Varun from Kozhikode had always underlined answers with a pencil. On his test day the passage was on a screen.

In computer-delivered IELTS Reading you read the texts and enter your answers on screen. The official partner material describes highlighting, notes and moving between questions, so practise those tools before test day.

What Stays the Same

Paper-based IELTS is no longer offered. The official IELTS website announced on 5 March 2026 that from mid-2026 all IELTS tests would be delivered on computer, with exact timelines varying by market. A handwriting option, Writing on Paper, applies to the Writing skill where it is available; Reading is taken on screen.

The IELTS partners say the change does not alter the IELTS skills assessed or the test construct. Reading still lasts 60 minutes and has 40 questions, and each correct answer receives 1 mark. Our IELTS exam pattern guide covers timings and question counts for all four skills.

On-Screen Tools in the Official Material

IDP IELTS’s 2026 preparation guide and the official practice experience describe the Reading features below. This post lists only what those sources describe, so other tools may exist.

Tool What it does How to use it
Highlighting Marks keywords or details in the text Select text, right-click and choose Highlight
Notes Adds a note to a selected part of the text Select the part, add a note; practise the steps
Side-by-side layout Shows the text on the left, questions on the right Find evidence on the left, then answer
Moving between questions Lets you skip a question and return to it Move on from a hard question, come back later

You choose answers from options on screen or type words and numbers into gaps, and IDP IELTS India says there is no extra time for transferring answers.

IDP IELTS suggests previewing the questions before reading closely, scanning the text for keywords or related ideas, and highlighting useful information as you find it.

Skipping and Returning

IDP IELTS says you can skip any question, move to another passage and come back later. Use this when a question is taking too long: leave it, move on, and return when time allows. Our Reading time management guide suggests how long to give each part.

Habits to Practise Before Test Day

These habits are our advice, drawn from the same IDP guide:

  • Read on a screen: practise reading long texts on a computer, because that is how the test is delivered.
  • Highlight selectively: mark only the keywords you need, not whole paragraphs.
  • Type carefully: a misspelt word loses the mark, so check each typed answer.

The Official Practice Experience

The official IELTS website offers a practice experience that shows how the test will look on your computer before test day. It is not timed, and its timer, highlighting and notes can behave differently from the live test.

IDP IELTS describes a Familiarisation test with three passages and 40 questions, where you can explore the test screens, practise moving through questions and try highlighting and notes with no time limit. Treat a first attempt as exploration and a second as rehearsal: highlight, add a note and type an answer in each passage. For the other skills on computer, see our guide to computer-delivered IELTS in 2026.

Common Traps to Avoid

Incorrect: “Computer Reading is a different test.”

Correct: The skills assessed and the scoring stay the same; what changes is that you read and answer on screen.

Tip

Take the practice experience, then repeat it and try each tool again until highlighting and notes feel natural.

Key Takeaways

  • Paper-based IELTS is no longer offered, and Reading is taken on screen.
  • Reading still has 60 minutes, 40 questions and 1 mark per correct answer.
  • Official material describes highlighting, notes, a side-by-side layout and moving between questions.
  • The practice experience is untimed, and its tools may behave differently from the live test.

The bottom line: Decide before test day which tools actually help you read faster, and drop the rest.