IELTS General Training Reading
Short everyday texts, workplace texts and one longer passage: 40 questions in 60 minutes, with highlighting and notes. Marked instantly with an estimated band.
- Texts
- Everyday, work and one long text
- Questions
- 40
- Time
- 60 minutes
- Band 7
- About 35/40
Practice tests
General Training Reading Practice Test 1
40 questions · 60 min
General Training Reading Test 2
40 questions · 60 min
IELTS General Training Reading format
General Training Reading has three sections, 40 questions and 60 minutes. The texts are the kind you meet in daily life and at work in an English-speaking country: notices, adverts, timetables, handbooks and a longer article.
| Section | What you read | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 2 or 3 short texts, or several shorter ones, about everyday life | Notices, adverts, timetables |
| Section 2 | 2 texts about work | Job descriptions, contracts, staff training material |
| Section 3 | 1 longer text on a topic of general interest | A newspaper or magazine article |
You take Reading on computer, so you type your answers straight in. There is no extra time to transfer answers at the end: the 60 minutes include everything.
Question types
General Training uses the same 11 official question types as Academic. Each correct answer is worth one mark, whatever the type.
Multiple choice
Choose the correct answer from A-D, or choose two or three answers from a longer list. The question tells you how many to pick.
- Read the question stem first and find the part of the text it refers to.
- Rule out options that are true but do not answer the question, and options that use words from the text with a different meaning.
- The questions follow the order of the text, so use the previous answer to locate the next one.
Identifying information: True / False / Not Given
Decide whether each statement agrees with the facts in the text. True: the text says the same thing. False: the text says the opposite. Not Given: the text says nothing about it either way.
| Answer | Statement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| True | A 6-year-old cannot swim alone. | The text states this, in different words. |
| False | The pool opens at 7 am on weekdays. | The text directly contradicts it. |
| Not Given | The pool is busiest in the evening. | The text never mentions this, so you cannot tell. |
False vs Not Given: answer False only when the text clearly says the opposite. If you would need to guess or use your own knowledge, the answer is Not Given.
- Underline the words in each statement that make it specific: numbers, dates, "only", "all", "always", "never".
- Judge only what the text says, not what you know about the topic.
- The statements follow the order of the text.
Identifying the writer's views: Yes / No / Not Given
The same idea as True / False / Not Given, but about the writer's opinions or claims, not facts. Yes: the writer holds this view. No: the writer holds the opposite view. Not Given: you cannot tell what the writer thinks.
| Answer | Statement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Remote working has helped the team's productivity. | It matches the writer's opinion. |
| No | The team works less well from home. | The writer believes the opposite. |
| Not Given | Other companies should also allow remote working. | The writer gives no view on this. |
- Look for opinion language: "I believe", "it is wrong to", "surprisingly", "unfortunately".
- Separate the writer's own view from views the writer only reports from other people.
- Write Yes/No, not True/False: the wrong word is marked wrong.
Matching information
Find which paragraph contains a given piece of information, such as a reason, an example or a description. A paragraph can be used more than once, and some are not used at all.
- These questions do not follow the order of the text, so do them after questions that do.
- Look for the detail, not the main idea: the information is often one sentence inside the paragraph.
- Expect paraphrase: "a reason for a decline" might appear as "this explains why numbers fell".
Matching headings
Choose the heading that best sums up the main idea of each paragraph or section, from a list with more headings than paragraphs. A typical text is a staff handbook where each paragraph covers one workplace rule.
- Read the paragraph first, decide its main idea in a few words, then find the matching heading.
- Do not match on one shared word: a heading that repeats a word from the paragraph is often a trap.
- Cross out headings once used, unless the instructions allow reuse.
Matching features
Match statements to a list of options, such as people, places, dates or theories. For example: match each course to the college that offers it.
- Find every place each option (name, date) appears in the text before you match.
- Some options may be used more than once, and some not at all: read the instructions.
Matching sentence endings
Complete each sentence by choosing the right ending from a list. There are more endings than sentences.
- The sentence beginnings follow the order of the text.
