IELTS Academic Reading

What’s Involved?
This question type may present:

• A question with four possible answers, or
• The first part of a sentence with four possible endings.

Your task is to select the correct option (A, B, C, or D) and write it on the answer sheet.

Occasionally, you’ll encounter a longer list of possible answers and may need to choose more than one. Carefully read the instructions to determine how many answers you need to select.

The questions follow the order of the text, meaning the answer to the first question will appear before the answer to the second question, and so on.

What Skills Are Tested?
This question type evaluates a range of reading skills, such as:

• Understanding specific details.
• Grasping the general meaning or main points of the text.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll be presented with several statements and asked: “Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?”
Your task is to write ‘True’, ‘False’, or ‘Not Given’ in the corresponding boxes on your answer sheet.

It’s crucial to understand the difference between:

• ‘False’: The statement directly contradicts the information in the text.
• ‘Not Given’: The statement is not addressed in the text and neither agrees with nor contradicts it.

Avoid using any prior knowledge of the topic when answering; base your responses solely on the information in the text.

What Skills Are Tested?
This question type assesses your ability to locate and recognize specific details provided in the text.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll be presented with several statements and asked:

• “Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer?” or
• “Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer?”

Your task is to write ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘Not Given’ in the corresponding boxes on your answer sheet.

It’s important to distinguish between:

• ‘No’: The statement contradicts the writer’s view or claim.
• ‘Not Given’: The statement is not addressed in the text and neither agrees with nor contradicts the writer’s view or claim.

Make sure to rely solely on the information in the text and avoid using any prior knowledge about the topic.

What Skills Are Tested?
This question assesses your ability to identify and understand the writer’s opinions or ideas.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll locate specific information within the paragraphs or sections of a text. Each paragraph or section is labeled with a letter (A, B, C, etc.). Your task is to match the given information to the correct paragraph or section and write the corresponding letter in the boxes on your answer sheet.

Key points to remember:

• Not all paragraphs or sections may be used.
• Some paragraphs or sections might be used more than once. When this is allowed, the instructions will clearly state: “You may use any letter more than once.”

What Skills Are Tested?
This task evaluates your ability to quickly scan a text for specific details. Unlike Matching Headings (Task Type 5), which focuses on identifying the main idea, this question type emphasizes locating precise information, such as:

• Specific details
• Examples
• Reasons
• Descriptions
• Comparisons
• Summaries
• Explanations

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll be given a list of headings identified by Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.), each summarizing the main idea of a paragraph or section in the text. Your task is to match the correct heading to the corresponding paragraph or section, which are labeled with letters (A, B, C, etc.).

Key points to keep in mind:

• Write the correct Roman numeral for each heading in the boxes on your answer sheet.
• There will always be more headings than there are paragraphs or sections, so some headings won’t be used.
• Certain paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task.
• One or more headings may already be matched to a paragraph or section as examples.
• Each heading can only be used once.

What Skills Are Tested?
This task assesses your ability to:

• Identify the main topic or idea of a paragraph or section.
• Distinguish between the main idea and supporting details.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll match a set of statements or pieces of information to a list of features from the text. These features are identified by letters (A, B, C, etc.). Your task is to write the correct letter on the answer sheet.

For example, you might need to match descriptions of inventions to their inventors. Key details to note:

• Some options may not be used at all.
• Some options might be used more than once. If this is allowed, the instructions will state: “You may use any option more than once.”

What Skills Are Tested?
This task assesses your ability to:

• Identify relationships and connections between facts in the text.
• Recognize opinions and theories presented in the text.
• Skim and scan the text to locate relevant information quickly, then read that part in detail to confirm accuracy.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll be given the first half of a sentence based on information from the text. Your task is to choose the best way to complete the sentence from a list of possible endings, which are labeled with letters (A, B, C, etc.).

Key details to remember:

• There will be more sentence endings than beginnings, so not all endings will be used.
• Write the letter corresponding to your chosen ending on the answer sheet.
• The sentence beginnings follow the order of the information in the text.

What Skills Are Tested?
This task assesses your ability to:

• Understand and connect the main ideas in the text.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll complete sentences by filling in the gaps with words from the text. You must write the chosen words directly on the answer sheet.

Key points to keep in mind:

• Carefully read the instructions, as the word or number limit for each gap can vary. For example, you might see: “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.”
• Exceeding the word limit will result in losing marks.
• Contracted words (e.g., “they’re”) are not tested.
• Hyphenated words (e.g., “check-in”) count as one word.
• The questions follow the same order as the information in the text.

What Skills Are Tested?
This task evaluates your ability to locate and extract specific details or information from the text.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll complete a summary of a section of the text using words from the text itself. The summary may take one of several formats:

• A continuous text (referred to as “a summary” in the instructions).
• Notes (referred to as “notes” in the instructions).
• A table with some cells empty or partially filled.
• A flow chart, where boxes or steps linked by arrows show the order of events, with some gaps to be filled.

Key details to remember:

• The answers may not appear in the same order as they do in the text. However, they typically come from one specific section of the text rather than the entire passage.

There are two variations of this task:

1. Selecting words from the text to fill the gaps on the question paper. Write your chosen words on the answer sheet.
2. Choosing from a list of words (labeled with letters, e.g., A, B, C). Write the corresponding letter on the answer sheet.

Important:

• Follow the instructions carefully, as there will be a word limit (e.g., “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER”).
• Marks are lost if you exceed the word limit.
• Contracted words (e.g., “they’re”) are not tested.
• Hyphenated words (e.g., “check-in”) count as one word.

What Skills Are Tested?
This task evaluates your ability to:

• Understand the main ideas and/or specific details of a text section.
• Identify the type of word needed to fill a gap (e.g., noun, verb).

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll complete the labels on a diagram based on a description provided in the text. The diagram might represent:

• A machine or device.
• A part of a building.
• Other visual information explained in the text.

Your task is to write the words that fit into the gaps directly on the answer sheet.

Important Details:

• Carefully read the instructions, as the word or number limit may vary (e.g., “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER”).
• Exceeding the word limit will result in losing marks.
• Contracted words (e.g., “they’re”) are not tested.
• Hyphenated words (e.g., “check-in”) count as one word.
• The answers might not appear in the same order as the information in the text but will usually come from a specific part of it.

What Skills Are Tested?
This task assesses your ability to:

• Understand detailed descriptions in the text.
• Accurately relate those descriptions to the corresponding information in the diagram.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.

What’s Involved?
In this question type, you’ll answer questions about factual details found in the text. Your answers must be written directly on the answer sheet in words or numbers.

Key Details to Remember:

• Answers must be taken directly from the text.
• Follow the word limit provided in the instructions (e.g., “NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER”).
• Exceeding the word limit will result in losing marks.
• Numbers can be written either as figures (e.g., 1, 2) or words (e.g., one, two).
• Contracted words (e.g., “they’re”) are not tested.
• Hyphenated words (e.g., “check-in”) count as one word.
• The questions follow the same order as the information in the text.

What Skills Are Tested?
This task evaluates your ability to locate and understand specific details within the text.

How Many Questions Are There?
The number of questions varies.