You’ll need to learn how to manage your time and read swiftly and effectively. In the reading portion of the IELTS exam, you will be required to read three distinct texts and answer questions pertaining to them. The Reading section of the IELTS Academic and General Training exams has distinct content.
The purpose of the IELTS Reading test is to evaluate a variety of reading abilities, such as how well you:
- read for the general sense of a passage.
- read for the main ideas.
- read for detail
- understand inferences and implied meaning
- recognise a writer’s opinions, attitudes and purpose
- follow the development of an argument.
Academic Reading :
Format:
Three lengthy pieces ranging from factual and descriptive to analytical and discursive in nature. These are excerpted from newspapers, periodicals, books, and journals. Although they are meant for a general audience rather than experts, they are suitable for those starting college courses or applying for professional registration.
Duration :
Including the time needed to transfer your responses from your question booklet to your answer sheet, the IELTS Reading test takes about 60 minutes.
Number of questions :
40 questions.
Task types :
Fill in the blanks in a written passage, a table, a diagram, a chart, or a heading; finish sentences; respond succinctly to open-ended questions; and respond to multiple choice questions.
Marks :
For every right response, one mark is awarded. IELTS 9-band scale is applied to scores out of 40. Whole and partial bands scores are given.
General Training Reading :
Format:
excerpts from publications such as company handbooks, guidelines, notices, ads, periodicals, and newspapers. These are the kinds of resources you’ll probably come across every day in an English-speaking setting.
Duration :
Including the time needed to transfer your responses from your question booklet to your answer sheet, the IELTS Reading test takes about 60 minutes.
Number of questions :
40 questions.
Task types :
Fill in the blanks in a written passage, a table, a diagram, a chart, or a heading; finish sentences; respond succinctly to open-ended questions; and respond to multiple choice questions.
Marks :
For every right response, one mark is awarded. IELTS 9-band scale is applied to scores out of 40. Whole and partial bands scores are given.
Frequently Asked Question
You won’t ever have to wait longer than two weeks to get your IELTS results, regardless of how you take the test.
Checking your IELTS results online is simple. We’ll send you an email notification with a link to examine your scores as soon as your results are available. A preview SMS notice can also be sent straight to your phone by some testing locations.
The official certification of your test results, known as the IELTS Test Report Form (or TRF), can be presented as evidence of your fluency in English. This can be an electronic version (eTRF) or a paper copy.
Photocopies of your IELTS Test Report Form will not be accepted by the majority of the institutions you are applying to; original copies are required. On the other hand, you can print your eTRF or email it if you took the IELTS online.
Up to five extra copies of your Test Report Form may be sent by us to the organizations you are applying to (such as colleges, businesses, immigration agencies, etc.). Within two years of taking the test, please provide the pertinent addresses on the Test Taker Portal if you would like us to accomplish this.
Some universities and organizations have started subscribing to the electronic download of IELTS scores, even if paper versions are still the standard. Before mailing or requesting that we send a paper copy of your results, please check with your local test center.
For each of the four test sections—speaking, reading, writing, and listening—you will receive an IELTS band score.
To represent your level of English proficiency in each of these categories, each will be scored on a scale from 0 to 9. These could be half band scores, like 5.5, 6.5, or 7.5, or whole band scores, like 5.0, 6.0, or 7.0.
An overall band score, which is a summary of your English language proficiency factoring in all four test areas, will also be displayed on your IELTS Test Report Form.
You have up to six weeks from the date of your exam to submit an Enquiry on Results (EOR) request if you would want further information about your test results or to have any part remarked.
This can be completed in-person at the testing location or online using the Test Taker Portal. Re-marking a section of the test carries a fee, which will be reimbursed if you receive a higher result on any section.
Enquiry on Result (EOR) results may be accessed as soon as the application is submitted or up to 21 days later. The quantity of parts you’ve asked us to remark is one of the many variables that affect how long it takes.
Please get in touch with your test center if, after 21 days, you have not heard back. If you used IELTS Online for your initial exam, please get in touch with us.
You can obtain your target score on the IELTS One Skill Retake without having to retake the entire exam. You can retake any of the four IELTS test skills—listening, reading, writing, or speaking—within 60 days of the first test date if you would like to increase your score on one of the test skills. Only IELTS computer bookings are presently able to take the IELTS One Skill Retake.