IELTS Reading tips and the raw score to band table

IDP advises reading the questions first, skimming and scanning, answering every question and managing the 60 minutes. The British Council lists skimming and scanning as skills, says to attempt every question and suggests a time for each section. In Canada, IRCC says Express Entry needs the IELTS General Training option, which needs more correct answers than Academic for the same band: for band 7, 34-35 against 32-30.

IELTS has two Reading papers. Which one you sit depends on who asked for your result. For Express Entry, IRCC, the Canadian immigration department, is plain:

IDP's "IELTS for Canada" page says the same in its own words:

Other programmes and schools set their own rules, so ask the organisation that wants your result, and check its page. This is study help, not immigration advice. Here is how the two papers differ, from IELTS.org.

The three General Training sections

• There are three sections of increasing difficulty.
• Section 1 may contain two or three short texts or several shorter texts. Section 2 contains two texts. In Section 3, there is one long text.
• The texts in Section 1 deal with everyday topics, and they are the sort of texts that a person would need to be able to understand when living in an English-speaking country.
• You will need to pick out important information, e.g. from notices, advertisements and timetables.
• The texts in Section 2 focus on work topics, for example, job descriptions, contracts, staff development and training materials.
• The text in Section 3 deals with a topic of general interest.
• This Section 3 text is longer and more complex than the texts in Sections 1 and 2.
• You should be careful when typing your answers because you will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.

IDP's South Africa results page publishes one table for Academic Reading and one for General Training. Both are out of 40 questions, and IELTS.org says the two papers are graded on the same scale. We have merged them into one table so you can see the gap. Read across a row to compare the two.

IDP South Africa's caution: "The IELTS Reading band score charts that are displayed illustrate the average number of marks needed to get each band score. As a result of the variations in texts used on different occasions, actual scores may differ slightly between tests."

The gap is real. For band 7, the Academic row is 32-30 and the General Training row is 34-35. For band 6, the Academic row is 26-23 and the General Training row is 30-31. IELTS.org says why: "It is usual that a greater number of questions must be answered correctly on a General Training Reading test to secure a given band score." It also says "The IELTS Academic and General Training Reading tests are graded on the same scale."

IELTS.org also gives four anchor points for each paper. These are averages across test versions, and they sit inside IDP's rows.

Same score, different band: 30 right answers sit in the band 7 row of the Academic table and the band 6 row of the General Training table. Our reading: if you mark Academic practice papers with the Academic table but sit General Training, your band will look better in practice than it will count on the day, so use the table that matches your paper.

IDP Canada's reading article, published on IDP's Canadian site, gives these main points.

The British Council gives timing limits for the three sections, and IDP says to spend no more than 20 minutes on each. They differ, so we show both.

• We never take marks away for wrong answers.
• Spelling mistakes or poor grammar will cost you marks.
• Remember to answer every question even if you cannot find the answer or option.

Our reading: do not skip a question, and do not spend minutes on one. A guess costs nothing, and a long fight over one answer can cost you the last passage.

These are tips of ours, built from IELTS.org's description of the three sections above.

1. Section 1: read like a person in a hurry. These texts are notices, adverts and timetables. Scan for conditions: days, times, prices, and the small words that change rules, such as only, except, unless and from.
2. Section 1: do not read every line. The answer is usually in one line of a short text. Read the question, then find the line.
3. Section 2: find who does what. Work documents such as job descriptions and contracts are about rules, duties and conditions. For each question, find the responsibility or the rule being asked about, and read that sentence slowly.
4. Section 2: use headings. Many work documents have headings. Use them as an index to jump to the right paragraph.
5. Section 3: switch to passage mode. The long text is closer to an Academic passage. Skim for structure first, label the paragraphs, then answer.
6. Section 3: protect your time. It is the hardest section, so try to finish the first two sections in time to give it a fair share.
7. Check each completion answer for form. Spelling and grammar cost marks whether you type or write. Copy words exactly from the text.
8. Practise with real-life documents. Read a lease, a bank notice, a job advert, a shop's returns policy. For each, write three questions and answer them.

If you search for an IELTS Reading PDF, the owners list these downloads. The British Council lists:

• General Training Reading sample tasks (PDF, 0.85mb)
• General Training Reading answer sheet (PDF, 0.70mb)
• General Training Sample task - True/False/Not Given - Answer key (PDF, 0.05mb)
• Academic Reading sample tasks (PDF, 0.89mb)

The British Council is honest about the limit of its computer sample: "The sample below uses IELTS Academic questions so while you won't get to practise General Training questions, you will get to familiarise yourself with the test platform." IDP Australia's Familiarisation page lists General Training Reading Sample test answers, and describes its General Training Reading sentence-completion sample test like this: "This test is designed to assess your ability to comprehend written English in everyday contexts." Our IELTS practice test and PDFs page and our IELTS Academic Reading practice test page have the full lists, plus practice sets of ours.

Forty minutes a day, except Day 6, which is a full 60-minute test. Always time yourself, and always mark your errors by cause.

Common questions