IELTS General Reading

IELTS general reading is different from academic reading in many ways but mainly it is different because the difficulty level of language of texts. The general reading test is 60 minutes of duration test with 40 questions. It consists of 3 sections. However the section number one and two might have more than one. The difficulty level of sections increases per section.

IELTS General reading sections

• Section 1
• Section 2
• Section 3

IELTS General reading types of questions

A variety of question types is used. You may be asked to:-

• 1. Multiple choices
  • Multiple choice tests a wide range of reading skills, including detailed understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main points of the text. You are required to choose
  • The best answer from four alternatives (A, B, C or D),
  • The best two answers from five alternatives (A, B, C, D or E),
  • The best three answers from seven alternatives (A, B, C, D, E, F or G).
• 2. Identification of writer's views/claims - yes, no or not given
  • You will be given a number of statements and asked: ‘Do the following statements agree with the views/claims of the writer?’ You are required to write ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘not given’ in the boxes on their answer sheet.
• 3. Identification of information - true, false or not given
  • You will be given a number of statements and asked: ‘Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?’ You are then required to write ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘not given’ in the boxes on their answer sheets.
• 4. Matching information
  • You are required to locate specific information within the lettered paragraphs or sections of a text, and to write the letters of the correct paragraphs or sections in the boxes on their answer sheet.
• 5. Matching features
  • In this question type, you need to match a set of statements or a piece of information to the list of options given. The options are group of features from the passage. For example, you need to match different events to historical periods. It might be possible that some options will not be used while some may be used more than once.
• 6. Match sentence endings
  • In this type of question, you are given the first half of a sentence based on the text and asked to choose the best way to complete it from a list of possible options. You will have more options to choose from passage.
• 7. Sentence completion
  • In this type of question you will be asked to complete the sentence with specific number of words. The instruction will give you clear idea about how many words you are allowed to use per sentence. You are requires to write your answer on answer sheet.
• 8. Summary note / flowchart / table completion
  • In this question type, you are given summary of a section of the text, and are required to complete it with information drawn from the text. You need to fill in the gap in the summary, note, table or flowchart in context to the passage
• 9. Diagram label completion
  • This type of question, you are required to complete labels on a diagram, which is related to a description contained in the given text.
• 10. Short Question-Answers
  • In this section, you are required to answer questions, which usually relate to factual information about details in the text. This is most likely to be used with a text that contains a lot of factual information and detail.
  • Test takers must write their answers in words or numbers on the answer sheet. Test takers must write their answers using words from the text. Sometimes you will need to give one word as your answer, sometimes a short phrase, and sometimes simply a letter, number or symbol. Make sure you read the instructions carefully.
  • The instructions will make it clear how many words/numbers test takers should use in their answers, e.g. ‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage’, ‘ONE WORD ONLY’ or ‘NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS’.

IELTS General Reading Tips

To improve your performance in the Reading test you need to practice reading a variety of English texts. This will help you develop the ability to read quickly, as is required under test conditions.