ScoreFluentIELTS Reading, question by question.
Three sections, 40 questions and 60 minutes, with one mark for each correct answer. Academic and General Training use different texts but the same time, question count and 0–9 scale. This page covers the format, every question type and how the marks work.
Checked 15 and 16 October 2026 against ielts.org. ScoreFluent is not affiliated with IELTS.
How long is IELTS Reading, and how many questions?
Both versions have 40 questions in 60 minutes, and IELTS says the 60 minutes includes transfer time. The papers differ in what you read.
| Academic | General Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 60 minutes, including transfer time | 60 minutes, including transfer time |
| Questions | 40, one mark each | 40, one mark each |
| Sections | 3, each with one text | 3, of increasing difficulty: Section 1 has two or three short texts or several shorter ones, Section 2 has two texts, Section 3 has one long text |
| Total text length | 2,150–2,750 words | 2,150–2,375 words |
| Where the texts come from | Books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources, written for a non-specialist audience | Section 1 everyday texts such as notices, advertisements and timetables; Section 2 work texts such as job descriptions, contracts and training materials; Section 3 a general-interest text from newspapers, magazines, books or online |
| Topics | Of general interest to undergraduate or postgraduate students; at least one text contains detailed logical argument | Everyday life, work and a general-interest topic; Section 3 is longer and more complex than Sections 1 and 2 |
Source: IELTS Academic Reading format and General Training Reading format, checked 15 and 16 October 2026.
What is the difference between Academic and General Training Reading?
The texts
Academic has three texts and may use diagrams, graphs or illustrations. General Training starts with notices and timetables, moves to work documents, and ends with one longer text that is generally descriptive and narrative.
The marks
Both are graded on the same scale, but IELTS says it is usual for more questions to be answered correctly on General Training to secure a given band. Its published averages put Band 7 at about 30 out of 40 on Academic and about 35 on General Training. See how IELTS is scored.
Which one you sit
That is set by the organisation that will receive your result, not by you. The IELTS Academic and General Training guide explains how to choose.
What question types appear in IELTS Reading?
IELTS lists 11 question types for Academic Reading, and says the number of questions of each type is variable. General Training draws on the same family of tasks; its format page groups them under eight headings.
| Type | What you do | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Multiple choice | Choose one correct answer from four, or sometimes choose more than one from a longer list. | Multiple-choice guide |
| 2. Identifying information (True/False/Not Given) | Decide whether each statement agrees with, contradicts, or is not covered by the text. | True/False/Not Given guide |
| 3. Identifying writer’s views or claims (Yes/No/Not Given) | The same decision, but against what the writer thinks or claims rather than facts in the text. | — |
| 4. Matching information | Find which paragraph or section contains a specific piece of information. | — |
| 5. Matching headings | Match a heading to the paragraph or section whose main idea it summarises. | Matching headings guide |
| 6. Matching features | Match statements to a list of options, such as people, places or theories named in the text. | — |
| 7. Matching sentence endings | Complete the first half of a sentence by choosing the best ending from a list. | — |
| 8. Sentence completion | Fill a gap in each sentence with words from the text, within a word limit. | Completion guide |
| 9. Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion | Complete a summary of part of the text, using words from the text or from a list. | Completion guide |
| 10. Diagram label completion | Complete the labels on a diagram described in the text. | Diagram labels guide |
| 11. Short-answer questions | Answer questions on factual details in the text, in words or numbers. | Short answers guide |
The type names are IELTS’s; the one-line glosses are our paraphrase. Browse every guide on the IELTS question-type index.
How is IELTS Reading marked?
Each correct answer receives one mark, and the score out of 40 is converted to a band in whole or half steps. Completion and short-answer questions have a word limit given in the instructions, and IELTS says you lose the mark for writing more than the limit. Contracted words such as “they’re” are not tested, and hyphenated words such as “check-in” count as one word.
IELTS’s General Training Reading page adds a warning: you lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar in typed answers. Treat spelling as part of the mark on both papers. The band conversion, including IELTS’s published average marks, is on the scoring page.
How do I get through 40 questions in 60 minutes?
The format facts are IELTS’s; the technique below is ours.
Judge True/False/Not Given by the text alone
IELTS defines the three answers precisely: False means the statement contradicts the text, Not Given means it neither agrees nor contradicts. It also warns you not to use what you already know about the topic. When torn between False and Not Given, ask whether the text says the opposite or says nothing.
