1. Understanding General Reading

The IELTS general training reading test is the same in its two formats. That is, the paper-based and computer-delivered tests have the same features in terms of question types, content, timings and scoring. In either format, you will be assessed on your ability to:

• read for gist and main ideas,
• read for specific information,
• read for details,
• understand the organisation of a text,
• understand processes,
• understand logical arguments, and
• recognise writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose.

Let’s see some of the features of the test in more detail:

Reading passages

The reading passages vary in topics, length and complexity across the three different parts of the test:

• Part 1 of the test contains two or three short factual texts, one of which may be a composite, consisting of 6-8 short texts related by topic (e.g. hotel advertisements). Topics are related to everyday life in an English-speaking country.
• Part 2 contains two short factual texts focusing on work-related issues (e.g. applying for jobs, company policies, pay and conditions).
• Part 3 contains one longer, more complex text on a topic of general interest.

Passages may contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If a passage contains technical terms, a simple glossary is provided.

Question types

There are 14 different question types used in the IELTS general training reading test. Your test will not contain all the question types, but it is a good idea to be familiar with all of them as you cannot predict which will be in your test. There are usually 3­–4 question types used with each reading passage.

The question types may be divided as follows:

Recording your answers

When you have to select words or numbers from the passage, the instructions will make it clear how many words/numbers you should use in your answer. For example, the instructions may say to use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS or NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. If you use too many words or numbers, your answer will be marked wrong.

Please note:

• Numbers can be written using figures or words (e.g. 12 or twelve).
• Contracted words are not tested, i.e. you will never need to write doesn’t, couldn’t, etc. in an answer.
• Hyphenated words count as single words, i.e. self-assessment is considered one word.
• Care should be taken when recording your answers as poor spelling and grammar are penalised.

Marks and band scores

Your reading test is assessed in the following way:

• One mark is given for each correct answer in the test.
• The total number of correct answers (out of 40) is then converted into an IELTS band score between 0-9.
• The reading test band scores come in whole bands (e.g. 5.0 or 6.0) or half bands (e.g. 5.5 or 6.5).

Here’s an example of band score calculations.

Timing

There are 3 parts to the reading test, which you must complete in 60 minutes. Therefore, you should spend about 20 minutes on each part. The passages get progressively more difficult. The passages in Part 1 are the least challenging and the passage in Part 3 is the most challenging. Therefore, if possible, you should try to complete the passages in Parts 1 and 2 quite quickly.

The recommended times for each part are shown in the table below:

IELTS computer-delivered

You do not need to have special computer skills to do your IELTS test on the computer, but it is strongly recommended that you familiarise yourself with the format by doing some practice questions, which are available online.