- Check that the full sentence matches the meaning of the text, not just the grammar.
- Several endings may fit grammatically; only one fits what the text says.
Sentence completion
Fill each gap with words taken from the text, within the word limit given, for example "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS".
- Obey the word limit exactly: going over it makes the answer wrong even if the words are right.
- Copy the words from the text with the correct spelling.
- Check that the completed sentence is grammatical.
Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion
Complete a summary or a set of notes, a table or a flow chart about part of the text, for example notes on how to apply for a job, with gaps for key details. You either take words from the text or choose from a box of options.
- Find the part of the text the summary covers: it is usually one or two paragraphs.
- Predict the kind of word each gap needs (noun, number, adjective) before you look.
- If there is a box of options, remember they are usually paraphrases, not copied words.
Diagram label completion
Label a diagram using words from the text, for example the layout of a piece of equipment described in a workplace manual.
- Find the paragraph that describes the object or process, then follow it step by step on the diagram.
- Use the labels already given on the diagram to find your place in the text.
Short-answer questions
Answer questions about facts in the text, usually who, what, where, when or how many, within a word limit.
- The answers follow the order of the text.
- Use words from the text and keep within the word limit.
- A number can be written in figures, which saves words.
Band scores: how many correct answers you need
Your raw score out of 40 is converted to a band. IELTS publishes these approximate figures. The exact conversion varies a little between test versions.
| Band | Correct answers out of 40 |
|---|---|
| 4 | 15 |
| 5 | 23 |
| 6 | 30 |
| 7 | 35 |
Band 7 needs about 35 correct answers. Some older official versions of this table said 34, so treat the figure as approximate.
The texts are easier than in Academic, so the scale is stricter: 30 correct answers is about band 7 in Academic Reading but about band 6 here.
How to plan your 60 minutes
| Section | Suggested time | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 15 minutes | Short everyday texts: scan for details quickly. |
| Section 2 | 18 minutes | Workplace texts with more detail. |
| Section 3 | 24 minutes | The longest and hardest text. |
| Final check | 3 minutes | Fill any blanks and check spelling. |
- Sections 1 and 2 are mostly about finding details: scan for names, numbers and key words rather than reading every line.
- Save enough time for Section 3. Many candidates lose marks by spending too long on the short texts.
- In our test player you can highlight text and add notes, just as on the real computer test. Use highlights to mark where each answer came from.
Common mistakes
- Reading the whole text in detail before looking at the questions, then running out of time.
- Using your own knowledge instead of what the text says, especially in True / False / Not Given.
- Choosing False when the answer is Not Given because the statement "feels" wrong.
- Going over the word limit in completion questions, or misspelling words copied from the text.
- Matching headings on a shared word rather than the main idea of the paragraph.
- Leaving answers blank: there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so always answer every question.
- Assuming the short texts are easy and losing easy marks on careless details such as times, prices and dates.
How to practise here
Take the General Training Reading tests above on a screen that works like the real computer test, then see your estimated band and every answer explained. Once you are consistent, sit a full mock test to practise Listening, Reading and Writing back to back.
See the IELTS General Training overview for how Reading fits with the other sections, and General Training Writing for the next part of the test.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given?
True/False/Not Given asks whether a statement matches the facts in the text. Yes/No/Not Given asks whether it matches the writer's opinions or claims. The logic is the same, but you must write the words the question asks for.
How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in IELTS General Training Reading?
About 35 out of 40. Some older official versions of the table said 34, so treat it as approximate. About 30 correct answers gives band 6.
Is General Training Reading easier than Academic Reading?
The texts are shorter and more everyday, but you need more correct answers for the same band. Band 7 needs about 35/40 here and about 30/40 in Academic Reading.
Do I get extra time to transfer my answers?
No. Reading is taken on computer and you type answers directly, so the 60 minutes include everything.
Does spelling count in IELTS Reading?
Yes. A misspelled answer is marked wrong, so copy words from the text carefully.
Is there negative marking in IELTS Reading?
No. A wrong answer scores the same as a blank one, so answer every question.