IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks: How to Improve IELTS Reading Band Score
International English Language Testing System ( IELTS )
Talk to ExpertThe IELTS Reading test can be challenging, but with the right strategies and techniques, you can significantly improve your band score. This section will provide you with essential tips and tricks to enhance your reading skills, manage your time effectively, and tackle different question types confidently.
The IELTS Reading test consists of 40 questions that must be completed in 60 minutes. It is divided into three sections, each increasing in difficulty. The IELTS Reading section is designed to assess the reading skills of the candidates. The test evaluates your ability to read and understand various texts, including articles, advertisements, and academic passages. It is designed in such a way that it tests whether a candidate understands the main idea, recognizes the author's opinion, and analyses the same. In this article, we will give you IELTS Reading tips that will ensure high scores and help in improvising reading skills and techniques such as scanning and skimming.
A variety of question types is used in order to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical arguments, and recognizing writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose.
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Time Allotted: 60 minutes
Total Questions: 40
IELTS Academic Reading and IELTS General Reading are Same?
The Reading skills (to find specific information and identify opinions) required for IELTS Academic Reading and IELTS General Reading are the same. The styles of questions like sentence completion and multiple-choice are also the same. However, the text will be different. In the IELTS Academic Reading, there will be three long academic texts.
IELTS Academic Reading:
There are three long texts that are taken from books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. These texts are suited for students who wish to apply to universities in English-speaking countries.
IELTS General Training Reading:
The format of the three texts is as follows:
- ‘Social survival’ is related to notices, advertisements, and timetables
- ‘Workplace survival’ is related to job descriptions, contracts and staff development and training materials
- ‘General reading’ is related to newspapers, magazines, and fictional and non-fictional book extracts
IELTS Reading Question Types
| Question Types |
Answer Strategies |
|---|---|
| Matching Information |
Candidates are required to locate specific information within the sections. |
| Matching Headings |
Candidates are required to recognise the main idea or theme of the text |
| Matching features |
Here, a candidate has to recognize opinions and the connections between the facts within the text |
| Matching Sentences |
Here, a candidate has to complete the sentence within a specified number of words. Look for the best conclusion from the passage. |
| Multiple Choice Questions |
Here, one MCQ can be a Reading Comprehension and one involves sentence completion with the best option to choose from |
| Identify the author’s views |
Here, a candidate has to confirm whether a set of statements agree with the information within the passage. A candidate has to select between true/false/not given or yes/no/not given |
| Diagram-Label Completion |
The description will be there in the text. A candidate has to label the given diagrams |
| Flow-chart Completion, Tables |
Candidates must pay attention to the details provided. They also have to recognize the main ideas of the text |
| Short Answer Questions |
Find information in the passage. Paraphrase vocabulary in questions and give an answer within the given word limit |
IELTS Reading Band Scores
The tables given below provide details of IELTS Reading Band Scores and the number of questions a candidate needs to answer correctly:
| Band Score |
Academic (Questions Answered Correctly out of 40) |
General Training (Questions Answered Correctly out of 40) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 |
40 |
40 |
| 8 |
35 |
38 |
| 7 |
30 |
34 |
| 6 |
23 |
30 |
| 5 |
15 |
23 |
IELTS Reading Tips
These IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks for Band 9 will help you in preparing better for the IELTS Reading section.
- IELTS Reading Practice Test
IELTS Reading practice tests must be completed from official IELTS material and resources such as Official Cambridge Guide, IELTS Prep App by the British Council, etc. The reason why IELTS reading practice tests are important is that they help a candidate build a test-taking temperament, which ultimately leads to better time management on the test day.
- Do not try to read each word in the IELTS Reading passages
Every time looking at a dictionary is not possible, so, you can look at the words and sentences around and try to get the meaning. It is not important to understand the meaning of every word, you can just have the gist of the sentence and go with it. No one is familiar with each and every word, especially tough words.
- Go through the questions first
This can be very helpful when it comes to scoring a good band score in the IELTS reading section. With a time constraint of 60 minutes, you have to solve 40 questions and solve 3 passages. Here, time is of great importance and you do not have the bandwidth to read each and every line of the text. When you read the questions first, then you will have an idea of what to look for in the passage and this will ultimately save you time.
- Skimming and scanning
One should be able to skim and scan passages to get a good score in the reading section of IELTS. Reading a passage and getting a general idea is skimming. You should be able to get the main idea of the passage and understand the key points. This will give you an edge to score more in the reading section.
- Work on your vocabulary
Vocabulary is a significant factor in improving your scores in the IELTS reading section. Amongst all the sections of the IELTS, the Reading section demands the widest vocabulary. Learning a new word does not mean that you have learned it, learning the usage of the word will be key here. Read articles from different genres, this will help you in learning new words and enhances your knowledge.
