40Qs
1 hour
Different for Academic and General Training
Difficulty level increases from passage 1 to 3
3 comprehension passages
Assesses suitability for higher education or professional registration
Texts are long, complex, and written for an academic audience (e.g., from journals, books, magazines, and newspapers).
Topics are of general academic interest (science, history, technology, etc.).
Generally considered more challenging due to the specialized and academic nature of the vocabulary and complexity of the arguments.
Assesses everyday English language survival in social and workplace contexts.
Texts are generally shorter, less complex, and focus on everyday life in an English-speaking country (e.g., advertisements, notices, leaflets, company handbooks, and official documents).
Consists of three sections that usually contain a greater number of shorter texts:-
Section 1: 2-3 short texts (everyday survival)
Section 2: 2 short, work-related factual texts (workplace survival)
Section 3: One longer, more complex text on a general topic.
Generally considered less complex than Academic, focusing on practical, general-interest language.
When you start
Do only one passage in 1 hour
30 min Reading + 30 min solving questions
Take as much time as you want for reading (bring a dictionary!) and properly understand the meanings.
Then solve the questions
After 3 weeks
Do two passages the same way
After 6 weeks
Do all three passages
In the beginning, do not keep any time constraint. Focus more on understanding the passages than solving the questions. Then gradually increase the number of passages.
Ideally:
20 min per passage
5 min Reading
15 min Solving Qs
Passage wise:
Passage 1: 15 min
Passage 2: 20 min
Passage 3: 25 min
Skimming is used to get a general overview or main idea of a text. You quickly read to see what the document is about.
Scanning is used to find a specific piece of information or detail in a text. You quickly search for keywords without reading everything else.
Underline during first read
Proper Nouns (names of places, countries, books, people, etc.)
Numbers (dates, time, years, measurement units, etc.)
Immediately transfer the answers as you find them as there's no extra transfer time.
Read the passage first. Never solve the Qs without reading the passage.
You might think directly solving the Qs will save time, but you'll end up wasting more time as you're not familiar with the content.
Circle those Qs that you didn't answer or are confused about, so as to not make any errors in the sequence.
Carefully read the word limit, as it will be easier to eliminate potential answers.
Mark answers as you find them
For gap-fills, underline the answers as they're just 1-3 words long.
For other questions, use parenthesis '(' and ')'
For headings, there's no need to mark.
Do not use your existing knowledge to solve the Qs; all information must be found in the passage.
Do not match words--match meanings!
Solve those questions that occur in sequence first.
Read the passage first. Underline proper nouns and numbers.
Check the Q types and see which of them occur in sequence and which don't.
Solve those that occur in sequence first.
Don't forget to mark the answers.
Standard way to solve any Q
Read the Q statement and divide it into small chunks (parts).
Understand each chunk individually and combine to form the complete meaning.
Mark the most unique keyword(s).
Scan the information in the passage for those keywords (or synonyms) and mark the answer as you find it.
🧩 Let’s See an Example
Passage:
Many people assume that vitamin C can prevent the common cold. However, recent studies have shown that while vitamin C may slightly reduce the duration of a cold, it does not prevent people from catching it in the first place.
Question:
Vitamin C prevents people from getting colds.
(TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN)
❌ Incorrect Reasoning (using existing knowledge):
You think:
“But I’ve read in health blogs that vitamin C does prevent colds — my doctor even told me so! So it must be TRUE.”
You mark TRUE → ❌ Wrong answer.
✅ Correct Reasoning (using only the passage):
The passage clearly says:
“It does not prevent people from catching it.”
Therefore, the statement contradicts the passage → FALSE.
Even if your real-world knowledge says otherwise, the test rewards you for following the text, not for being “right” in general.
🧠 Another Example: World Knowledge Trap
Passage:
The Great Wall of China was not built all at once. Several rulers added sections over centuries, and much of the wall we see today was restored in the Ming dynasty.
Question:
The Great Wall of China is visible from space.
(TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN)
❌ Using Existing Knowledge:
You think:
“Everyone says it’s visible from space — even in documentaries!”
You mark TRUE → ❌ Wrong.
✅ Using Only the Passage:
Nowhere in the passage does it mention anything about visibility from space.
It only talks about when and how it was built.
So, the correct answer is NOT GIVEN — because the information simply isn’t there.
IELTS Reading passages are written to test your understanding of meaning, not your ability to spot identical words.
That’s why the test uses:
Synonyms (same idea, different words)
Reversals (same words but opposite meaning)
Subtle qualifiers (only, some, often, rarely, etc.)
So, if you only match the words, you’ll often be tricked by what seems correct but isn’t logically accurate.
🧩 Example 1: The Tricky Match Trap
Passage:
Many people believe that drinking coffee causes dehydration. However, research shows that moderate coffee consumption contributes to daily fluid intake just like other beverages.
Question:
Coffee makes people dehydrated.
(TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN)
❌ Matching words only:
“Coffee” — matches
“dehydrated” — matches
You think: ✅ TRUE
But that’s wrong, because…
✅ Matching meaning:
The passage says research shows the opposite — coffee doesn’t cause dehydration.
So the correct answer is FALSE.
🧠 Lesson: Don’t stop at matching keywords — check if the meaning supports or contradicts the statement.
🧩 Example 2: Meaning Hidden by Synonyms
Passage:
Early humans were nomadic, moving from place to place in search of food and water.
Question:
Early humans were homeless.
(TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN)
❌ Matching words:
You might think “nomadic” = “homeless” (both involve not having a permanent house).
But that’s not accurate.
✅ Matching meaning:
Nomadic = people who move regularly for resources.
Homeless = people without a home, usually unwillingly.
The meaning is not the same, so → FALSE.
Academic
IELTS Fever (PDF-based)
IELTS Training Online (online)
IELTS Online Tests (simulation)
General Training
IELTS Fever (PDF-based)
IELTS Training Online (online)
IELTS Online Tests (simulation)
Read only one passage daily from any source. Do not solve the questions.
Check meanings of all the words that are new to you.
Make a list of 5 new words with meanings daily from the passages that you read.
Do not keep any time limit.
Targeted Practice: Practise only those Qs that you have difficulty in. For instance, if you have problems with headings, solve only headings Qs from different passages.
Reverse Engineering: Write down the answers beforehand. Then find the location of the answers. This will help to work out the patterns of finding answers and being aware of common traps.
Allocate timing as per the Passage difficulty.
Passage 3: 25 min
Passage 2: 20 min
Passage 1: 15 min
Go in reverse order from passage 3 to passage 1, as 3 is the most difficult usually.
When the time is up for a passage, switch to the next one even if some Qs are left.
Follow this approach:
3-4 min Reading the passage
Rest of the time for solving the Qs
You can directly solve passage 1 without reading it, as it is generally the easiest. (only applicable if you've booked the date)
Skip the Q if it's taking more than 2 min to solve.
If your target is 6, then you have a margin of 15 Qs. Even if you skip 5 Qs, you'll have a margin of 10 Qs to get wrong and still get the score.
The time can be better used in solving easy Qs.
In sequence
Multiple Choice Qs (MCQs)
Sentence completion
Matching sentence endings
Short Answer Questions
Identifying information (T/F/NG)
Identifying writer's views/claims (Y/N/NG)
Not in Sequence
Summary/notes/table/flowchart/diagram completion
Matching headings
Matching features
Matching information