Harish from Vellore completed three practice Reading tests and met a new kind of question in each one. He wanted a single map of the question formats before taking another mock test.

The official IELTS website lists 11 Reading question types for Academic, from True/False/Not Given to matching headings and summary completion. Each tests a different reading skill, so knowing what a type asks for is the first step to answering it.

The Reading Test Structure

The IELTS Reading test lasts 60 minutes and has 40 questions, and each correct answer receives 1 mark. Our IELTS exam pattern guide shows the timings and question counts for all four skills.

The texts differ between the two versions. Academic Reading has three sections, each with a long passage from books, journals, magazines, newspapers or online resources. General Training Reading has three sections of everyday, work-related and general-interest texts.

The IELTS Reading Question Types in One Table

The table follows the official Academic list, and True/False/Not Given shares a row with Yes/No/Not Given.

Question type What you do Answer you write
Multiple choice Choose one answer from four options, or several from a list A letter, or more than one letter
Identifying information / writer’s views Judge statements against the text or the writer’s views TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN or YES, NO, NOT GIVEN
Matching information Find the paragraph that holds a specific detail Paragraph letters (e.g. A, B, C)
Matching headings Select the heading that sums up a paragraph’s main idea Roman numerals (e.g. i, ii, iii)
Matching features Match statements to options from the text, such as people A letter from the list of options
Matching sentence endings Complete sentence beginnings with endings from a list A letter from the list of endings
Sentence completion Fill each gap in a sentence with words from the text Words or numbers from the text
Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion Fill gaps in a summary, notes, table or flow chart Words from the text, or from a list
Diagram label completion Label a diagram using the text’s description of it Words or numbers from the text
Short-answer questions Answer factual questions about details in the text Words or numbers from the text

This table is partial for General Training. Its official format page lists eight types, with no Yes/No/Not Given or matching sentence endings, and it groups sentence completion with the other completion tasks.

Four Ways to Group the Types by Skill

The official pages describe a skill for each type. This four-way grouping is our own, to help you choose a technique.

  • Understanding the main idea: matching headings and matching sentence endings; see our matching headings guide.
  • Finding specific information: matching information, sentence completion and short-answer questions ask you to locate a detail.
  • Following an argument or opinion: Yes/No/Not Given and matching features test whether you can track opinions and connections between ideas.
  • Understanding detail: multiple choice, diagram labels, summary-type completion and True, False or Not Given questions need exact understanding of what the text says.

How to Record Your Answers

On screen, you choose from the options given in multiple-choice and matching tasks. In completion and short-answer tasks, you type words or numbers into the gaps.

Completion tasks also need an answer that fits the sentence. Our summary and note completion guide covers word limits, predicting the missing word and answer-box versions.

Spelling counts too. A misspelt word loses the mark, so copy words exactly as the text spells them. In short-answer questions, you can enter a number as a figure or as a word.

Common Misconceptions to Avoid

Incorrect: “Not Given means False.”

Correct: NOT GIVEN means the statement neither agrees with nor contradicts the text, while FALSE means the text contradicts it.

Incorrect: “I can write any number of words in completion questions.”

Correct: A limit such as NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER is set in the instructions, and writing more loses the mark.

Tip

Before reading the text, check whether a completion task asks for words from the text or a choice from a list.

Key Takeaways

  • The official Academic list has 11 Reading question types; General Training lists eight.
  • Multiple-choice and matching tasks use letters or Roman numerals; completion tasks use words.
  • Each type tests a skill, such as main ideas, specific details or opinions.
  • Spelling counts, and a word limit applies to completion answers.

The bottom line: Name the question type before you read, and look in the text for what it wants: a paragraph, a view, a detail or a word.