IELTS General Training Reading Sample Tests
IELTS General Training Reading Sample Tests
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About IELTS General Training Reading
The General Training Reading test is 60 minutes long.
- Section 1 contains two or three short factual texts, one of which may be a composite (consisting of 6-8 short texts related by topic, eg. hotel advertisements). Topics are relevant to everyday life in an English-speaking country.
- Section 2 contains two short factual texts focusing on work-related issues (eg. applying for jobs, company policies, pay and conditions).
- Section 3 contains one longer, more complex text on a topic of general interest.
Texts are authentic and are taken from notices, advertisements, company handbooks, books, magazines and newspapers.
Question types
A variety of questions are 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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