IELTS reading format

 You will need to read quickly and efficiently, and manage your time. You will be asked to read three different passages and respond to related questions in your IELTS Reading test. The content of the Reading test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests.

The IELTS Reading test is designed to assess a wide range of reading skills, including how well you

• read for the general sense of a passage
• read for the main ideas
• read for detail
• understand inferences and implied meaning
• recognise a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose
• follow the development of an argument

Academic Reading

Format	Three long texts which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. These are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers.  They have been selected for a non-specialist audience but are appropriate for people entering university courses or seeking professional registration.
Timing	60 minutes including the transfer time
Number of Questions	40 questions
Task Types	Fill gaps in a passage of written text or in a table, match headings to written text to diagrams or charts, complete sentences, give short answers to open questions, answer multiple choice questions
Marks	Each correct answer receives one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.