IELTS Reading
IELTS Reading Question Types: How to Answer All 11
IELTS Reading is 60 minutes, three sections and 40 questions, with no extra time to transfer answers. Almost everything you need is knowing what each question type asks and how to find the answer quickly. Here are all 11 types IELTS lists, with how to answer each and the trap to avoid.
Updated · LingoLeap IELTS Content Team
Format at a glance
- Time
- 60 minutes, including writing your answers — there is no extra transfer time.
- Sections
- 3 sections, 40 questions.
- Academic texts
- 2,150–2,750 words in total, from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online sources.
- General Training texts
- 2,150–2,375 words: everyday texts (notices, advertisements), work-related texts, then one longer text of general interest.
- Marking
- One mark per correct answer; your score is converted to a band from 1 to 9, in whole or half bands.
All 11 question types and how to answer them
The question types below are the ones IELTS lists, in its order. The advice under each is ours.
- Multiple choice
- Identifying information (True/False/Not Given)
- Identifying writer's views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given)
- Matching information
- Matching headings
- Matching features
- Matching sentence endings
- Sentence completion
- Summary/note/table/flow chart completion
- Diagram label completion
- Short-answer questions
1. Multiple choice
What it is: A question with four options, or an unfinished sentence to complete, and you choose one answer (sometimes two or three from a longer list).
How to answer: Read the question stem first and find the paragraph it refers to before looking at the options. Then eliminate options one by one against the text.
Common trap: Options that repeat words from the passage but say something different. Match meaning, not words.
2. Identifying information (True/False/Not Given)
What it is: Statements that you mark True if the text agrees, False if it contradicts them, or Not Given if the text doesn't say.
How to answer: Find the part of the text the statement is about, then ask: does the text say this, say the opposite, or say nothing about it? Questions follow the order of the text.
Common trap: Using your own knowledge. If the text doesn't state it, the answer is Not Given — even if it is true in real life.
3. Identifying writer's views/claims (Yes/No/Not Given)
What it is: Like True/False/Not Given, but about the writer's opinions or claims rather than facts.
How to answer: Look for opinion language — “it seems”, “arguably”, “clearly”, evaluative adjectives. Decide whether the writer agrees, disagrees or doesn't say.
Common trap: Confusing a view the writer reports (“some researchers believe…”) with the writer's own view.
4. Matching information
What it is: Find which paragraph or section contains a specific piece of information — a detail, an example, a reason, a comparison.
How to answer: Do this type after questions that make you read the text closely, so you already know where things are. Underline the type of information asked for (a reason? an example?).
Common trap: Not every paragraph is used, and some may be used more than once — read the instructions.
5. Matching headings
What it is: Choose the heading that best summarises the main idea of each paragraph or section from a list with more headings than paragraphs.
How to answer: Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph for the main idea, then choose. Do the paragraphs you are surest of first to shrink the list.
Common trap: Picking a heading that matches a detail or one word in the paragraph rather than the whole paragraph's point.
6. Matching features
What it is: Match statements or pieces of information to a list of options — for example findings to researchers, or events to dates.
How to answer: Scan for the options (names, dates) first and mark each one in the text; then read around each mark to match the statements.
Common trap: Some options may be used more than once and some not at all.
7. Matching sentence endings
What it is: Complete sentence beginnings by choosing the right ending from a list, according to the text.
How to answer: Predict the ending from grammar and meaning before you look at the list, then check it against the text. Questions follow the text's order.
Common trap: Endings that are grammatically correct and true in general, but not what this text says.
8. Sentence completion
What it is: Complete sentences with words taken from the text, within a word limit.
How to answer: Decide what kind of word fits (noun? number?), locate the paragraph, and copy the words exactly.
Common trap: Going over the word limit (“NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS”) or changing the word form — both make the answer wrong.
9. Summary/note/table/flow chart completion
What it is: Fill gaps in a summary, notes, a table or a flow chart, either with words from the text or from a box of options.
How to answer: Read the whole summary first to understand its topic, then find the part of the text it summarises — it is usually one section. Check grammar around each gap.
Common trap: Assuming the answers follow the order of the whole text; a summary may cover one part only, in its own order.
10. Diagram label completion
What it is: Label a diagram of something described in the text, such as a machine, a building or a process.
How to answer: Find the paragraph that describes the object, then follow the description part by part against the diagram.
Common trap: Labels usually need exact words from the text within the word limit — don't describe in your own words.
11. Short-answer questions
What it is: Answer questions about factual details in the text, using words from it within a word limit.
How to answer: Identify the question word (who, when, how many) and scan for that kind of information. Questions follow the text's order.
Common trap: Writing a full sentence instead of the few words asked for.
Timing strategy
- Aim for about 20 minutes per section; the third section is usually the hardest, so don't spend 30 minutes on the first.
- If one question takes more than a minute or two, guess, mark it and move on. A blank scores nothing; a guess might.
- Do question types that need close reading first (True/False/Not Given, sentence completion); leave matching information and headings for when you know the text.
- Transfer or check answers as you go — Reading gives you no extra transfer time.
Where to practise
The official IELTS site publishes free sample questions for every section, for Academic and General Training — the best material to try each question type on. LingoLeap does not offer IELTS Reading or Listening practice to new accounts yet; our AI-graded practice covers Speaking and Writing.
Free official IELTS sample questions (ielts.org)FAQ
How many questions are in IELTS Reading?
40 questions across three sections, in 60 minutes.
What is the difference between False and Not Given?
False means the text says the opposite of the statement. Not Given means the text says nothing either way. If you can't find where the text contradicts it, it is usually Not Given.
Is IELTS Reading different for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Both have 40 questions in 60 minutes and the same question types, but Academic uses longer academic texts and General Training uses everyday and work-related texts before one longer text.
Do spelling and word limits matter in IELTS Reading?
Yes. When you copy words from the text, spell them exactly and stay within the word limit in the instructions, or the answer is marked wrong.
Which IELTS Reading question type is the hardest?
Many candidates find matching headings and True/False/Not Given hardest, because both need you to separate the main idea or the exact claim from details. Practise them separately on official samples.
Sources
Format and question types are from IELTS (ielts.org), read 28 September 2026. The strategy advice is our own.