Academic Reading: What is the IELTS Reading test?
Click the items below to find out more about the Academic Reading test.
The Academic Reading test takes 60 minutes and there are 40 questions. The test contains three sections. Test takers are required to read a number of texts, with a total length of 2,150 to 2,750 words.
Texts and questions appear on a Question Paper that test takers can write on but not remove from the test room. All answers must be entered on an Answer Sheet during the 60-minute test. No extra time is allowed to transfer answers.
A variety of question types are used in order to test a wide range of reading skills. The test will contain question types selected from:
- multiple choice
- identifying information (True/False/Not Given)
- identifying writer's views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given)
- matching information/ headings/ features/ sentence endings
- sentence/ summary/ note/ table/ flow-chart/ diagram label completion
- short-answer questions
The Academic Reading test contains three long texts.
The texts are authentic and are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. They have been written for a non-specialist audience and are on academic topics of general interest.
Texts are appropriate to, and accessible to, test takers entering undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeking professional registration.
Texts range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. Texts may contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts contain technical terms, then a simple glossary is provided.
A variety of question types are 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 argument, understanding inferences and implied meaning, and recognising writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose.
One mark is awarded for each correct answer in the 40-item test.
A band score conversion table is produced for each version of the Academic Reading test which translates scores out of 40 into the IELTS 9-band scale.
Scores are reported as a whole band or a half band.
Care should be taken when writing answers on the answer sheet as spelling mistakes are penalised.
