Academic and General Training) including question types, content sources, text styles, and other crucial information.

Different Sections of IELTS Reading

Both IELTS Academic and General Training tests comprise 3 sections. However, the passage contexts and sources vary between the two.

• The texts for the Academic IELTS Reading Test are mainly for non-specialist audiences and are mostly of interest to postgraduate or undergraduate-level students.

1. The text excerpts are mainly from newspapers, journals, books, magazines, and online resources.
2. The texts are in different styles – descriptive, narrative, or even argumentative/discursive.
3. Texts might also have illustrations, graphs, diagrams, and logical arguments.
4. The total text count is approximately 2150-2750 words.

• The General Training IELTS Reading Test is designed for working professionals and individuals planning to migrate to English-speaking countries. It primarily evaluates if the candidate can communicate in general and professional situations.

Section 1 contains 2-3 or more short texts; section 2 contains 2 texts and section 3 has one long text.

1. Section 1 includes everyday topics from which test takers have to pick crucial information.
2. Section 2 concentrates on work topics like training materials, job descriptions, staff development materials, contracts, etc.
3. Section 3 comprises instructive or descriptive content taken from books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

For both Academic and General IELTS Reading Tests, there are 11 different types of questions.

1. Question Type 1 – Multiple-choice
2. Question Type 2 – Identifying information (True/False/Not Given)
3. Question Type 3 – Identifying writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given)
4. Question Type 4 – Matching information
5. Question Type 5 – Matching headings
6. Question Type 6 – Matching features
7. Question Type 7 – Matching sentence endings
8. Question Type 8 – Sentence completion
9. Question Type 9 – Summary/note/table/flow-chart completion
10. Question Type 10 – Diagram label completion
11. Question Type 11 – Short-answer questions

Taking the IELTS reading mock test gives an idea of the generally asked questions. Students become better prepared for the exams by solving IELTS reading practice test​ papers.

IELTS Academic Reading

This section covers all the details regarding the IELTS Academic reading test.

1. Test takers – Postgraduate, undergraduate students, PhD candidates, etc.
2. Test content – It is picked up from online resources, journals, newspapers, books, and magazines.
3. Text styles – Narrative, argumentative or descriptive.

A minimum of one text contains a detailed logical argument. There might also be graphs, illustrations, or diagrams. A reference glossary is provided for technical terminologies.

Candidates must transfer their answers to the answer sheet in the stipulated time as no extra transfer time is provided. Marks may be deducted for incorrect grammar and spelling.

1. No. of sections for the test: 3 (total text length is approximately 2150-2750 words)
2. No. of questions: 40
3. Time: 60 minutes including transfer time
4. Marking system: 1 mark for each correct answer. The final score is a band score between 1 and 9 in half and whole bands.

IELTS General Training Test

The IELTS Reading test for general training is divided into three sections – the difficulty level increases with each section.

Section 1 has 2-3 or more shorter texts. Section 2 has two texts. Last, Section 3 has a single long text.

Candidates must transfer their answers to the answer sheet in the stipulated time as no extra transfer time is provided. Marks may be deducted for incorrect grammar and spelling.

1. No. of sections for the test: 3 (total text length is approximately 2150-2750 words)
2. No. of questions: 40
3. Time: 60 minutes including transfer time
4. Marking system: 1 mark for each correct answer. The final score is a band score between 1 and 9 in half and whole bands.

Scoring Pattern of IELTS Reading

1. Each correct answer receives 1 mark.
2. No negative marks.
3. If a question is left unattended, then there is no score.
4. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 0-9 band scale.
5. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
6. IELTS Band Score & Skill Level

Here are the reading scores for Academic and General Training:

IELTS Reading Test score for Academic Test

IELTS Reading Test score for General Training Test

Kinds of Questions Asked in the IELTS Reading Test

If you want to have an idea of the kinds of questions asked in the IELTS Reading Test, you can check the IELTS reading practice test papers of previous years.

Here are the types of questions in the reading test:

IELTS Reading Practice Lessons and Exercises

Practising IELTS reading mock test questions gives candidates an idea of the kinds of questions asked in every section of the IELTS Reading Test.

Mentioned below are some IELTS reading practice test​ sample questions and exercises:

• Sample content:

The life and work of Marie Curie

Marie Curie is probably the most famous woman scientist who has ever lived. Born Maria Sklodowska in Poland in 1867, she is famous for her work on radioactivity, and was twice a winner of the Nobel Prize. With her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel, she was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics, and was then sole winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

From childhood, Marie was remarkable for her prodigious memory, and at the age of 16 won a gold medal on completion of her secondary education. Because her father lost his savings through bad investment, she then had to take work as a teacher. From her earnings she was able to finance her sister Bronia’s medical studies in Paris, on the understanding that Bronia would, in turn, later help her to get an education.

In 1891 this promise was fulfilled and Marie went to Paris and began to study at the Sorbonne (the University of Paris). She often worked far into the night and lived on little more than bread and butter and tea. She came first in the examination in the physical sciences in 1893, and in 1894 was placed second in the examination in mathematical sciences. It was not until the spring of that year that she was introduced to Pierre Curie.

