How to practice for IELTS Reading: first master the official question type rules, then practice locating and answering for each of the 11 question types individually.

IELTS Reading takes 60 minutes and has 40 questions. For many students, the problem isn't understanding the text, but rather not being able to find the answers, not fully grasping the question rules, and running out of time. In fact, the official IELTS website specifies what skills each question type tests, whether the questions follow the order of the text, and whether answers must use words from the text. Understanding these rules will significantly speed up your locating and answering process. We covered time management, how to distinguish between FALSE and NOT GIVEN in True/False/Not Given questions, and how to accumulate synonyms in How to Score 8777 in IELTS; this article breaks down the practice methods for each question type.

1. What Does the Reading Test Assess?

Academic

• 60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 questions, with a total text length of 2,150–2,750 words;
• Texts are sourced from books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and online resources, aimed at a non-specialist audience, with topics suitable for undergraduate and graduate students;
• At least one text contains detailed logical argumentation; some texts include diagrams, graphs, or illustrations;
• If technical terms are used, simple glossary definitions are provided;
• One point is awarded for each correct answer, which is then converted into a band score from 1 to 9 in whole or half bands.

General Training

• Also 60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 questions, with a total text length of 2,150–2,375 words;
• Section 1: Everyday topics, covering texts you need to understand when living in an English-speaking country;
• Section 2: Work-related topics, such as job descriptions, contracts, and staff training materials;
• Section 3: A text on a general topic, which is longer and more complex than the texts in the first two sections.

2. First, Remember These Three Official Rules

1. Some question types follow the order of the text: The official website specifies that for multiple-choice, sentence completion, sentence ending matching, and short answer questions, the order of the questions matches the order of the information in the text. You can find the answers by reading through the text sequentially;
2. Answers for completion and short answer questions must use words from the text: Sentence completion, diagram labeling, and short answer questions all require you to use words from the text (for summary completion, some versions require selecting from a given list of words);
3. Strictly adhere to the word limit: For example, if the instruction says "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER," you will not get the mark if you exceed the word limit.

3. The 11 Question Types: What They Test and How to Practice

The "What They Test" column is based on the official IELTS website, while the "How to Practice" column offers our experienced recommendations.

4. Practice the Three Reading Skills Separately

Here are our experienced recommendations:

• Skimming: Quickly grasp what each paragraph is about, which helps with matching headings and overall comprehension. Practice: Read only the first and last sentence of each paragraph, and summarize it in one sentence;
• Scanning: Quickly locate specific information, such as numbers, names, and proper nouns, to help with locating answers. Practice: Give yourself a keyword and set a time limit to find it in the text;
• Close reading: After finding the locating sentence, understand its exact meaning, which helps with True/False/Not Given and multiple-choice questions. Practice: For wrong answers, go back to the locating sentence and analyze the sentence structure sentence by sentence.

5. How to Prepare Vocabulary

• Accumulate from past test texts: Academic texts are aimed at a non-specialist audience but often cover fields like science, history, society, and the environment. After finishing each text, compile the words that hindered your understanding;
• Focus on synonyms and paraphrasing: The wording in the questions often differs from the text. For wrong answers, write down the "question expression—text expression" pairs;
• No need to memorize technical terms: The official website states that simple definitions are provided when technical terms are used in the texts.

6. Choose Practice Focus Based on Your Starting Level

7. Computer-Delivered Test Reminders

The regular IELTS in mainland China has fully transitioned to the computer-delivered test. For the computer-delivered Reading test, you read the texts on a screen and type your answers directly. You should practice on a computer regularly to get used to screen reading and highlighting in the interface (see Article 20 for details).

Conclusion

The key to improving your IELTS Reading score is to fully understand the official question rules, practice locating and answering by question type, practice skimming, scanning, and close reading separately, and accumulate synonyms from your mistakes. Once the rules are clear, you will naturally save time.

For how to practice IELTS Listening, see our guide on How to Practice IELTS Listening; for official preparation materials, see the Complete List of Official IELTS Preparation Materials. If you need IELTS preparation tutoring, feel free to chat with our counselors.

Verification Note: This article was verified against the official IELTS website (ielts.org) in September 2026: The duration, sections, word count, number of questions, text sources, logical argumentation, glossary definitions, scoring, and word limits for Academic Reading, as well as the skills tested by each of the 11 question types, which question types follow the text order, and which require words from the text, are sourced from the Academic Reading test format page; the duration, word count, and content of the three sections for General Training Reading are sourced from the General Training Reading test format page; the transition to the computer-delivered IELTS in mainland China was verified in Article 20 on this site. The practice methods for each question type, reading skills, vocabulary preparation, and level-based practice recommendations are our experienced suggestions.

References:

• IELTS: Academic test format – Reading
• IELTS: General Training test format – Reading