The Reading test at a glance
You have 60 minutes for 40 questions across three passages. There is no extra time to transfer answers on the paper test, and on the computer test the clock simply runs out. Each correct answer is worth one mark, and for Academic Reading roughly 30 correct answers out of 40 is usually needed for band 7. General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band, because the early texts are easier.
Academic vs General Training Reading
Academic passages are long texts adapted from books, journals and magazines, on topics such as archaeology, urban planning or animal behaviour. They are written for a general educated reader, not specialists, but the vocabulary is dense.
General Training starts with short everyday texts such as notices, advertisements and timetables, moves on to workplace documents such as job descriptions or staff policies, then ends with one longer general-interest passage.
Many professionals in Karachi preparing for a move to Canada or Australia take General Training and underestimate it. The final passage is close to Academic level, and the early sections reward careful scanning rather than general understanding.
Question types and their traps
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (and YES / NO / NOT GIVEN)
The biggest single source of lost marks. FALSE means the passage says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means the passage does not say either way. Students often choose FALSE because a statement "seems wrong" from their own knowledge. Ignore what you know; answer only from the text.
Matching Headings
The headings describe the main idea of a paragraph, not a detail in it. A heading that repeats a word from the paragraph is often a distractor. Read the first two sentences and the last sentence of each paragraph before looking at the headings.
Matching Information
You must find which paragraph contains a specific piece of information, such as an example, a reason or a comparison. Paragraphs can be used more than once, and the information is often hidden in the middle.
Summary completion with a word box
The words in the box are frequently paraphrases of the passage. Check grammar too: if the gap follows "a", you need a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound.
Multiple choice, sentence completion and short answers
Watch the word limit. "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS" means three words is wrong, even if the meaning is correct.
A timing strategy that works
- Spend about 17 minutes on passage one, 20 on passage two and 23 on passage three, since passages get harder.
- Read the questions for a section first, then skim the passage for structure.
- If one question stops you for more than a minute, flag it and move on. On our computer-style screens you can flag it for review and return later.
- Never leave a blank. A guess costs nothing.
- Use the highlighter on key names, dates and numbers so you can find them again quickly.
IELTS Reading practice in Karachi: making the most of your time
Karachi students already read a lot of English: textbooks at the University of Karachi or IBA, reports and emails in banking and shipping offices, English-language newspapers. The gap is usually not exposure but technique under time pressure.
Two habits help. First, a short daily routine: one timed passage on your phone during a calm part of the day, and full sets on a laptop when you have a reliable power window. Second, read beyond your field. An engineer from NED who reads only technical material may find a passage on art history or child psychology harder than expected. Read one article a day on an unfamiliar topic and note five new words.
Our 52 Reading sets are split by track, so General Training learners get GT-style texts and Academic learners get Academic passages. Every set comes with explanations showing where in the passage each answer is found, and every mistake is saved to your Mistake Notebook so you can spot patterns, such as missing NOT GIVEN questions or choosing headings by keyword.
Charged sets for band 7 and above
When you are consistently scoring around 30 out of 40, ordinary practice stops pushing you. Our Charged Reading sets use harder passages, closer paraphrasing and more tempting distractors. They are designed for students aiming at band 7, 7.5 or 8, such as nurses, doctors and postgraduate applicants who need high scores in every module.