Questions 1–3

Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text, choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, or choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

1. Marie Curie’s husband was a joint winner of both Marie’s Nobel Prizes.

• TRUE
• FALSE
• NOT GIVEN

Correct Answer: False

2. Marie became interested in science when she was a child.

• TRUE
• FALSE
• NOT GIVEN

Correct Answer: Not Given

3. Marie was able to attend the Sorbonne because of her sister’s financial contribution.

• TRUE
• FALSE
• NOT GIVEN

Correct Answer: True

2. Sample Content

ACCIDENT INSURANCE FOR CITY MEDIA EMPLOYEES

City Media is pleased to offer its employees accident insurance benefits which are unique in the industry. Our insurance package not only insures employees against accidents occurring on the job, but extends to their off-hours. It also provides 24-hour protection to dependants and to eligible partners. A general description of the accident insurance package is shown below. Any questions regarding it may be referred to our Human Resources Department.

Our basic insurance is the same for all employees, and City Media makes enrolling in this program a condition of employment. We make an exception for those who have the same or greater coverage in an alternate plan. However, employees with other plans are still able to have adult dependants enrolled in ours. At this time, City Media does not extend this insurance to temporary staff, whether they are under contract for their services or not.

Further, employees can usually purchase accident insurance for their partners. However, submission and review of an application to the insurance company will determine whether the partner is eligible to participate. The terms in these policies bought for spouses are identical to those in the employees’ policy. This is, of course, provided that he/she has no accident insurance under another plan.

Accident benefits take effect after completing three months of employment. Full-time employees will then automatically receive a minimum $ 80,000 worth of protection. Part-time employees, defined as those scheduled to work less than forty hours per week, will also be offered accident protection, but the amount of this coverage depends on the hours they typically work. Additional insurance is optional and is sold in amounts of $25,000 and capped at $100,000. Anyone who is interested can submit a request to purchase it and will be responsible for the premium as well as the fees to administer it.

If employees take an extended time off work on leave, they can either decide not to carry accident insurance or they can decide to keep it and pay 100% of the expense. Basic insurance protection resumes on the first day of the return to work; however, the optional coverages that are discontinued during this time are not automatically restored. These coverages will resume after a medical, a letter from the doctor, and an assurance that the insurance carrier is satisfied.

Questions 1–5

Complete the sentences. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

The accident protection at City Media is 1 amongst similar companies.

The insurance programme excludes 2 employees.

An employee’s partner is not automatically 3 for the insurance.

The insurance coverage for part-timers is related to their usual number of 4

Employees can send in a 5 for extra insurance.

Answers:

1. Unique
2. Temporary
3. Eligible
4. Hours / hr(s)/ h(s)
5. Request 

• Sample Content

The History of Early Cinema

Note: this is an extract from a General Training Reading text on the subject of the history of early cinema.

In the end it was the United States that was to become, and remain, the largest single market for films. By protecting their own market and pursuing a vigorous export policy, the Americans achieved a dominant position on the world market by the start of the First World War. The centre of film-making had moved westwards, to Hollywood, and it was films from these new Hollywood studios that flooded onto the world’s film markets in the years after the First World War, and have done so ever since. Faced with total Hollywood domination, few film industries proved competitive. The Italian industry, which had pioneered the feature film with spectacular films like ‘Quo vadis?’ (1913) and ‘Cabiria’ (1914), almost collapsed. In Scandinavia, the Swedish cinema had a brief period of glory, notably with powerful epic films and comedies. Even the French cinema found itself in a difficult position. In Europe, only Germany proved industrially capable, while in the new Soviet Union and in Japan, the development of the cinema took place in conditions of commercial isolation.

Hollywood took the lead artistically as well as industrially. Hollywood films appealed because they had better-constructed narratives, their special effects were more impressive, and the star system added a new dimension to screen acting. If Hollywood did not have enough of its own resources, it had a great deal of money to buy up artists and technical innovations from Europe to ensure its continued dominance over present or future competition.

The rest of the world survived partly by learning from Hollywood and partly because audiences continued to exist for a product which corresponded to needs which Hollywood could not supply. As well as popular audiences, there were also increasing audiences for films which were artistically more adventurous or which dealt with wider international issues.

Questions 1–2

Choose TWO correct answers.

1–2 Which TWO possible reasons for American dominance of the film industry are given in the text?

• plenty of capital to purchase what it didn’t have
• making films dealing with serious issues
• being first to produce a feature film
• well-written narratives
• the effect of the First World War

Two correct answers are as follows:

• plenty of capital to purchase what it didn’t have
• well-written narratives

Tips to Get Good Band Score IELTS Reading

Aspiring candidates taking the IELTS Reading Test aim to get a good band score for a better overall IELTS ranking. Here are some effective and essential tips to get a good band score:

How to Calculate IELTS Reading Band Score

There are a total of 40 questions in the IELTS Reading Test.

Every correct answer fetches 1 mark.

Both the Academic and General Training reading test has the same gradation. However, the Academic Reading test is more challenging than the General Training reading test.

Here are the reading marks scores and the respective band scores in the reading test. The marks and the band scores vary little from one test version to another.

• Academic

• General Training