IELTS General Reading Tips

You can prepare for IELTS general reading by following the IELTS preparation tips below:

1. Accomplish skill-building strategies to work on every question type;
2. First, skim, then scan – the holy grail of IELTS reading;
3. Speed up the reading skills
4. There is no need to understand the whole passage;
5. Focus on vocabulary development;
6. Enhance your grammar skills
7. Follow IELTS fever reading for practice

IELTS General Reading Practice Test with Answers

To score good marks in IELTS, it is necessary to practice IELTS practice papers regularly. Time management is one of the most important things to look after. Here are a few sample papers for your practice:

IELTS General Reading Materials

You can learn new words and phrases and practice paraphrasing for IELTS general reading practice. You can also get materials for IELTS reading that are available online on many websites for practice. Additionally practice from IELTS fever reading. IELTS general training reading practice test can also be done with the help of the following books:

1. The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS: Check PDF
2. Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Student's Book with Answers with Audio: Check PDF
3. Official IELTS Practice Materials: Check PDF

IELTS General Reading Question Types

IELTS general reading consists of 11 types of questions. Before you proceed with the IELTS preparation, go through the following types of questions:

GT Reading Multiple Choice

In this particular IELTS reading test general section, you need to find the correct answer from the options provided. The question might be given to complete a sentence or a complete question will be given and you need to find a suitable answer.

You are required to choose either

• One answer from four alternatives (A, B, C or D)
• Two answers from five alternatives (A, B, C, D or E)
• Three answers from seven alternatives (A, B, C, D, E, F or G)

The options order is the same as will be provided in the test. The examiner in this section tests your ability to understand particular points or overall idea of the passage.

GT Reading Identifying Information

In this section, you will be provided a set of statements. The question will be: 'Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?'. Then, you need to write your answer as 'True', 'False' or 'Not Given'.

'False' – Passage states the opposite of the statement.

'Not Given' – The information in the statement is not mentioned in the passage.

The examiner in this section tests ability to recognise the information conveyed in the passage.

GT Reading Identifying Writer's Claims/Views

In this section you will be given a number of statements. The question will be: 'Do the following statements agree with the views/claims of the writer?'. You are required to answer in 'Yes', 'No' or 'Not Given'. In this section the examiner tests your ability to identify the ideas and opinions of the writer.

Examples :

GT Reading Matching Information

In this particular question type, you need to match the information given in the question with the information found in one of the paragraphs in the passage. The passage contains lettered paragraphs (A, B, C, …). So, what you are required to do is write the letter of the correct paragraph on the answer sheet. In this section the examiner tests your ability to scan a text to find specific information

GT Reading Matching Headings

In this IELTS general reading passages section you will be provided with a list of headings with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, …) and a passage with lettered paragraphs (A, B, C, …) is given. You must match the heading to the correct paragraph. The number of headings will always be more than the number of paragraphs. In this section you will test your ability to recognise the main idea or theme of a particular paragraph.

GT Reading Matching Features

In this particular question type, you need to match a set of statements or a piece of information to the list of options given. For instance, you need to match different events to historical periods. This section tests your ability to determine relationships and connections between facts.

GT Reading Match Sentence Endings

In this section of IELTS general reading, you will be provided only the first half of the sentence. You will be asked to complete the sentence by choosing the best from a list of possible options. Examiner here tests your ability to understand the main idea within the sentence

Example:

GT Reading Sentence Completion

In this section of the IELTS reading general training question you are asked to complete the sentence with a specific number of words. You will be provided with instructions that give a clear idea about the number of words you need to write. It may be 'one word', 'two/three words', 'no more than three words/a number' and so on. In this section the examiner tests your ability to locate specific information from the passage

Example:

GT Reading Summary/Flowchart 

In this particular question type, you need to fill in the gap in the summary, note, table or flowchart in context to the passage. In this section you are tested on ability to identify the main idea of the passage and the type of words that fits into the gap.

GT Reading Diagram Labelling

In this question you will be provided with a labelled diagram with respect to the description in the text. You need to complete those labels. The diagram may be some type of machine, parts of building or other objects that can be easily represented pictorially. In this section your ability to relate the information in the text to the labels in the diagram is examined.

GT Reading Short-Answer 

In this particular question type, you are required to answer questions regarding the details mentioned in the passage. The details are mainly related to some factual information. You must write your answers on the answer sheet in words/numbers as per the given instructions. The examiner tests your ability to understand and locate the information given in the passage

The above IELTS general reading question types, along with practice papers are very helpful to ace the IELTS score. A regular practice can lead up to an 8 band score.