Section practice
Work through Academic or General Training passages in a split CBT layout (Official Style). Build a 60-minute timing habit for 40 questions, with highlights and notes while you read.
Aim for roughly 20 minutes per passage. Skim for structure, then scan for keywords and synonyms. Do not spend half the test on passage one. Our Reading timing Guide has a full 60-minute plan.
False contradicts the passage. Not Given means the information is simply not stated, even if it seems logical from world knowledge.
Match the module on your booking. Academic uses denser passages; General Training starts with shorter everyday texts. Filter packs by Academic or General on this page.
Yes. Our CBT practice shell supports highlights and notes so you can rehearse the same habits you will use on computer-delivered test day.
Objective items are auto-marked. Convert raw scores with the Academic or General table in the Score Calculator. The two modules do not share the same cut-offs.
Filter Academic or General packs, keep a 20-minute pace per passage, and use Guides when synonym traps keep repeating.
60
Minutes for 40 questions
3
Passages (Academic) / sections (GT)
A/G
Academic and General packs
CBT (Official Style)
Highlights & notes in the shell
Academic Reading uses three long passages. General Training opens with shorter everyday texts, then a longer final section. Both modules give 60 minutes for 40 questions. You manage your own timing; there is no audio clock like Listening.
Practise the module you will book. Our packs filter by Academic, General, and Recent Actual Tests. The CBT shell (Official Style) supports highlights and notes so computer-delivered candidates can rehearse the same tools they will use on test day.
False contradicts the text. Not Given means the passage never states it, even if it sounds plausible.
Headings track main ideas, not keywords. Information matching rewards synonym hunting across paragraphs.
Respect word limits. Answers are usually words taken from the passage or controlled paraphrases.
Eliminate options that are too extreme or that twist a detail. The correct option often restates a sentence with synonyms.
Leave time for the last passage. Guess smart rather than perfecting passage one.
Know where topics live before you hunt answers. Questions usually follow passage order.
Especially on Not Given items. If it is not written, do not invent it.
After scoring, list synonyms that fooled you. That list beats another unread passage.
Academic and General Training use different raw-to-band tables. Convert your practice score with the matching chart after every pack so you do not misread a General score as Academic (or the reverse).
Open score calculator →Timing plans, question-type tactics, and Academic vs General clarity before you open the next pack.
IELTS Reading Timing and Question Types
A practical 60-minute plan and the question types that slow people down.
IELTS Academic vs General Training Choice (2026)
Pick the right Reading module before you practise the wrong texts.
IELTS Band Score Chart Explained (2026)
Separate Academic and General raw-to-band conversions.
IELTS Topic Vocabulary and Paraphrase Bank
Synonym skills that unlock matching and multiple choice items.
IELTS Tips for Band 7 to 9
Band 7–9 reading habits without endless new passages.
IELTS Study Plan for 30 60 90 Days
Where Reading drills fit in a longer study calendar.
Cap each passage at about 20 minutes. Skim for structure, then scan for keywords and synonyms. The passage rarely repeats the question wording.
Academic texts are denser; General Training opens with shorter everyday documents. Match the module you will sit on test day, and study synonym groups when you miss paraphrase traps.
Use CBT highlights (Official Style) and notes the same way you will on computer-delivered IELTS, then convert your raw score with the Academic or General Reading table.
Pair section practice with a full mock every 1–2 weeks so pacing holds when Listening has already used part of your focus.
Keep practising this skill, then rotate into the rest of the exam path.
Convert Academic or General Reading raw scores.
Context for overall band goals next to Reading practice.
Question-type strategies in the Pro content library.
When section scores stabilise, sit Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking in one CBT sitting.
Browse full mocks →