IELTS Reading Section 2025: Syllabus, Question Types, Scoring, and Tips

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IELTS Reading Practice Tests 2026

Check out the practice tests below for the IELTS Academic Reading section 2026:

Check out the practice tests below for the IELTS General Training Reading section 2026:

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IELTS Reading Question Types 2026

IELTS Reading consists of 11 question types, both for the Academic and General tests. These are explained in the table below.

1. Multiple Choice (Single Answer or Multiple Answers)

• You choose 1 correct option (A, B, C, D) or sometimes more than one (A-F, choose 3).
• Example: What is the main purpose of the passage?

A) to advertise… B) to explain… C) to criticise…

• Trick: Distractors (wrong options) use words directly copied from the passage, but change the meaning.
• Tip: Eliminate obviously wrong options first.

2. Identifying Information (True / False / Not Given)

• You are given 5-7 statements. Decide if the information is in the passage.
  • True = exactly matches
  • False = contradicts the passage
  • Not Given = information is NOT mentioned at all (most Indian students choose False instead of Not Given, which is a big mistake)
• Example statement: “The study was conducted in 2020.”
  • If the passage says 2019, mark False
  • If the passage never mentions the year, mark Not Given

3. Identifying Writer’s Views/Claims (Yes / No / Not Given)

• Same as above, but about the writer’s opinion, not facts.
• Yes = writer agrees
• No = writer disagrees
• Not Given = writer does not express any view
• Example: “The writer believes mobile phones should be banned in schools.”

If the writer never gives his/her personal opinion, mark Not Given

4. Matching Information to Paragraphs

• You are given statements (e.g., “mention of a new species”, “a criticism of the government”).
• Write the paragraph letter (A, B, C, D, E, and so on) that contains that information.
• Trick: Every paragraph is used at least once, some twice, some not at all.
• Tip: Look for synonyms, not exact words.

5. Matching Headings to Paragraphs

• You get a list of headings (i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, and so on).
• Choose the best heading for each paragraph.
• There are always extra headings (distractors).
• Example headings:

1. The economic benefits of tourism
2. A brief history of the island
3. Problems caused by visitors

• Tip: Read the first 2 and last 1 sentence of the paragraph, which are usually the topic sentence.

6. Matching Features

• Match names, people, companies, and years to statements.
• Example: Match the researcher (A-E) to the discovery.
  • Dr. Sharma invented the new vaccine
  • Dr. Khan discovered a new planet
• Answers can be used more than once or not at all.

7. Matching Sentence Endings

• You get the first half of a sentence and choose the correct ending from a list.
• Example:
• The new law was introduced to

1. Reduce traffic accidents
2. Make people rich
3. Increase pollution

• Test grammar and understanding.

8. Sentence Completion

• Complete the sentence with words taken directly from the passage (exact words).
• Word limit: “no more than 2 words and/or a number”.
• Example: The research was carried out over a period of ______ years. Answer: 5 / five (both ok)

9. Summary / Note / Table / Flow-chart Completion

• A summary of a part or the whole passage is given with blanks.
• 2 types:
  • Choose words from the passage (exact words)
  • Choose from a list of options (A, B, C, D)
• Tip: It is very important to first decide if it’s from a passage or from a list.

10. Diagram Label Completion

• A picture or diagram (e.g., life cycle of a butterfly, machine, process) with blanks.
• Fill the labels using words from the passage (usually 1-3 words).
• Tip: Arrows and numbers in the diagram help you locate the section quickly.

11. Short Answer Questions

• Answer questions in 1-3 words or a number.
• Examples:
  • Q: What is the capital of Iceland? Answer: Reykjavik
  • Q: How many students participated in the survey? Answer: 1,250
• Words must come from the passage exactly (or numbers).

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IELTS Reading Band Score 2026

The IELTS Reading score ranges from 0 to 9 bands. Your raw score, which is based on 40 questions, with 1 mark awarded for each correct answer, is converted into a band score on the 0-9 scale. In your final IELTS results, you will receive a Reading band score out of 9.

The conversion from raw scores to band scores is as follows:

Tip: Indian students usually need 6.5-7.5 overall (some universities ask 6.0 minimum with no band below 6.0).

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Common Mistakes Indian Students Make

Here are some of the common mistakes Indian students make while attempting the IELTS Reading section:

• Reading the whole passage slowly first (wastes time).
• Choosing answers based on what they think is logical (instead of what is written).
• Poor time management (stuck on 2-3 questions).
• Spelling mistakes. For example, both organisation and organisation are okay, but “organiztion” is not.
• Ignoring word limit in short answers (“no more than 3 words”).

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IELTS Reading Tips for Indian Students

Follow the tips mentioned below for a good score in the IELTS reading section:

• Timing strategy: 15-17 minutes on Passage 1, 20 minutes on Passage 2, 23-25 minutes on Passage 3.
• Read the questions first, then scan the passage (saves time).
• True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given are the trickiest. “Not Given” means the information is NOT mentioned at all.
• Paraphrasing is heavy. “Children” can become “young people”, “improve” can be “enhance”.
• Don’t use your own knowledge, only what is written in the passage.
• Spelling must be 100% correct (British/American both are accepted, but remain consistent).
• Practice locating specific information fast, like names, dates, and numbers.
• Do at least 30-40 full reading tests before the exam.
• Build vocabulary daily (academic word list + topic-wise: environment, education, technology).
• Time yourself strictly in practice on 60 minutes, no extra time.

The IELTS Reading test evaluates your ability to understand, interpret, and analyse written passages. It consists of 3 sections, and you are given 60 minutes to answer a total of 40 questions.

