IELTS Reading Practice Tests with Answers

IELTS Reading Section: An Overview

The reading section of the IELTS exam is of 60 minutes and there are 40 questions to attempt. Moreover, there are three tasks. Each of them has 13-15 questions. So, it is recommended that the test taker complete each task in 20 minutes along with the proofreading to avoid any chaos at the last moment.

Since IELTS is a language test, many of the skills of the test takers are analyzed so in the reading section following skills are analyzed.

• Skimming -It means that you read the passage to get a gist and to understand the main idea of the given passage.

• Scanning- Scanning means that you are reading the passage quickly to locate a specific piece of information.

• Reading for Detail – The last skill is reading for detail. In this, you read the passage to understand a logical argument, opinions, attitudes, and the purpose of the writer.

Let us know about the IELTS reading passages that you will come across in the reading section of the language proficiency exam.

Introduction to IELTS Reading Passage

As already mentioned above, this section analyzes the comprehensive skills of the test taker. However, the format and question type remain the same in both IELTS Academic and General Training. The thing that differs is the text of the IELTS reading passage.

In the academic exam, the IELTS reading materials are from relevant books, journals, and magazines. On the other hand, the reading passage IELTS of the general training exam is taken from billboards, advertisements, handbooks, and notices.

You can sign up for the free IELTS mock tests if you want to be familiar with these texts. These will help you to prepare better for your official language proficiency exam.

In the next section, you will come across the list of reading practice tests. You can click each topic and get re-directed to the treasure of reading answers and explanations.

List of IELTS Reading Practice Tests with Answers

Here is the IELTS reading passage with answers along with the explanations. The test takers can know the reason why that answer is suitable to the given question.

• Glaciers Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The Falkirk Wheel Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Doctoring Sales Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Research Using Twins Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Cork Reading Practice Test with Answers
• William Henry Perkin Reading Practice Test with Answers
• A Chronicle Of Timekeeping Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Pulling Strings To Build Pyramids Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Flying Tortoises Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Neuroaesthetics Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The Story Of Silk Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Collecting As a Hobby Reading Practice Test with Answers
• A Remarkable Beetle Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Stress Of Workplace Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Endless Harvest Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The History Of The Tortoise Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Making Every Drop Count Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Autumn Leaves Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Delivering The Goods Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Ant Intelligence Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Lost For Words Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Educating Psyche Reading Practice Test with Answers
• In Praise Of Amateurs Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Crop Growing Skyscrapers Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The Impact of Wilderness Tourism Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The Lost City Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Air Traffic Control In The USA Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The History Of Salt Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Raising The Mary Rose Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Music And The Emotions Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Migratory Beekeeping Reading Practice Test with Practice Test with Answers
• The Development Of Museums Reading Practice Test with Answers
• How Much Higher How Much Faster Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Bondi Beach Reading Practice Test with Answers
• What Destroyed The Civilisation Of Easter Island Reading Practice Test with Answers
• What Do Whales Feel Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Multitasking Debate Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Sheet Glass Manufacture The Float Process Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Let's Go Bats Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The Context Meaning And Scope Of Tourism Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Ambergris Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Second Nature Reading Practice Test with Answers
• When Evolution Runs Backwards Reading Practice Test with Answers
• Effects Of Noise Reading Practice Test with Answers
• The Concept Of Intelligence Reading Practice Test with Answers

These are the commonly appearing IELTS reading practice test topics in the language proficiency exam. In the upcoming section, you will know the question types.

Types of Questions in IELTS Reading Test

There are 14 types of questions in the reading section of the IELTS exam. Refer to the image below to know them:

In this section, let us know about these IELTS reading question types in detail.

Matching Headings

In this type of question in reading the passage of IELTS, the test taker has to match the heading to the correct paragraphs. However, the list of headings is marked as I, ii, iii, and the paragraph will be lettered as A,B,C. The test takers must be careful as the number of headings in the list will be more than the paragraph. It is, however, done to make the task harder.

Matching Paragraph Information

In this question type, the candidate must find the given information from the reading passage. While giving the reading answers, the test taker has to write the correct paragraph letter on the answer sheet.

Matching Features

In this question of IELTS Reading, you need to match a set of statements or a piece of information from the given options. These options are a group of features from the passage. There’s a possibility that some options will not be used while some may be used more than once.

Matching Sentence Endings

In these questions, the test taker has to match the beginning of the sentence with the ending. However, you can find the first half of the sentence in the question and the other half in the box. Thus, matching them will be your task.

True False Not Given

The trickiest question out of all is the True False Not Given Question. In these question types, the test taker has to identify the information. They have to answer yes if it matches the information and no if t does not. However, if it does not match the data at all, then they have to write ‘not given’ in their answer sheets.

