IELTS Reading Test: 14 Basic and Frequent Questions

English is a hard language to read. No, seriously, it is hard to language to read.
Someone who hates reading tests

For instance, Bow can mean “bend forward” or a “weapon“. At the same time, skip also has multiple meanings two of which being “jump” and “miss out”. The meaning of these words changes depending on the context.

On top of that, a fight can be anything from a fight, struggle, a duel to an all-out war. These depend on the context of the text as well. Due to these reasons, English can be really hard to read and understand. Maybe this is the reason why people have so many questions regarding reading English – especially for the Tests and even more so for the Reading Tests of the IELTS exam.

FAQ’s for reading test if the IELTS

Now for a lot of Nepali, the IELTS exam is an important part of their lives – it enables them to go abroad for a number of reasons. And since the reading test is an integral part of this exam, it is natural for people to have some questions that they frequently ask.

Let’s see what they are.

1) How long is an IELTS reading test?

This test lasts for 1 hour. Within this hour, you have t to read the passages and answer the questions. Be wary as this test is immediately followed by a listening test of the IETLS exam.

2) What is the difference between the General Training Reading module and Academic Reading Module?

In the General Training Reading module, the reading passages are relatively easier when compared to the Academic Reading Module but at the same time, you will need to answer more questions correctly to get the same score as the Academic Reading Module.

At the same time, while you won’t have to get as many correct answers as the General Training Academic Module, the passages will contain harder vocabulary and complicated sentences.

3) How many reading passages are there?

There are six passages in the IELTS reading test with the passages being divided equally among the General Training Reading module and Academic Reading module.

So three passages for General and three for Academic reading modules.

4) What are the reading passages about?

The reading passages in the General Training Module will usually be informational like the ones in the newspapers and magazines meanwhile the passages in the Academic Modules will cover diverse academic topics which Agriculture and Art.

5) What should you read first – passage or questions?

It is best to read the passages first to get some ideas of what the questions may ask. If you do this, it will become easier to find what the questions are looking for, For this, you don’t have to read the passage deeply as just skimming through the contents of the passage will give you enough idea to know where to look for answers.

On the other hand, if you are skilled enough to catch the crucial point f the sentence and put it into context, you can look at the questions first and look for the answers.

6) Can one choose between General and Academic Reading Tests?

Yes, you can. Both of these choices have their own pros and cons as in the General Reading test, the passages will be easier but the number of answers that you have to get correct will be greater.

At the same time, the passages in the Academic Reading tests are a bit harder but the required number of correct answers also lower.

7) How many questions are there?

There are 40 questions in total for each reading test and you get one point for each correct answer.

8) What types of questions are here in the Reading Test?

There are a few types of questions that you may have to face in an IELTS reading test. Some of which re:

– Match the Headings
– Complete sentences
– Summarize the passages
– Match opinions to people mentioned in the text

9) How long should one spend on each question?

Since there are only 60 minutes of time and 40 questions, it is best advised to segment the time as15 minutes for reading, one minute per question, and 5 minutes for revision.

10) How are IELTS reading scores calculated?

Your score will be given out of total marks of 40 and then converted into an IELTS band score that has a range of 0 to 9.

Do remember that the rate of conversion for General and Academic Reading tests are different.

11) What IELTS reading test score is required for a university entry?

The answer to this is – it depends on the university. Some universities may accept a lesser score on IELTS reading score while some may require a higher score. Byt in general, it is better to aim for a minimum score of 6.

12) What to use – Pen or Pencil?

You must use Pencil for Reading tests and Listening Tests in an IELTS exam.

13) Do all questions come in Order?

The questions come in random order. Only some of the questions follow the sequence of the passages.

14) How can one improve their reading skills?

If you are an avid reader, this test shouldn’t be much of an issue for you. However, if you aren’t one, you can use a few of the following tips.

– Learn to skim
– Focus on one type of question each day
– Read academic articles on a wide range of topics like on BBC news or science journals to get used to the process

Conclusion,

So as you may have seen people have a lot of questions regarding the IELTS reading test. While the questions may not include every question ever asked about the IELTS reading test, they are some of the frequently asked ones.

Hope you found this helpful. If you have any suggestions for us, do let us know in the comments below. And as always, thank you for reading till the end.