Although both the IELTS Academic and General Training tests include a reading section, the style and difficulty level of the texts differ, even though the overall format remains the same.

Both versions of the test feature similar question types, including multiple-choice questions, identifying a writer’s views or claims, matching headings, matching information, matching features, and matching sentence endings. Each correct answer in the IELTS Reading test earns you 1 mark.

IELTS Reading Practice 2026

Check out the practice tests below for the IELTS Academic Reading section 2026:

Check out the practice tests below for the IELTS General Training Reading section 2026:

IELTS Reading Question Types

IELTS Reading consists of 11 question types, both for the Academic and General tests. These are explained in the table below.

1. Multiple Choice (Single Answer or Multiple Answers)

• You choose 1 correct option (A, B, C, D) or sometimes more than one (A-F, choose 3).
• Example: What is the main purpose of the passage?

A) to advertise… B) to explain… C) to criticise…

• Trick: Distractors (wrong options) use words directly copied from the passage, but change the meaning.
• Tip: Eliminate obviously wrong options first.

2. Identifying Information (True / False / Not Given)

• You are given 5-7 statements. Decide if the information is in the passage.
  • True = exactly matches
  • False = contradicts the passage
  • Not Given = information is NOT mentioned at all (most Indian students choose False instead of Not Given, which is a big mistake)
• Example statement: “The study was conducted in 2020.”
  • If the passage says 2019, mark False
  • If the passage never mentions the year, mark Not Given

3. Identifying Writer’s Views/Claims (Yes / No / Not Given)

• Same as above, but about the writer’s opinion, not facts.
• Yes = writer agrees

No = writer disagrees

Not Given = writer does not express any view

• Example: “The writer believes mobile phones should be banned in schools.”

If the writer never gives his/her personal opinion, mark Not Given

4. Matching Information to Paragraphs

• You are given statements (e.g., “mention of a new species”, “a criticism of the government”).
• Write the paragraph letter (A, B, C, D, E, and so on) that contains that information.
• Trick: Every paragraph is used at least once, some twice, some not at all.
• Tip: Look for synonyms, not exact words.

5. Matching Headings to Paragraphs

• You get a list of headings (i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, and so on).
• Choose the best heading for each paragraph.
• There are always extra headings (distractors).
• Example headings:

1. The economic benefits of tourism
2. A brief history of the island
3. Problems caused by visitors

• Tip: Read the first 2 and last 1 sentence of the paragraph, which are usually the topic sentence.

6. Matching Features

• Match names, people, companies, and years to statements.
• Example: Match the researcher (A-E) to the discovery.
  • Dr. Sharma invented the new vaccine
  • Dr. Khan discovered a new planet
• Answers can be used more than once or not at all.

7. Matching Sentence Endings

• You get the first half of a sentence and choose the correct ending from a list.
• Example:
• The new law was introduced to

1. Reduce traffic accidents
2. Make people rich
3. Increase pollution

• Test grammar and understanding.

8. Sentence Completion

• Complete the sentence with words taken directly from the passage (exact words).
• Word limit: “no more than 2 words and/or a number”.
• Example: The research was carried out over a period of ______ years.

  Answer: 5 / five (both ok)

9. Summary / Note / Table / Flow-chart Completion

• A summary of a part or the whole passage is given with blanks.
• 2 types:
  • Choose words from the passage (exact words)
  • Choose from a list of options (A, B, C, D)
• Tip: It is very important to first decide if it’s from a passage or from a list.

10. Diagram Label Completion

• A picture or diagram (e.g., life cycle of a butterfly, machine, process) with blanks.
• Fill the labels using words from the passage (usually 1-3 words).
• Tip: Arrows and numbers in the diagram help you locate the section quickly.

11. Short Answer Questions

• Answer questions in 1-3 words or a number.
• Examples:
  • Q: What is the capital of Iceland?

Answer: Reykjavik

• Q: How many students participated in the survey?

Answer: 1,250

• Words must come from the passage exactly (or numbers).

IELTS Reading Band Score

The IELTS Reading score ranges from 0 to 9 bands. Your raw score, which is based on 40 questions, with 1 mark awarded for each correct answer, is converted into a band score on the 0-9 scale. In your final IELTS results, you will receive a Reading band score out of 9.

The conversion from raw scores to band scores is as follows:

Tip: Indian students usually need 6.5-7.5 overall (some universities ask 6.0 minimum with no band below 6.0).

Common Mistakes Indian Students Make

Here are some of the common mistakes Indian students make while attempting the IELTS Reading section:

• Reading the whole passage slowly first (wastes time).
• Choosing answers based on what they think is logical (instead of what is written).
• Poor time management (stuck on 2-3 questions).
• Spelling mistakes. For example, both organisation and organisation are okay, but “organiztion” is not.
• Ignoring word limit in short answers (“no more than 3 words”).

IELTS Reading Tips for Indian Students

Follow the tips mentioned below for a good score in the IELTS reading section:

• Timing strategy: 15-17 minutes on Passage 1, 20 minutes on Passage 2, 23-25 minutes on Passage 3.
• Read the questions first, then scan the passage (saves time).
• True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given are the trickiest. “Not Given” means the information is NOT mentioned at all.
• Paraphrasing is heavy. “Children” can become “young people”, “improve” can be “enhance”.
• Don’t use your own knowledge, only what is written in the passage.
• Spelling must be 100% correct (British/American both are accepted, but remain consistent).
• Practice locating specific information fast, like names, dates, and numbers.
• Do at least 30-40 full reading tests before the exam.
• Build vocabulary daily (academic word list + topic-wise: environment, education, technology).
• Time yourself strictly in practice on 60 minutes, no extra time.