IELTS Reading: True/False/Not Given, Time Management and Band Scores
IELTS Reading gives you 60 minutes for 40 questions in 3 sections, and the same raw score converts to different bands in Academic and General Training. This guide gives you both band tables, a decision method for True/False/Not Given with a worked example, matching-task strategy and a 60-minute time plan.
IELTS Reading gives you 60 minutes to answer 40 questions on 3 sections of text, with no extra time to transfer answers, and the questions that cost most candidates marks are True/False/Not Given, matching headings and the word-limit completion tasks. Academic Reading uses 3 long texts; General Training Reading uses shorter everyday and workplace texts. This guide gives you both band tables, the question types, a decision method for True/False/Not Given with a worked example, a strategy for matching tasks and a 60-minute time plan.
Key takeaways
- IELTS Reading lasts 60 minutes and has 40 questions in 3 sections in both modules.
- Academic and General Training Reading use different band tables: 30 correct answers is band 7 in Academic but band 6 in General Training.
- True means the passage says the same thing in other words, False means it says the opposite, and Not Given means it does not say.
- Matching headings asks for the main idea of a paragraph; matching information asks where one detail is located.
- A plan of 17, 20 and 23 minutes for the 3 sections protects you from running out of time on the hardest text.
- Answers that break the word limit, misspell a copied word or ignore a plural are marked wrong.
What is the format of IELTS Reading?
IELTS Reading is a 60-minute test with 40 questions in 3 sections, and only the texts differ between the Academic and General Training versions. On the computer-delivered test the text and the questions sit side by side on screen, and there is no transfer stage, so the full 60 minutes is reading and answering time.
Academic Reading
Academic Reading has 3 long texts of the kind found in books, journals and serious magazines. Section 3 is normally the most demanding, with more argument and opinion to follow.
General Training Reading
General Training Reading uses shorter texts from everyday life: Section 1 has short texts such as notices and advertisements, Section 2 has workplace-related texts, and Section 3 is one longer text. Our Academic versus General Training comparison covers how to choose the right module.
How is IELTS Reading scored? Band score tables
IELTS Reading is marked out of 40, with 1 mark per question and no penalty for wrong answers, and the raw score is converted to a band using a table that is different for Academic and General Training. The General Training table is stricter because its texts are easier. Both tables are indicative; boundaries are calibrated for each test version and can move by a question.
Academic Reading: raw score to band
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8 |
| 33–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–32 | 7 |
| 27–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–26 | 6 |
| 19–22 | 5.5 |
| 15–18 | 5 |
| 13–14 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4 |
General Training Reading: raw score to band
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band |
|---|---|
| 40 | 9 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37–38 | 8 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 34–35 | 7 |
| 32–33 | 6.5 |
| 30–31 | 6 |
| 27–29 | 5.5 |
| 23–26 | 5 |
| 19–22 | 4.5 |
| 15–18 | 4 |
For band 7, Academic candidates can afford 8–10 wrong answers; General Training candidates only 5–6. To see how your Reading band combines with the other 3 components, use the free IELTS band score calculator, which uses the same tables.
What are the IELTS Reading question types?
IELTS Reading uses about 11 question types in 4 families: identifying information or views, matching, completion and selection.
| Question type | What it tests |
|---|---|
| True / False / Not Given | Whether a factual statement agrees with the text |
| Yes / No / Not Given | Whether a statement matches the writer's views |
| Matching headings | The main idea of each paragraph |
| Matching information | Which paragraph contains a specific detail |
| Matching features | Linking statements to names, dates or theories |
| Matching sentence endings | Completing a sentence with the correct half |
| Sentence completion | Finding a word or phrase from the text |
| Summary, note, table or flow-chart completion | Detailed understanding of one part of the text |
| Diagram label completion | Relating a description to a picture |
| Multiple choice | A detail or the main idea |
| Short-answer questions | Factual details within a word limit |
Most question types follow the order of the text; the matching types are the exception, with answers from anywhere in the passage.
True, False or Not Given: how to decide
A statement is True when the passage says the same thing in different words, False when the passage contradicts it, and Not Given when the passage does not give enough information to decide either way. Most errors come from confusing False with Not Given, so the method below separates those two decisions.
- Find the anchor. Pick the easiest word to locate in the text: a name, a date, a number or an unusual noun.
- Read the surrounding sentences carefully. Expect a paraphrase: a synonym, a change of word class or a switch from active to passive.
- Compare the claim, not the topic. Passage and statement share a topic; the question is whether they share the claim.
- Apply the two-question test. Does the passage make the opposite claim? If yes, False. If not, does it make the same claim? If yes, True. Neither: Not Given, however likely the statement sounds.
Worked example (invented passage and statements)
The passage and statements below are invented for this guide.
The town's first community library opened in 1962 in a converted railway waiting room. Within a decade it had outgrown that building, and in 1974 it moved to a purpose-built site beside the market square, where it remains today. Visitor numbers have risen steadily since a children's reading room was added, although the library now opens on fewer days each week than it did in the 1990s.
- Statement 1: The library was first housed in a building designed for a different purpose. True. A "converted railway waiting room" was designed for something other than a library, so the passage makes the same claim in other words.
