IELTS Academic Reading gives you 60 minutes for 3 passages and 40 questions. The passages total about 2,150 to 2,750 words and come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources, written for a non-specialist reader. Each correct answer gets 1 mark. Most people don't run out of understanding; they run out of time. Here's how to manage it.
The key facts
| Academic Reading | |
|---|---|
| Time | 60 minutes, with no extra time to transfer answers |
| Passages | 3, about 2,150–2,750 words in total |
| Questions | 40, one mark each |
| Score | Your raw score out of 40 is converted to a band from 1 to 9 |
The 11 question types
Multiple choice · Identifying information (True / False / Not Given) · Identifying the writer's views or claims (Yes / No / Not Given) · Matching information · Matching headings · Matching features · Matching sentence endings · Sentence completion · Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion · Diagram label completion · Short-answer questions.
Two of these cause the most trouble. See our guides to True / False / Not Given and matching headings.
A simple 60-minute plan
- Give each passage about 20 minutes. If you find the later passages harder, finishing the first one a little faster gives you extra time for them.
- Skim first, for 2 minutes. Read the title, the first sentence of each paragraph and any headings to get the main idea. Don't read every sentence in detail yet.
- Read the questions, then scan. Underline key words in each question, especially names, dates and numbers, which are easy to find in the text.
- Answer on the answer sheet as you go. There's no extra time at the end to copy answers across.
- Never leave a blank. A wrong answer costs nothing extra, so guess if you have to and move on.
Completion questions: read the word limit every time. If the instruction says "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS", a three-word answer is marked wrong. Copy the words exactly as they appear in the text, and check your spelling.
How to get faster
- Practise against the clock. Do one passage in 20 minutes, three times a week.
- Review every wrong answer. Find the exact sentence in the text that gives the answer, and work out why you missed it.
- Read outside the test. Short articles on science, history and society build the vocabulary that Academic passages use.
Want to know how many correct answers you need for your target band? Try our IELTS score calculator, or get a personal study plan with a free BandIQ plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long is IELTS Academic Reading?
60 minutes for 3 passages and 40 questions.
Is there extra time to transfer answers in IELTS Reading?
No. No extra time is given to transfer answers in Reading, so write them on the answer sheet as you go.
How long should I spend on each Reading passage?
About 20 minutes each is a good guide. If later passages feel harder for you, finish the first one a little faster.
Is there a penalty for wrong answers in IELTS Reading?
No. Each correct answer gets 1 mark and wrong answers don't lose marks, so never leave a question blank.
How many question types are there in IELTS Reading?
The official IELTS website lists 11, including True / False / Not Given, matching headings, sentence completion and multiple choice.