Different Question Types

The Reading paper is made up of three different texts, which progress in
level of difficulty. There are a total of 40 questions. Candidates have one

hour to complete the information, which includes the time needed to
transfer answers to the answer sheet. There is no extra time for this.
The texts are authentic and academic but written for a non-specialist
audience. Candidates must use information that appears in the text to
answer the questions. They cannot use outside knowledge if they know
about the topic. The types of texts are similar to the texts that you may
find in a newspaper or magazine, so it is important for students to get as
much reading of these types of text as possible.
The texts sometimes contain illustrations (diagrams). If a text contains

technical terms, a glossary will be provided.
Different Question Types

There are so many different types of questions in the reading test
because it forces you to learn a range of skills. If there were only
multiple choice questions then all you would need to practise would be
choosing answers from a list. The exam tests both your reading skills
and your ability to read with just one hour to complete 40 questions – so
it is important to develop a strategy to maximise your chances of getting
a good score.
Understanding where the answers can be found in the passage
In addition to having a strategy to answer each question type, students

would also be aware that the answers to some questions will not be
presented in order throughout the passage.
Questions which are in the same order as the passage

These generally focus on the precise meaning of one part of the passage.
They are:
 Short answer questions

 Sentence completion
 Multiple choice
 True, False, Not Given and Yes, No, Not Given questions
To answer these questions, you should:

1. Read the question in detail and identify keywords.
2. Scan the passage for the synonyms (the information may be
mentioned in more than one place).
3. Skim read each part where the synonyms are mentioned to identify
the right one.
4. Read the part in detail to answer the question.
Questions which are not in the same order as the passage

Some sections of the reading exam are designed to test whether the
candidate can find information, or select the most appropriate
information from a random list. Therefore, they cannot be in the same
order as the information in the passage. These are:
 Matching headings
 Matching information
 Matching features
To answer these questions, you need the same skills of scanning for key
information, skim reading, and reading in detail. However, even though
you may be able to find some of the same words used in the question,
they are more likely to be mentioned in more than one place in the
passage, and you will also need to find synonyms. So, skim reading is
more important here because it helps you decide which part of the
passage is most relevant to the specific question. This is a common
cause of errors for some students who are looking in the wrong part of
the passage and believe they have identified the right answer.
Questions which may not be in the same order as the passage
 Note completion
 Summary completion
 Diagram completion
 Flowchart completion
For these types of question, you should quickly identify the key details
in the question, which could be headings, or labels in a diagram, or
keywords in a flowchart or process. Then scan the passage for these
details, and skim to check you have found the right information. As with
all other questions, once you have found the answer, copy the exact
words from the passage to the answer paper.
Answer the following questions with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text:
1. Who is the targeted reader of the reading passages in the test?
2. Where are you likely to see a text that is the same as an IELTS Reading passage apart from a
newspaper?
3. What in one part of the passage do the questions such as “Short answer” or “Sentence
completion” questions focus on?
4. To do “Sentence completion” questions, what should you look for in the text?
5. What is the most important skill in doing “Matching heading” questions that can lead to many
mistakes?
6. For flow chart completion question, what do you need to take from the passage to answer the
questions?
Key:
1. non-specialist (audience)
2. magazine
3. precise meaning
4. synonyms
5. skim reading
6. exact words

Different Question Types

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The Reading paper is made up of three different texts, which progress in

level of difficulty. There are a total of 40 questions. Candidates have one

The texts sometimes contain illustrations (diagrams). If a text contains

Different Question Types

Understanding where the answers can be found in the passage

In addition to having a strategy to answer each question type, students

Questions which are in the same order as the passage

 Short answer questions

To answer these questions, you should:

Questions which are not in the same order as the passage

Questions which may not be in the same order as the passage

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