IELTS Reading: Format, Question Types, Band Scores and Strategy

IELTS Reading checks how well you can find, understand and judge information in written English. You have 60 minutes to answer 40 questions about three sections of text. Every correct answer earns one mark, and your raw score out of 40 is converted to a band from 0 to 9.

There is no extra time to transfer answers at the end. On the computer-delivered test you type or click your answers directly, so the hour is all you get. Plan your time from the start.

Academic vs General Training

Both versions have the same length, the same number of questions and the same question types. The texts are different.

	Academic Reading	General Training Reading
Time	60 minutes	60 minutes
Questions	40	40
Texts	3 long passages	3 sections of increasing difficulty
Total length	about 2,150 to 2,750 words	about 2,150 to 2,375 words
Text sources	Books, journals, magazines and newspapers written for a general (non-specialist) reader	Notices, adverts, handbooks, workplace documents and one longer general-interest text
Style	At least one passage presents a detailed argument. Technical terms come with a short glossary.	Section 1 has 2 or 3 short everyday texts, Section 2 has 2 work-related texts, Section 3 has one long text.

Which version you take depends on why you need IELTS. Universities usually ask for Academic; many work and migration routes ask for General Training. See What is IELTS? for the full picture.

How Reading is scored

Each question is worth one mark. Your raw score is converted to a band using a conversion table. The table below shows typical cut-offs. They vary slightly between test versions, so treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Band	Academic Reading (out of 40)	General Training Reading (out of 40)
9	39–40	40
8.5	37–38	39
8	35–36	37–38
7.5	33–34	36
7	30–32	34–35
6.5	27–29	32–33
6	23–26	30–31
5.5	19–22	27–29
5	15–18	23–26
4.5	13–14	19–22
4	10–12	15–18
3.5	8–9	12–14
3	6–7	9–11
2.5	4–5	–

General Training texts are more familiar, so you need more correct answers for the same band. For how the Reading band combines with your other skills, see IELTS band scores explained.

Question types

Every type below can appear in either version. Each guide explains what the type tests, a step-by-step method, the traps that cost marks, and an original practice example with answers.

Question type	Follows text order?	Guide
Multiple choice	Usually yes	Multiple choice
Sentence completion	Usually yes	Sentence completion
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN	Yes	True / False / Not Given
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN	Yes	Yes / No / Not Given
Matching information to paragraphs	No	Matching information
Matching headings	No	Matching headings
Matching features	No	Matching features
Matching sentence endings	Usually yes	Matching sentence endings
Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion	Usually yes	Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion
Diagram labelling	Not always	Diagram labelling
Short-answer questions	Usually yes	Short-answer questions

For gap-fill types, the rules on word limits, spelling and numbers decide whether a correct idea earns the mark. Read IELTS answer rules before your first practice test.

Time management

• Aim for about 20 minutes per section. The sections get harder, so try to finish Section 1 a little faster and bank the time for Section 3.
• Read the questions before the passage. Knowing what you are looking for turns reading into searching.
• Do the order-based questions first. In a set that follows text order, each answer narrows down where the next one is.
• Save matching headings for when you know the passage. If headings come first in a set, you can still answer the other questions on that passage first and return to them.
• Never leave a blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer. Before time runs out, put your best guess in every empty box.
• Use the review flag. On the computer test you can flag a question and come back to it from the navigator at the bottom of the screen. See The computer-delivered test screen.

Skills that help in every question type

• Scanning: moving quickly through a text to find a name, number, date or key term.
• Skimming: reading fast for the main idea of each paragraph, which you need for headings and matching tasks.
• Recognising paraphrase: questions rarely repeat the passage word for word. Practise spotting the same idea expressed with different words and grammar.
• Reading qualifiers carefully: small words such as only, most, up to and no longer often decide the answer.

Related guides

• What is IELTS?
• IELTS band scores explained
• Answer rules: word limits, spelling and numbers
• IELTS Listening: complete guide

Sources

• IELTS, Academic Reading format and question types
• IELTS, General Training Reading format
• IELTS, Scoring in detail