IELTS Reading: how to finish 40 questions in 60 minutes

IELTS Academic Reading gives you 60 minutes for three passages and 40 questions, and there is no extra time to transfer your answers. The passages usually get harder as you go, so good timing matters as much as good English.

Divide your time

• Passage 1: about 17 minutes.
• Passage 2: about 20 minutes.
• Passage 3: about 23 minutes.

If you go over time on one question, guess, mark it, and come back at the end. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a blank.

Skim first, then read the questions

Spend two or three minutes reading the title, the first sentence of each paragraph and any words in bold or italics. You are not trying to understand everything, only where each kind of information is.

True / False / Not Given

• TRUE: the passage says the same thing, usually in different words.
• FALSE: the passage says the opposite.
• NOT GIVEN: the passage does not say. Do not use your own knowledge.

The most common mistake is choosing FALSE when the answer is NOT GIVEN. Ask yourself: does the passage actually contradict this statement, or does it simply not mention it?

Matching headings

Read the paragraph, then summarise its main idea in a few words before you look at the list of headings. Headings that repeat a word from the paragraph are often traps; the correct heading usually paraphrases the main idea.

Sentence completion

These questions usually follow the order of the passage. Find the part of the text that matches the sentence, then copy the exact word or words, checking the word limit and spelling.