Sixty minutes, three texts, forty questions
The Reading test is 60 minutes, with 40 questions across three sections. There is no extra time to transfer answers, so on paper you write them straight onto the answer sheet; on computer you type or click them as you go.
- Academic Reading uses three long texts from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. Expect topics such as science, history, environment and technology.
- General Training Reading starts with short everyday texts (notices, adverts, timetables), moves to workplace texts (job descriptions, policies, training material) and ends with one longer general passage.
The question types are similar in both, but General Training needs more correct answers for the same band, so accuracy matters even more.
The question types, and what each one tests
- TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (and YES / NO / NOT GIVEN for opinions): does the text agree, contradict or say nothing?
- Matching Headings: choosing the main idea of each paragraph from a list.
- Matching Information: finding which paragraph contains a specific detail. Paragraphs can be used more than once.
- Summary, note or table completion: filling gaps, sometimes from a word box, sometimes with words from the text, within a word limit.
- Multiple choice, sentence completion, matching features and diagram labelling.
Each set on IELTS Learning comes with explanations, so you see not only the right answer but where in the text it comes from.
Two traps that cost Rajkot students the most
NOT GIVEN is not FALSE
FALSE means the text says the opposite. NOT GIVEN means the text does not tell you. The usual mistake is using your own knowledge. If a statement says "Most auto parts made in India are exported" and the text only says "Indian auto parts are exported to many countries", the answer is NOT GIVEN. You might know something about the industry, but the text does not say "most".
Engineering students, who are trained to reason from what they know, fall into this trap often. In IELTS, only the text counts.
Headings are about the main idea
Wrong headings often repeat a word from the paragraph but describe only one detail. Read the first and last sentences, ask "what is this paragraph mostly for?", then choose. Do the headings question first if it appears, because it gives you a map of the whole passage.
Reading habits for Saurashtra learners
Many students in Rajkot read well in Gujarati and read English mainly for college, in technical textbooks or in business emails. That is a useful start, but IELTS asks for wider reading.
- Technical background helps with process-style and science passages. Use that confidence, but practise humanities topics, such as art, history and psychology, which feel less familiar.
- Avoid translating each sentence into Gujarati in your head. It costs time. Aim to understand phrases in English directly.
- Read one longer English article a day, on your phone or in print. Ten minutes on the bus or during the afternoon lull adds up.
- For General Training candidates who have worked in factories or shops, workplace texts such as safety notices and staff policies will feel familiar. Focus on the precise wording of the questions.
A timing plan that works
- Spend about 17 to 20 minutes per section, leaving the last few minutes for checking. Section 3 is usually the hardest, so do not overspend on Section 1.
- Read the questions before the passage, and underline key words, names, dates and numbers.
- Skim the passage for one minute to see how it is organised.
- Scan for answers, using the highlighter. Most question types follow the order of the text; Matching Headings and Matching Information do not.
- Never leave a blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.
How to practise with us
Start with the free sample sets on the practice tests page. Then, with Full Access (₹999 for 2 months), work through the 52 Reading sets for your track. Practise one question type at a time at first, then move to full timed sets.
Every wrong answer goes into your Mistake Notebook. Review it weekly and you will soon see a pattern: maybe NOT GIVEN errors, maybe word-limit slips in summaries. Fix the pattern, not just the question.
When you are regularly scoring around 30 out of 40, try the Charged sets. These harder Reading sets use denser texts and closer distractors, built for students aiming at band 7 and above. They make the real test feel calmer. Keep IELTS Reading practice regular, even 20 minutes a day, rather than one long weekend session.