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Reading for the IELTS Exam
Reading is one of the four scored IELTS modules. The Academic version uses three long, journal-style passages; the General Training version uses everyday and workplace texts. Time pressure and the True/False/Not Given format are the dominant failure modes.
Locale-specific study guides
Pass-rate data, regulatory context, and study tips for Reading all change by candidate locale. Pick your context:
Common failure modes
These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.
- !Spending too long on one passage and not finishing the other two
- !Confusing False with Not Given on TFNG items
- !Skim/scan misread on heading-matching items
- !Wrong-grammar transferred answers in completion tasks
Study tips
- 1Practice strict 20-minute time blocks per passage with a hard cutoff.
- 2Drill TFNG distinctions: False (contradicted by passage) vs Not Given (no info present, even if topic mentioned).
- 3Skim each passage in 90 seconds before answering — get the macro structure first.
- 4Mark question numbers in the passage as you scan to avoid re-reading.
Sample IELTS Reading questions
These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real IELTS questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.
- 1
On a True/False/Not Given item, "Not Given" is the correct answer when:
- AThe passage clearly contradicts the statement
- BThe passage states the same idea in different words
- CThe passage neither confirms nor contradicts the statementCorrect
- DThe statement is only partially true
Why this answer?
Not Given is the correct answer when the passage neither confirms nor contradicts the statement. False applies only when the passage actively contradicts; partial truth or paraphrased agreement counts as True.
Practice IELTS reading, writing, listening, speaking — free.
Band-7 vocabulary, Task-1 / Task-2 templates, and AI speaking partners that score by band descriptors.