Let’s start with facts about the timing of the test.
When you take the IELTS Reading Test, it will take one hour, or 60 minutes. During this time you will read and answer the questions. You’ll also need to write your answers on the answer sheet while you are doing the test, because unlike the Listening Test, there is no extra transfer time given. By the way, when you do this, your answers must be spelled correctly and you must use correct grammar.
The Reading Test is organized into three sections and each section has a reading text and 13 or 14 questions. You can start with any section that you like. In total, you have to answer 40 questions for the whole Reading Test.
You are probably also wondering what the reading texts are about. Well, the text features a variety of different reading passages. The topics are different, for example one text may be about astronomy, but another would be about something completely different. The topics are generally about academic subjects, such as the environment, education, technology, and work. The texts would be of interest to an educated audience, but you don’t need to be an expert to understand them. The texts are taken from real publications like books, newspapers, and magazines. The style of the passage may vary too; it might be descriptive, or argumentative, for example. The text may have an illustration or a graph. And as for length, each text can be up to about 900 words long.
You might also be wondering about the test questions, or tasks. Well, the IELTS Reading Test features a real variety of different question types. These include tasks like multiple choice, completing a table, or choosing headings for paragraphs. In one test, you might encounter between four and ten different question types, so it’s a good idea to have practised all of them before you take the test.
To prepare well for the IELTS Reading Test, you need to practise all of the ten possible question types. The question types are used randomly and are called: multiple choice; short-answer questions; sentence completion; notes, summary, table, or flow chart completion; labelling a diagram; choosing headings for paragraphs or sections of a text; locating information; identification of writer’s views or of information in a text; classification; and finally, matching. When you answer these questions, you might be required to write a word or a phrase from the reading text, or perhaps a number or a letter. You will be able to practise these question types in this course.
As a teacher, I often get asked how difficult the Reading Test is. Well, that varies from person to person. How easy or difficult you find the test overall really depends on you, your reading experience and your ability. But I can say that one of the most challenging aspects of the Reading Test is managing your time. You won’t be told when to start and finish each section, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the time. You don’t want to spend too long on any one section because you’ll want to allow enough time to attempt all the questions. And another thing that I remind my students about is to read the instructions carefully. For example, pay attention to how many words you’re supposed to write; one, two or three? So, what happens to your test when you’ve finished? Well, it is marked and one point is given for each correct answer.
Remember, you will lose points for incorrect spelling or grammar, so be careful when you’re copying words from the reading text onto your answer sheet, it’s easy to make a careless mistake. The total number of points is then converted into an IELTS band score for Reading, for example, 6.0 or 7.0. It’s also possible to be given a half band score, such as 5.5, or 6.5. So, now you have some basic information. But remember, although these facts are important background knowledge, there’s a lot more to learn which will help you to do well in the IELTS Reading Test.
Watch This Video Lecture: The Format / Introduction of The Reading Test