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IELTS Academic Reading Syllabus, Practice Test and Samples
IELTS academic reading consists of three long passages. There are a total of 40 questions in the IELTS academic reading test. The passages are sourced from books, newspapers, journals, magazines.
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It examines the test taker’s proficiency in understanding the main ideas, themes, opinions, details, and implied meanings. Every IELTS academic reading practice test shows that the passages are similar to undergraduate or postgraduate content. IELTS academic reading band is calculated on a range of 0 - 9.
IELTS Academic Reading Syllabus Overview
IELTS reading consists of 40 questions with a duration of 60 minutes. The total text length of the passages ranges from 2,170 to 2,750. The passages are written for a non-specialist audience and are mostly academic ones with a general interest. The texts have four types ranging from discursive and analytical to descriptive and factual. Few passages of IELTS academic reading may contain diagrams, tables, or charts. It may happen that the passage contains some technical terms. In that case, a glossary will be provided. and Each question carries one IELTS academic reading band score. IELTS academic reading tests the candidate’s ability to focus on an argument, identity a writer’s viewpoint, purpose, and opinion.
IELTS Academic Reading Question Types
There are 11 IELTS academic reading question types. Candidates will find every type of question during their IELTS academic reading practice. Every question tests the specific skills of the candidates. The Cambridge reading test for Academic contains numerous sample questions that help test-takers during IELTS preparation. The following are the different IELTS academic reading question types:
Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple choice questions of IELTS academic reading require candidates to select the correct answer from choices of A, B, C, D, and more. Candidates may be required to complete a sentence by choosing the right answer. This question type tests the candidate’s ability to understand some specific points or overall understanding of all the main points. Test-takers will find numerous MCQs in IELTS academic reading samples.
Identifying Information
In this question type of IELTS academic reading test, candidates are provided with a question ‘Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?’. They need to answer by selecting true/false/not given. This question tests the ability to identify specific information in the passage. Daily practicing of these question types will result in a high IELTS academic reading score.
Identifying Writer’s Views/Claims
In this question type, candidates will be asked to answer the question ‘Do the following statements agree with the views/claims of the writer?’. They need to answer the question by choosing yes/no/not given. These questions are mainly found in discursive or argumentative texts. It tests the candidate’s ability to identify opinions and ideas.
Matching Information
Candidates will find this question type during the IELTS academic reading practice test. Here, test-takers need to find the correct information and place it in the right fit. They may be required to find a description, an example, a reason, a comparison, a summary, or an explanation. This question type tests the candidate’s ability to locate specific information.
Matching Headings
In this question type of IELTS academic reading, candidates need to choose a heading from the list of headings. They then have to link it to the related paragraph. The candidates need to understand all the paragraphs to be able to answer this question. It tests the candidate’s ability to understand the main theme or idea.
Matching Features
Here, candidates need to look for specific information about given features and match it. During IELTS academic reading practice, candidates will come across information where three people have purchased three different things from three different places. They are now required to match the information with the features. It tests the candidate’s ability to find connections between facts.
Matching Sentence Endings
This is one of the easiest question types of the IELTS academic reading test. A part of the sentence will be provided and the candidate needs to search for the other end from the passage and fill it. Candidates can practice these questions type from the passages given in IELTS reading materials academic. This question type tests the candidate’s ability to connect main idea with a sentence.
Sentence Completion
In this question type, incomplete sentences are provided. Candidates need to find the right words from the passage and fill in the blanks. Candidates will be instructed on the number of words they need to write. If they write more than the instructed number of words, they will lose their reading academic IELTS band score. This question type examines the candidate’s ability to figure out specific words or details in the passage.
Summary Completion
Test-takers will be provided with a summary of the section of the passage. They are required to complete it by taking words from the passage. The summary is majorly a single part of the passage rather than the whole. The information may appear in the form of a summary, or notes, or table, or flowchart. Summarizing examines the candidate’s ability to identify the main ideas of a section of a text. Candidates need to practice from different IELTS reading topics for getting a better understanding of this question type.
Diagram Label Completion
In this question type, candidates are required to complete a label in a diagram that is related to a description in the text. They will be instructed about the count of words they need to provide. These types of questions are mainly found in descriptive texts. It tests the candidate’s ability to know the detailed description and connect it to the information presented as a diagram.
Short-Answer Questions
In this question type, candidates need to answer questions that are related to the information in the text. This question type is mainly present in the factual passages. Candidates are required to write their answers in numbers of words on the answer sheet. This IELTS academic reading question type examines the candidate’s ability to figure out specific important information.
IELTS Academic Reading Band
IELTS academic reading score is calculated by converting the raw score to a scaled score. The raw score is the total number of correct answers out of 40. The scaled score is the range of 0 - 9. The conversion of reading academic IELTS band is done with the help of a table as given below:
| Raw Score | Scaled Score |
|---|---|
| 39-40 | 9 |
| 37-38 | 8.5 |
| 35-36 | 7 |
| 33-34 | 7.5 |
| 30-32 | 7 |
| 27-29 | 6.5 |
| 23-26 | 6 |
| 19-22 | 5.5 |
| 15-18 | 5 |
| 13-14 | 4.5 |
| 10-12 | 4 |
| 8-9 | 3.5 |
| 6-7 | 3 |
| 4-5 | 2.5 |
IELTS Reading Materials Academic
IELTS academic reading preparation requires candidates to prepare from books. Below are a few of the IELTS preparation books:
IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test
The best way to prepare for IELTS reading is to practice numerous sample questions. Here are a few of the IELTS practice papers:
IELTS Academic Reading Samples
Below are a few of the IELTS academic reading samples:
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College
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