Multiple Choice

The test taker has to select the options from the given list. Also, you will see a question with options (in letter format from A-D). It can be a question or completing the sentence with the correct option. However, the candidate must choose the right option from the list.

List Selection

The list selection questions are a bit tricky when compared to other types of questions. It is so because of the similarity. In this, you will see a question and a list of possible answers, similar to the MCQs. Moreover, this question will tell you how many answers you will need to select, so you will need to select more than one answer.

Choosing a Title

It is a regularly appearing question type in the IELTS reading test where the test taker has to give a suitable title to the various paragraphs of the passage. However, the difficulty level of these types of questions is considered hard.

Short Answer

In IELTS reading question types, students find this question easiest to answer. You must answer the question using information from the text with a short phrase. Write your answers in specific words/numbers as per the given instructions.

Sentence Completion

In this question, you are asked to complete the sentence with a specific number of words. It may be ‘one word, two/three words, no more than three words/a number, and so on.

Summary Completion

You will see a summary of a passage. To answer you must use the real text to complete it. The answers don’t need to appear in the same order as given in the passage.

Table Completion

In this IELTS reading passage, you will come across a table where a few of the cells will not have information. The test taker has to fill those cells using one word from the given list.

Flow Chart Completion

In this question type, the appearing candidate will see a flow chart with missing information. They have to fill out the flow chart correctly. For this type of question in the IELTS reading passage, you may or may not have a word bank. These are considered to be the “most difficult” in the IELTS reading section.

Diagram Completion

A few of the questions might be about diagram completion. Here, a diagram will be there and the test taker has to label it using the information from the IELTS reading passage.

These were the types of questions that appear in the IELTS exam. Also, you need to know about all of them before attempting the official exam. Thus, practice test for IELTS reading will help you in knowing the format as well as exploring the question types.

Tips to Ace IELTS Reading Test

Many test takers find it difficult to ace the IELTS reading test due to its difficult nature. In this section, there are a few tips that you can follow in order to excel in it.

• Improve Your Reading Skills- Since, you have to attempt 40 questions in 60 minutes, one must have a good reading speed to attempt all the questions.
• Learn to Skim and Scan- These are two reading techniques that help the test taker to have a quick overview of the text.
• Stay Focused While Reading- You can not understand the passage and answers just by reading the questions, you have to be focused and attentive.
• Practice Active Reading- It is a technique in which you have a habit of underlining crucial facts. So, this helps a lot of time and the candidate does not have to read the IELTS reading passage again and again.
• Choose Study Material Wisely- IELTS reading materials are the actual buddy in your test preparation journey. So, you must choose for them very wisely. You can enrol in online IELTS classes to get short and crisp study material. It will help you to boost your preparation.
• Work on Information Retention- Reading information without retention does not make any sense. So, you must practice information retention along with speed reading.
• Expand Your Vocabulary- Vocabulary plays a crucial role because it is a language exam. Although the vocabulary is huge you can learn 10 new words every day to enhance and expand it.
• Practice Frequently- Practice makes a man perfect. Staying consistent and practicing daily will help you ace the language skill test. Sign up for reading test online to prepare at ease and comfort of your home.

These are the few tips that will help you to ace the IELTS reading test on the first attempt. Also, you must be aware of the IELTS syllabus before you start preparing. In conclusion, you got to know about the reading section of the IELTS exam. Moreover, you learnt about the IELTS reading practice test with answers and explanations. You can sign up on Gradding.com to avail the free practice test for IELTS reading section. These will help you to ace the language proficiency test in the first attempt.

Commonly Asked Questions

1. Should I Answer All the Questions Asked in the second task of the IELTS Reading Section?

Yes, you should attempt all the 40 questions appearing in the IELTS reading section.

2. Is There Any Negative Marking in the IELTS Exam?

No, there is no negative marking in the IELTS exam. Hence, you can make wise guesses without the fear of mark deduction.

3. How Can I Get 7.0 in IELTS Reading Test?

If you want to achieve a 7.0 band score in IELTS reading section, then you must answer 30-32 questions correctly.

4. What Common Mistake Do Test Taker Make While Attempting Reading Section?

The most common mistake that a test taker commits is reading the passage too slowly. This means they take extra time to attempt the questions.

5. Can I Skip The Question And Attempt It Later?

No, you can not skip and come back later. However, there is no choice but to skip in the IELTS exam. Either you have to attempt it or leave it. Since there is no negative marking, the test taker must give a wise guess.

6. Where Can I Find Free IELTS Reading Practice Test with Answers?

You can find the IELTS reading passage with answers for free at Gradding.com. These will help you ace the IELTS reading test.