IELTS Reading

IELTS Reading section: 60 minutes

The IELTS Reading section consists of 40 questions. These are about reading for gist, main ideas, details, skimming, understanding logical arguments and writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose.

IELTS Academic test consists of 3 long essays. These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. These essays are suitable for people entering universities or seeking professional courses.

IELTS General Training test contains extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment.

Tips and Tricks for IELTS Reading section preparation

IELTS Academic: This test contains 3 long passages. So, give 20 minutes for each passage.

• Skim through the passage and underline key words to identify each paragraph in the reading in first 5 minutes. This gives you a good understanding about the passage.
• For YES, NO, NOT GIVEN and TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN type of questions- Mark YES if you find strong evidence to say YES (TRUE), mark NO (FALSE) if you find strong evidence to say NO from the passage or else mark NOT GIVEN.
• For Match the paragraph with suitable heading type of questions: Answers are found in the first two sentences or the last two sentences of the passage. Match the content of those sentences with the headings.
• All the other type of questions can be easily answered. The major success of scoring high in the reading section depends on the information you absorb during the first 5 minutes while skimming through the essay.

IELTS General Training: This test consists of 1 long passage and 3 short passages. It consists of 40 questions.

• Follow same steps as mentioned above.
• IELTS General Training Reading section questions are relatively easy compared to that of IELTS Academic. But test takers need to be quick in skimming through the essays.