IELTS Academic Reading Sample Tests
IELTS Academic Reading Sample Tests
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About IELTS Academic Reading
The Academic Reading test is 60 minutes long. There are 3 sections. The total text length is 2,150-2,750 words.
- Each section contains one long text.
- 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, and accessible, to test-takers entering undergraduate or postgraduate courses, or seeking professional registration.
- Texts range from 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, a simple glossary is provided.
Question types
A variety of questions is used, chosen from the following types: multiple-choice, identifying information, identifying writer’s views/claims, matching information, matching headings, matching features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion, summary completion, note completion, table completion, flow-chart completion, diagram label completion, short-answer questions.
Marking
Each correct answer receives 1 mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
How is the IELTS Reading test marked?
In the Reading test, you will answer 40 questions. A variety of question types are used, e.g. multiple choice, True/False/Not Given, matching, and sentence completion. Your answers are either correct or incorrect, so the marking is a little different to the Speaking and Writing tests. You will receive one mark for each correct answer, with the total number of marks determining your band score.
The tables below indicate the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in Academic Reading and General Training Reading.
Academic Reading:
- Band score 5 = 15 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 6 = 23 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 7 = 30 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 8 = 35 out of a raw score of 40
General Training Reading:
- Band score 4 = 15 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 5 = 23 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 6 = 30 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 7 = 34 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 8 = 38 out of a raw score of 40
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