- Statement 2: The library moved to its current site less than 10 years after it opened. False. The passage gives 1962 and 1974, a gap of 12 years, which contradicts "less than 10 years". The trap is "within a decade": outgrowing and moving are different events, and only the move is dated.
- Statement 3: The children's reading room is the most popular part of the library. Not Given. Visitor numbers rose after the room was added, but the text says nothing about which part is most popular. Neither the claim nor its opposite is there.
Yes, No or Not Given: the same method for opinions
Yes/No/Not Given works the same way, except that the statements concern the writer's opinions rather than facts. Look for opinion language such as "argues", "doubts" and "should". The answer is No only when the writer expresses the opposite view, and Not Given when the writer reports a fact or someone else's view without taking a position.
Matching headings and matching information: what is the difference?
Matching headings asks for the main idea of a whole paragraph, while matching information asks which paragraph contains one specific detail, so the first needs a quick top-down read and the second a careful scan of every paragraph. Picking a heading because it matches one detail is the most common way to lose marks here.
Matching headings
- Read the headings first and note the pairs that look similar; the difference between them is usually the point of the task.
- Read the first and last sentences of a paragraph, then the middle quickly, and ask what it is mainly about, not what it mentions.
- Reject a heading that matches only one sentence; distractor headings are built from details.
Matching information
- Decide what kind of information each statement describes: a reason, an example, a comparison, a figure.
- Scan every paragraph, including ones already used, because one paragraph can hold 2 answers and some hold none.
- Expect a paraphrase: "a reduction in costs" may be answered by a sentence about "spending less".
How should you manage 60 minutes in IELTS Reading?
A workable plan is 17 minutes for Section 1, 20 for Section 2 and 23 for Section 3, because the texts get harder and most candidates lose their band on the final section. Within each block, skim first and scan second: spend 2–3 minutes learning the structure of the passage, then let each question send you to the right paragraph. Our guide to the computer-delivered IELTS test explains the Reading screen.
- Minutes 0–17: Section 1. Answer the questions and move on at 17 minutes even with a question open; pick an answer anyway, as there is no penalty.
- Minutes 17–37: Section 2. This section often carries matching headings, so give that task the first 4 minutes and do the ordered questions afterwards.
- Minutes 37–60: Section 3. Keep the last 2 minutes to check every question has an answer within the word limit.
Running out of time is usually caused by 2 or 3 questions that took 5 minutes each, so set a 90-second limit per question and flag it to return later. Candidates stuck at band 6 in Reading are often losing the final 8 questions to the clock rather than to the language.
Word-limit rules for completion questions
- "No more than two words and/or a number" is a hard limit; a 3-word answer is wrong even if it contains the right words. A hyphenated word counts as 1 word.
- Copy the form in the text exactly, including the plural and the spelling. If the text says "containers", "container" is wrong.
- Do not repeat articles or prepositions the gap already provides; read the completed sentence back.
The same rules apply in Listening, where you cannot see the words. Our IELTS Listening guide covers that component's question types and band table.
Common mistakes in IELTS Reading and how to avoid them
- Answering True/False/Not Given from general knowledge. Decide only from what the passage states.
- Choosing False when the passage simply does not mention the point. Ask whether the text makes the opposite claim; only then is it False.
- Matching a heading to a detail. Check that the heading describes the whole paragraph.
- Reading the whole passage slowly before the questions. Skim for structure, then let each question direct your reading.
- Ignoring the word limit or the plural. Count the words and copy the form in the text exactly.
- Leaving blanks. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question.
Frequently asked questions
Is IELTS Reading the same for Academic and General Training?
No. IELTS Reading has the same length, 60 minutes, and the same number of questions, 40, in both modules, but Academic Reading uses 3 long texts from books and journals, while General Training Reading uses shorter everyday and workplace texts. The band tables also differ.
How many correct answers do you need for band 7 in IELTS Reading?
Band 7 in IELTS Reading needs about 30–32 correct answers out of 40 in Academic Reading and about 34–35 in General Training Reading. These figures are indicative, because boundaries are calibrated for each test version and can shift by a question.
What is the difference between False and Not Given in IELTS Reading?
False means the passage contradicts the statement, while Not Given means the passage does not contain the information needed to judge the statement. A statement about a move in 1974 is False if the text gives a different year, and Not Given if the text never says when the move happened.
Is there extra time to transfer answers in IELTS Reading?
No. IELTS Reading gives no extra time to transfer answers in either module. On the computer-delivered test, which replaced paper IELTS in 2026, you type or click each Reading answer directly, and the 60 minutes covers reading, answering and checking.
How can I improve my IELTS Reading score at home?
Improving an IELTS Reading score at home works best with timed practice, question-by-question review and daily reading. Do one timed section, then name the cause of every wrong answer: vocabulary, a misread claim, a word-limit slip or time. Our guide on preparing for IELTS at home sets out a weekly routine.
Get your Reading errors diagnosed by an IELTS specialist
Fleydo offers one-to-one IELTS preparation for adults and students aged 16 and over with native English-speaking teachers who are Band 8.5+ certified IELTS specialists. Preparation starts with a level and goal analysis and a personal study plan, and includes full mock tests in the real computer-delivered format with detailed criterion-by-criterion feedback, so you learn where your Reading marks go. Lessons run on flexible days and times, and a free trial lesson is short, live, one-to-one and carries no obligation.
