IELTS Reading

IELTS Reading: Key Information

The IELTS Reading assesses a variety of reading skills, the ability to follow key arguments and understand content present in everyday materials such as: 

Newspapers
Advertisements
Handbooks
Notices

You must also familiarise yourself with a range of texts and question types before test day, as this gives you ample opportunity to be better prepared.

IELTS Reading Points to note

  • Second module Test
  • ONE hour
  • 3 Reading Sections
  • The word count is approximately 2,750 words
  • Each Reading section is between 700 - 900 words
  • Section 3 may be longer containing between 6 - 10 paragraphs
  • Altogether, there are 40 questions

Key Reading Skills Tested

The IELTS Reading test has been structured to test a wide range of reading skills. These skills are:

1. Reading for gist

Gist is the overall meaning, the core idea of a spoken or written discourse. To get the gist of a passage, you need to look out for clues such as THE TITLE, THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH, THE TOPIC SENTENCE, CONTENT WORDS, THE STRUCTURE OF THE WRITTEN TEXT OR PASSAGE, e.t.c

2. Reading for the main idea

The main idea of a text is the central point or the thought the author wants to communicate to readers. The main idea answers the question: 

  • What does the author want me to know about the topic?
  • What does the author want me to learn?

Pay attention to ideas that are repeated in different ways.

Pay attention to the main idea that is stated indirectly –  IMPLIED MEANING

3. Reading for details

Detailed reading means reading a text or passage in order to get accurate information from it.

4.  Recognising writers’ opinions

The author’s perspective or viewpoint is how the author feels about the subject. In order to determine the author’s perspective, you need to consider what opinion or the attitude the author has about the subject. 

To determine the author’s perspective, ask yourself:

  • What is the author’s purpose for writing?
  • What is the author’s opinion or attitude about the subject?
  • What is the author’s purpose for expressing this opinion or attitude?

5. Recognizing writers’ attitude

The writer’s attitude towards a topic is the TONE. This is expressed through the words and details he or she provides.

The writers’ tone may be OBJECTIVE OR SUBJECTIVE

OBJECTIVE TONE: the tone expressed here is impartial; it does not show any feelings for or against a topic.

SUBJECTIVE TONE: the tone here is personal, biased, emotional, and often informal.

IELTS Reading: Question Types

Part of the techniques for answering IELTS Reading questions is to familiarise yourself with the different question types. These question types are: 

  • MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION TYPE

Under this, you are asked to choose the correct answer from a list of three or four possible choices.

You may also be required to choose TWO ANSWERS from SEVEN possible options. Please, note that your answer can come in ANY ORDER.

Sample question for ONE answer in THREE or FOUR options.

Sample question for TWO answers in SEVEN possible options.

  • SHORT ANSWER QUESTION TYPE

In this question type, you will be asked to write an answer between ONE AND THREE WORDS. It is important to read the instructions carefully to know the word limit.

  • SENTENCE COMPLETION QUESTION TYPE

Here, you will be tested on your ability to find details or information in the passage to complete a sentence.

  • TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN QUESTION TYPE

These test your ability to understand specific information in the reading passage by asking you to decide if the specific information is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN

  • YES, NO, NOT GIVEN QUESTION TYPE

This IELTS reading test uses this question type to test your ability to distinguish fact from opinion.

  • SUMMARY COMPLETION QUESTION TYPE

Here, you will be required to locate and identify particular details in the reading passage. 

  • MATCHING PARAGRAPHS HEADINGS QUESTION TYPE

These test your understanding of the main ideas of paragraphs.

  • INFORMATION LOCATION QUESTION TYPE

This tests your ability to locate specific information in the passage. This means that you need to find the specified information in the passage and identify the section (or paragraph) that contains it.

  • DIAGRAMS, FLOW CHART AND TABLE COMPLETION QUESTION TYPE

These are drawings or notes about information in the reading passage. You should complete them by finding the missing information (words and /or numbers) from the reading passage.

Practice

It is important to attempt some practice questions on the different IELTS Reading Question Types. This should be done within the 60 minutes time frame as we have in the test.

We have developed strategies that will aid your time management of the IELTS Reading Questions and ensure you have a high band score on the test. Click the button below to begin.

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