IELTS Reading tips: time, technique and question types

The short answer

IELTS Reading gives you 60 minutes for 40 questions, each worth one mark. In Academic Reading there are three passages totalling 2,150–2,750 words; in General Training there are three sections of increasing difficulty totalling 2,150–2,375 words. You cannot read every word slowly and still finish, so the most useful IELTS Reading tips come down to four habits: plan your time before you start, skim for the overall picture and scan for specific details, use a different method for each question family, and record every answer carefully.

Explanation, step by step

Step 1: Plan your 60 minutes

With three passages and 60 minutes, a simple starting plan is about 20 minutes per passage. This is not an official rule, just a practical baseline. In General Training the sections get harder as you go, so you may want to move a little faster through Section 1 and bank time for Section 3, which is one longer general-interest text. Try the plan in timed practice and adjust it once you know where you tend to slow down.

Step 2: Know when to skim and when to scan

• Skimming means reading quickly for the general idea: the title, the first and last sentences of each paragraph, and any obvious topic words. Use it at the start of a passage and for questions about main ideas, such as matching headings.
• Scanning means moving your eyes over the text to find one specific thing: a name, a date, a number, a technical term or a word from the question. Use it for detail questions such as completion tasks and short answers.
• Close reading comes after you have found the right place. Slow down and read the relevant sentence or two carefully, because the answer often depends on a small word such as 'some', 'only', 'initially' or 'not'.

Step 3: Read the questions before you read in detail

After a quick skim, look at the questions and underline the key words, especially names, numbers and unusual terms that are easy to scan for. Remember that the passage will often express the same idea with different words, so look for meaning rather than an exact match. Read the instructions every time: they tell you what kind of answer is wanted and any limit on how many words you may use.

Step 4: Use a method for each question family

The official question types are multiple choice; identifying information (True/False/Not Given); identifying the writer's views or claims (Yes/No/Not Given); matching information; matching headings; matching features; matching sentence endings; sentence completion; summary, note, table or flow-chart completion; diagram label completion; and short-answer questions. They fall into a few families, each with its own approach.

Step 5: Record answers carefully

Marks can be lost after you have found the right answer. Record each answer as you go rather than saving them all for the end, check that the question number matches, copy words exactly as they are spelt in the passage, and keep within the word limit. If you skip a question, mark it clearly so you can return to it, and make sure no answer is left blank before time runs out: a guess costs you nothing.

Worked example

The short passage and questions below were written by Stride as a study model. They are not official IELTS material or a past paper.

• 1. The mobile library was originally a vehicle built for a different purpose.
• 2. The bus served every village in the region.
• 3. All residents supported the mobile library service.
• 4. By 2005 the council had added a second ________.

Notice the pattern: question 2 tempts you to answer FALSE because 'eight villages' sounds limited, but nothing in the text contradicts the statement. FALSE needs evidence against the statement; NOT GIVEN means there is no evidence either way.

Common mistakes

• Reading the whole passage slowly before looking at the questions, then running out of time.
• Spending several minutes on one hard question when every question is worth the same single mark.
• Matching words instead of meaning: choosing an option because it repeats a word from the text.
• Confusing FALSE with NOT GIVEN, or using your own general knowledge instead of what the passage says.
• Choosing a heading because it matches one detail rather than the paragraph's main idea.
• Ignoring the word limit, or writing a synonym when the instructions ask for words from the passage.
• Misspelling a word that could have been copied directly from the text.
• Writing an answer against the wrong question number after skipping an item.
• Leaving blanks instead of making a sensible guess at the end.

How to practise this

1. Practise skimming on its own: give yourself a minute to skim a passage, then write one line summarising each paragraph.
2. Practise scanning: pick five names, dates or numbers from a text and time how quickly you can find each one.
3. Drill one question family at a time, especially True/False/Not Given and matching headings, then mix them.
4. Do full timed tests to test your time plan, and note which passage or question type slows you down.
5. After each test, review every wrong answer and identify the cause: timing, vocabulary, a misread instruction or a recording error.
6. Keep a record of paraphrases you missed, such as 'converted' meaning 'built for another purpose', so you learn to spot them.

To track your progress, compare your raw score with the published conversion figures. For Academic Reading, IELTS publishes 15 correct out of 40 as band 5, 23 as band 6, 30 as band 7 and 35 as band 8. For General Training Reading, 15 is band 4, 23 is band 5, 30 is band 6 and 35 is band 7, so General Training needs more correct answers for the same band.

Stride's timed Reading tests, in both Academic and General Training versions, mark instantly and explain each answer, which makes the review step quicker. The explanations show you where in the passage the answer sits, so you can see whether you missed a paraphrase or misread the question. Stride is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with the IELTS partners.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I spend on each Reading passage?

You have 60 minutes for three passages, so about 20 minutes each is a sensible starting point. This is a practice guideline, not an official rule. In General Training the sections increase in difficulty, so many candidates aim to save a little time early on for the final section.

Should I read the questions or the passage first?

A common approach is to skim the passage briefly for its overall structure, then read the questions and underline key words, then scan back to the relevant parts and read those closely. Try different orders in timed practice and keep the one that gives you the best accuracy within the time.

What is the difference between True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given?

True/False/Not Given asks whether statements agree with the information in the passage. Yes/No/Not Given asks whether statements agree with the writer's views or claims. In both, NOT GIVEN means the passage neither confirms nor contradicts the statement.

How many questions do I need to get right for band 7?

According to the scoring information published by IELTS, 30 correct answers out of 40 corresponds to band 7 in Academic Reading. In General Training Reading, 35 correct answers corresponds to band 7.

Is General Training Reading easier than Academic Reading?

They use different texts. General Training includes short everyday texts, workplace texts and one longer general-interest text, while Academic uses three longer passages. General Training needs more correct answers for the same band, so neither should be treated as an easy option.

How many marks is each question worth?

There are 40 questions and each is worth one mark.

Related guides

• IELTS Reading question types explained
• IELTS Reading True / False / Not Given: how to get them right
• IELTS vocabulary by topic
• IELTS grammar lessons for Writing and Speaking