About the IELTS General Training Reading Format
The IELTS General reading test is conducted to evaluate your ability to interpret the reading materials in practical contexts. It is for individuals who want to immigrate or apply for below degree level courses. The reading exam is structured into 3 sections, and the time given to candidates is 60 minutes.
Overview of IELTS General Training Reading
Here is an overview of IELTS General Reading tests, consisting of the number of questions, time allowed, marking, and number of sections asked in it.
Time allowed
60 minutes
Total Sections
3
Total Questions
40
Marking
The candidate gets 1 mark for the correct answer. The final score of the candidate is given on a band score from 1-9
IELTS General Training Reading Parts
As mentioned earlier, there are 3 sections in the reading test. Every section has 1 passage followed by 10-13 questions divided into 3-4 different question formats. You need to read the passage and answer the question with the information you get from reading the passage. You need to answer 40 questions in 60 minutes. It means you can use 20 minutes on every passage. The general training reading sections are given below.
Section 1: Social Survival
In this section, the passage consists of social survival, factual information about life in a foreign country, entertainment, sports activity, etc. You need to read a passage and answer the question with the data given in the passage. You can only write an answer in a passage.
Example: A Notice of new library hours, local bus schedule, or the fee structure of any university.
Example: A Notice of new library hours, local bus schedule, or the fee structure of any university.
Section 2: Workplace Survival
The second passage relies on Work life survival, and information is related to job roles, leave schemes, pay details, etc. By reading this passage, you need to respond to questions as per the question type. Ensure to follow all instructions before answering questions.
Example: A company email consists of safety procedures or an instruction guide for operating office tools.
Example: A company email consists of safety procedures or an instruction guide for operating office tools.
Section 3: General Reading for Understanding
The third passage in this section is the longest and hardest in the reading module. The passage will be based on a general interest topic that happens in your daily life. Answering this section is tough, but with consistent practice, you can easily answer questions in the given time.
Example: The magazine article discusses mental health at your workplace, or an essay on environmental sustainability
Example: The magazine article discusses mental health at your workplace, or an essay on environmental sustainability
Types of Questions in Reading
Here are different types of questions asked in the Reading section
Type 1 - Multiple Choice
In this question type, you get a question with four possible answers. You need to select any correct option from the given A, B, C, and D options, and record on your answer sheet.
What's involved?
In MCQ-type questions, you get a long list of possible answers. You should choose the correct answer from the given options. You should answer the first question before moving to the second question.
What skills are tested?
It evaluates your reading skills, consisting of a general understanding of the main points of the text or an understanding of specific points.
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 2 - Identifying information (True/False/Not given)
In this type of question, you should guess whether the statement agrees with the identifying information in the passage (True), contradicts it (False), or is not mentioned (Not Given).
What's involved?
You should write 'True', 'False', or 'Not given' in the box on the answer sheet.
You should understand the difference between 'False' and 'Not given'. False means
a statement that contradicts the information given. Not given' is used in a
statement when neither agrees with nor contradicts the given information. So, be
careful while choosing the answer from the passage.
What skills are tested?
It evaluates your recognition skills to recognize information in text
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 3 - Identifying writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not given)
The Identifying writer's views/claims question type is similar to the Identifying
information question type. But it focuses on the writer's views and claims. These
questions ask whether the writer agrees with claims (Yes), does not agree (No), or
does not mention it (Not given)
What's involved?
You get several statements in this question type. You need to write ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘Not given’ by reading statements.
What skills are tested?
It tests your skills to recognize ideas or opinions
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 4 - Matching information
In this question type, you get statements that are matched with the correct paragraph of the passage. The statements can be summaries, descriptions, explanations, or facts of different paragraphs.
What's involved?
You should find the information in sections of text. The sections are identified by A, B, C, etc, letters. You have to write letters of the correct sections in boxes on your answer sheet. It is not compulsory to use every section or paragraph.
What skills are tested?
It tests your skills to scan text to find information
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 5 - Matching Headings
In this question type, you get a list of titles or headings. You need to match each section or paragraph in the text.
What's involved?
There is a list of headings given in this question type. These headings are identified by Roman numerals. You should look at headings to correct the section or paragraph. You need to identify the paragraphs by letters like A, B, C, etc.
What skills are tested?
It tests your skills to identify the topic of the section and determine differences between the main and supporting ideas.
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 6 - Matching Features
In matching features, you get statements with a set of features such as locations, dates, and characteristics like height, length, and color. These features are possible answers to your statement given in the question. These statements are straight from the passage. You need to match these features with the right statements and identify where they fit best in the passage.
What's involved?
You should match a set of statements or pieces of information to the options given in the list. The options are a set of features from text, and letters that are used to identify it. You have to write the correct letter on the answer sheet.
What skills are tested?
It tests your skills to recognize connections and links between facts in a text. It also evaluates your skills to recognize theories and opinions.
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 7 - Match Sentence Endings
In this question type, you get a list of possible endings and a set of incomplete sentences. You should match each sentence with the correct ending.
What's involved?
You get the first half of the sentence based on the information in the text in this question. You should choose the best way to complete a sentence by choosing from a list of possible endings. You can use A, B, C etc letters to identify letters. Do not use all sentence endings, because endings are more than beginnings in this question type.
What skills are tested?
It evaluates your skills to understand the main ideas in a text.
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 8 - Sentence Completion
You should complete sentences with information taken from a passage in this question type.
What's involved?
You should fill the gap in every sentence by choosing words from the text. The word you choose must be written on the answer sheet.
What skills are tested?
It evaluates your skills to find specific information in a given text
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 9 - Summary, Note, Table, Flowchart Completion
In this type of question, you should complete a summary of a section of the text by using words from the passage. The summary in the passage is in the form of continuous passage, set of notes, table with missing information, or flowchart with steps linked with arrows.
What's involved?
You get a summary in this question type. Your task is to complete the summary by using words from the text. You get a summary in the form of notes, continuous text, boxes, tables with some empty fields.
What skills are tested?
It evaluates your skills to understand details and main ideas in text
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 10 - Diagram Label Completion
You need to complete the diagram by filling in the missing labels. The diagram represents an object, process, or structure.
What's involved?
In this question, your task is to complete the labels in the diagram. Write the perfect words that fit the gap in your answer sheet.
What skills are tested?
It tests your skills to understand the description in text.
How many questions are there?
Variable
Type 11 - Short Answer Questions
In the short answer question type, you get a question or statement to complete by using information from a given passage. You should fill the gap with one or two words.
What's involved?
This question type required you to answer questions on factual details of a text. Your answers must be in numbers of words on your answer sheet.
What skills are tested?
It evaluates your skills to identify and understand information in text
How many questions are there?
Variable
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are general training reading passages?
The general reading passages are about work-life survival, social survival, and general interest content. These contents are taken from business files, magazines, notices, advertisements, etc.
What is the format of the General Training Reading Test?
The format of the reading test is structured into 3 sections, and a total of 40 questions. You get 60 minutes to complete this test. At AlfaIELTS, we suggest you spend 20 minutes on every section.
How is the Reading score calculated?
The scores in the General training reading section are calculated on the basis of its format. It consists of 40 questions. The candidate gets 1 mark for the correct answer. The total marks will be converted into band scores, as per IELTS standards.
How to improve reading scores?
You can enhance your reading scores in IELTS by improving your reading skills, grammar, and vocabulary, and doing regular practice.
What makes the IELTS Reading test challenging?
The challenging thing about the Reading test is that you need to identify the right answers from long passages.