- Answer all the questions
At last, a very important point to remember is that IELTS does not have negative markings, so, attempt all the questions. Apart from the IELTS reading tips you also, need to go through the IELTS reading preparation tips and IELTS reading practice papers to get a fair idea about the actual questions you are going to face in the test. In addition, you can go through the IELTS reading practice books to develop a deeper understanding and improve your reading skills.
- Divide your time wisely
As the section progresses, the questions get more difficult. You can allocate relatively lesser time to the initial sections and keep some extra time for the last section.
Things to Keep in Mind
- Pay attention to the grammar structure. You may see various types of grammar structures, but try to understand them all; they will be helpful for your writing. Most of us have limited vocabulary, but if you are weak at grammar, you will not know what the text refers to. Because of this, you may lose the main idea.
- You must have known that skimming and scanning are two essential tools in reading. Both rely on an understanding of the main ideas. Therefore, if you cannot grasp the main ideas in a short time, you will lose time. This can be learned by reading various articles.
- Another way to practice reading is speed-reading. However, reading as quickly as possible is NOT the key. If you read so fast that you have to read again, there are no benefits gained from this practice. The key here is picking out the main ideas, and the finer details. Besides understanding all the main points, you should try to remember as many details as you can.
- Reading intensively is also important in the IELTS test, especially to understand tough questions. With some questions or particular sentences, you need to read and try to understand every single word. Especially with true/false/not given (or yes/no/not given) questions, a single word can change the whole meaning.
- After finishing the reading practice test, you must check all the wrong answers, try to explain why you were wrong, and think of another way to answer those questions faster. You will gain the necessary experience by doing this before the real test.
- In the IELTS exam, though you can mark and write on the question paper, you must enter your answers on the Reading Answer Sheet, and be aware that no extra time is given for transferring your answers from the test booklet to the Reading Answer Sheet.
Also Read:
IELTS Reading Tips and Tricks FAQs
Q. How many passages are there in IELTS Reading section?
A. IELTS Reading section comprises of 3-4 IELTS comprehension passages wherein the difficulty level increases with every subsequent passage. It is important for the candidates not to spend too much time on the initial passages. Try to get in the zone early on. However, this does not mean that they can rush through the questions. Strike a good balance between all the passages. This can only come through practice. In every article, we have stressed the importance of mock tests. Make sure that you appear for at least 5 full-length IELTS mock tests (if you have sufficient time) before the day of your exam.
Q. How can I improve my IELTS reading?
A. The most important IELTS reading tip is to practice and appear for mock tests. There is nothing better than going through the official study material, appearing for mock tests, and evaluating your performance in each of those tests. It is through mock tests that you can identify your weak areas and prepare your own strategy for approaching different question types. Official study material, official solved papers, and mock tests lie at the core of every exam preparation. Some other reading tips include developing a habit of reading good magazines (such as the Economist), trying to find the core of the passage, and developing a habit of skimming through the relevant information.
Q. How many total questions are there that I need to answer?
A. IELTS Reading section consists of 40 questions in all. A total of 60 minutes have been allotted to complete the IELTS Reading section. As the test moves, the difficulty level of the passages increases. It is advised that the students do not waste their time in the initial passages, as they might need some extra time for tougher ones. As an extra IELTS reading tip, it is highly advised that the students stay focused and do not get swayed away by their thoughts. Many students tend to lose a track of their reading passage and then they have to start again. Do not commit this mistake of wasting time during the test.
Q. How many questions do I need to answer correctly to obtain a band score of 7 and above on the IELTS Academic Reading test?
A. On the IELTS Academic Reading: in order to obtain a band score of 7 you need to answer 30 questions correctly, in order to obtain a band score of 8 you need to answer 35 questions correctly, and in order to obtain a band score of 9 you need to answer 40 questions correctly. When you are appearing for the test, do not count the number of questions that you need to answer correctly. Your aim must be to answer all of them correctly. However, you must have a pre-planned strategy to deal with different question types. This strategy will be clear only when you appear for IELTS practice tests.
Q. What are the various types of questions that are asked on IELTS Reading test?
A. The following question types are asked on the IELTS reading exam: Matching information, Matching headings, Matching features, Matching sentences, Multiple-choice questions, Identifying the author’s view, Diagram-label completion, Flow-chart completion, and Short answer questions.
Q: Â What is IELTS exam all about?
Conducted by IDP, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the world’s most popular English language proficiency tests for candidates looking to pursue higher education abroad and global migration. The IELTS exam is available in two formats. The IELTS Academic and the IELTS General.
The IELTS Academic test is designed for candidates looking to pursue higher education across universities and colleges abroad. The IELTS General Test is for candidates who are looking to migrate to an English-speaking country such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK among others.