Read the word limit, then check the order
Completion and short-answer questions set a word limit, and going over it loses the mark. Multiple-choice, sentence-completion, sentence-ending and short-answer questions follow the order of the text, so the answer to question 12 sits after the answer to question 11. Summary and diagram-label answers may not.
Set a time budget and test it
Sixty minutes for three sections is 20 minutes each if you split it evenly. That is our starting point, not an IELTS rule. Time a full paper, note which section ran over, and move the budget accordingly. For General Training, which gets harder section by section, bank time in Section 1.
Do not leave a blank
Each correct answer earns one mark, and IELTS does not describe any deduction for a wrong answer. With 40 questions in 60 minutes, a short guess at the end beats an empty box.
Is there IELTS Reading practice on ScoreFluent?
Yes. ScoreFluent has seven Reading formats (single and multiple choice, True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given, matching, completion, diagram labels and short answers), marked instantly. Reading practice is free to start, with a daily limit, and credits never expire. Passages and questions are written for practice, not taken from past IELTS papers, and results are practice estimates.
For a full timed run, the IELTS mock test has three passages and 40 items, with separate Academic and General Training versions. In the full mock test, Listening, Reading and Writing share one 150-minute clock. The IELTS practice test guide lists what the mock test contains and what it costs.
Straight from the test owners.
ScoreFluent is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to IELTS, the British Council, IDP IELTS or Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Checked on 15 and 16 October 2026:
- IELTS Academic: Reading test format — timing, text length, the 11 question types and the word-limit rule.
- IELTS General Training: Reading test format — the three sections, text length and the spelling warning.
- IELTS scoring in detail — one mark per answer, the indicative averages and how the two papers differ.
- IELTS Academic sample test questions and General Training sample test questions — free official Reading sample tasks.
Exam details change. If a decision hangs on a detail here, check it against the official pages above first; they outrank this page.
Keep going: the IELTS guide, Listening, Writing, Speaking, scoring and the practice test guide.
IELTS Reading questions, answered.
How long is IELTS Reading and how many questions are there?
IELTS Reading is 60 minutes with 40 questions across three sections, and the time includes transferring your answers. The total text length is 2,150–2,750 words for Academic and 2,150–2,375 words for General Training.
What is the difference between IELTS Academic and General Training Reading?
Academic has three long texts from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources, written for a non-specialist audience. General Training moves from everyday texts, to work texts, to one longer general-interest text. Both have 40 questions in 60 minutes.
What question types are in IELTS Reading?
IELTS lists 11 for Academic: multiple choice, True/False/Not Given, Yes/No/Not Given, matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary/note/table/flow-chart completion, diagram label completion and short answers. Its General Training page groups them under eight headings.
What is the difference between False and Not Given?
False means the statement contradicts the information in the text. Not Given means the text neither agrees with nor contradicts it. Use only the text, never what you already know about the topic.
Do the IELTS Reading questions follow the order of the text?
For several types they do: IELTS says so for multiple choice, sentence completion, matching sentence endings and short-answer questions. Summary completion and diagram labels may not follow the order of the text.
How is IELTS Reading marked?
Each correct answer earns one mark, and the score out of 40 is converted to a band in whole or half steps. IELTS publishes average marks for some bands, for example about 30 for Band 7 in Academic and about 35 for Band 7 in General Training.
Is a General Training Reading score harder to get than an Academic one?
IELTS says Academic texts may use harder vocabulary or a more complex style, and that more questions usually have to be answered correctly on General Training Reading to secure a given band. The two papers are graded on the same scale.
Do I lose marks for spelling in IELTS Reading?
IELTS’s General Training Reading page warns that you lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar when typing answers. Completion and short-answer questions also have a word limit, and writing more words than the limit loses the mark.
Does ScoreFluent offer IELTS Reading practice?
Yes. ScoreFluent has seven Reading formats, marked instantly, and Reading practice is free to start with a daily limit. The full IELTS mock test includes a three-passage, 40-question Reading section. Results are practice estimates, not official IELTS scores.
Are ScoreFluent’s Reading passages real IELTS passages?
No. ScoreFluent’s passages and questions are written for practice and are not taken from past IELTS papers. IELTS publishes free sample questions with answer keys on its own site.
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