IELTS - Reading
Academic Reading
What does the paper consist of?
Three sections of increasing difficulty
The three texts are taken from a range of sources – magazines, journals, newspapers etc, and at least 1 text develops an argument. There may be diagrams also.
There are 40 questions in total, and 40 marks.
How long does it last?
- 60 minutes – you answer on the question sheet and transfer your answers to the answer sheet
- There is no extra time for transferring your answers (unlike the listening)
What kinds of questions are there?
- Multiple choice
- Short-answer
- Completing sentences and information using no more than 3 words or numbers
- Filling in a table
- Labelling diagrams
- Identifying attitudes
- Yes / No / Not given summaries
- Matching headings to paragraphs
- Matching lists and phrases
General Training Reading
What does the paper consist of?
Three sections and a variety of texts
The first section is ‘social survival’. It looks at basic survival English. The second is ‘training survival’. It looks at English in a training context. The third is general reading.
The texts are taken from a range of common sources – newspapers, advertisements, manuals, leaflets, magazines, newspapers etc.
There are 40 questions in total, and 40 marks.
How long does it last?
- 60 minutes – you answer on the question sheet and transfer your answers to the answer sheet
- There is no extra time for transferring your answers (unlike the listening)
What kinds of questions are there?
- Multiple choice
- Short-answer
- Completing sentences and information using no more than 3 words or numbers
- Filling in a table
- Labelling diagrams
- Identifying attitudes
- Yes / No / Not given summaries
- Matching headings to paragraphs
- Matching lists and phrases