The IELTS exam evaluates the English speaking, writing, listening and reading skills of the candidate. Your total IELTS score will be a combination of the band scores from the four sections. You will receive IELTS scores based on each of the four skills on a band of 1 – 9, and you will also be awarded an overall band score. You can score whole (example 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (example 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) bands in each part of the test.
Q: Â How can I practice for the IELTS exam?
After learning the complete format familiarize yourself with all the topics that you need to cover while preparing for the test. You can get online practice tests and make sure to do it while following the time. Prepare for the Listening test by listening to the audio recordings. Similarly, prepare for the Reading and Writing sections accordingly. Make sure you do as much practice as possible in order to get a decent IELTS score.
Q: Â What is the IELTS exam passing score?
There is no pass or fail in the IELTS exam. Students taking the IELTS exam are graded on their performance in the IELTS test using Bands from 1 – 9 for each skill of the test: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. Candidates would also receive an overall band score which would be the average of all the individual scores received by the candidate and rounded to the nearest half band. The IELTS exam does not have a passing score. Universities abroad would have an IELTS minimum score requirement which is often referred to as the IELTS cut-off. This is the minimum score that candidates need to achieve to apply to the university. Candidates should note that getting the minimum IELTS score does not guarantee admission to the university. Candidates are required to score higher than the expected IELTS cut-off.
Q: Â What is a good IELTS score?
A good IELTS score can vary depending on your specific goals, such as study abroad requirements, visa applications, or employment opportunities. Different institutions and organizations may have different score requirements, so it is essential to research and understand the specific score expectations for your intended purpose. In general, a score of 6.5 or higher is considered a good IELTS score. However, this may differ based on the individual's needs and the requirements of the institution or organisation they are applying to.
Some universities and programs may have higher score requirements, especially for competitive programs or fields of study. It is crucial to review the score requirements of the institutions or organizations you are interested in and aim to achieve a score that meets their criteria. Additionally, consider your own personal goals and requirements when determining what constitutes a good IELTS score for you. Get more details at What is a good IELTS score?
Q: Â Which month is the best for taking the IELTS exam?
The choice of the best month for taking the IELTS exam can vary depending on individual circumstances and preferences. It's important to consider factors such as your level of preparedness, availability of study time, and the application deadlines of the institutions or organizations you are planning to apply to. Some students may prefer to take the exam during months with fewer personal commitments or distractions, while others may choose months that align with their study schedules or coincide with the application cycles of their desired programs or universities.
It's advisable to plan ahead and consider factors such as the time needed for preparation, availability of test dates, and personal circumstances. Additionally, it can be helpful to check the availability of test slots and the registration process on the official websites of IDP IELTS India. Ultimately, the best month for you to take the IELTS exam will depend on your specific situation and preferences.
Q: Â How is the IELTS Listening test marked?
The IELTS Listening test consists of 40 questions, and you get one mark for each correct answer. Your total number of correct answers determines your "raw score, " which is then converted into a band score. It is important to try to answer every question, even if you are not sure of the answer. A blank answer will get you zero marks. The table below shows the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in the Listening test:
| Number of correct answers (Raw Score) | IELTS Listening Band Score |
| 39-40 | 9.0 |
| 37-38 | 8.5 |
| 35-36 | 8.0 |
| 32-34 | 7.5 |
| 30-31 | 7.0 |
| 26-29 | 6.5 |
| 23-25 | 6.0 |
Q: Â Why indian students choose to study at Hult International Business School - UK?
Indian students choose to study at Hult International Business School in the UK for several reasons, including its highly ranked programs, global outlook, and career support. Hult offers a range of full-time master’s degrees, immersive bachelor's programs, and MBA options that prepare students to excel in the global job market. The school is the largest and top-ranked global business school, providing students with an incomparable universal outlook. Additionally, Hult's focus on experiential learning, extensive career support, and the opportunity to study at multiple campuses around the world are attractive to Indian students seeking a global business education. Furthermore, the school's emphasis on innovation and meeting the needs of students and employers may also contribute to its appeal to Indian students
Q: Â How to prepare for UK 10th board exam 2025?
Those who are preparing for the UK Class 10 exam 2025 are recommended to follow the tips below.
- Know the exam pattern
- Make a proper time table as per the syllabus
- Solve previous year question papers
- Make short notes of important formulas and theorems
- Revise regularly
- Figure out weaker areas and learn them well
With proper planning and hard work, students can easily clear the UK 10th board exam.
Raushan Kumar is a skilled writer and a Study Abroad Expert in the Editorial Team at Shiksha. He oversees various aspects of studying abroad, including educational opportunities, entrance exams, colleges, latest new... Read Full Bio
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