IELTS Reading: Format & Band Scores
Sixty minutes, three passages, forty questions, no extra time to copy your answers — the IELTS Reading test rewards a plan more than raw reading speed. Here's exactly how it's built and how your raw score becomes a band.
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the structure of both the Academic and General Training Reading tests
- Convert a raw score out of 40 into an approximate band
- Explain why the same raw score gives a lower band on General Training
- Build a 60-minute timing plan that leaves nothing blank
Here is the first thing that catches people out: in IELTS Reading there is no extra time to transfer your answers. In the Listening test you get ten minutes at the end to copy answers onto the answer sheet — Reading gives you nothing. Your sixty minutes include reading three passages, answering forty questions, and writing every answer on the sheet. Miss that and you lose easy marks to the clock, not to the questions.
The test is the same length and the same forty questions whether you sit Academic or General Training. What changes is the texts — and, quietly, how the marking treats them.
How the test is built
Both versions have three sections and forty questions, one mark each. The difference is the reading material.
| Academic | General Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Passages | 3 long passages | Section 1: 2–3 short texts · Section 2: 2 work-related texts · Section 3: 1 long passage |
| Source | Books, journals, newspapers, magazines — written for a non-specialist but educated reader | Notices, adverts, timetables, workplace documents, then one longer discursive text |
| Difficulty curve | Broadly similar across all three | Rises through the test — Section 3 is the hardest |
| Questions | 40 (same question types as GT) | 40 (same question types as Academic) |
| Time | 60 minutes, no transfer time | 60 minutes, no transfer time |
The skills are identical
Matching Headings, True/False/Not Given, completion tasks — every question type appears in both tests. So the strategy lessons in this course apply to you whichever version you sit. Only the practice passages differ, which is why we've built a separate Academic and General Training practice set.
From raw score to band
You get one mark per correct answer, so your raw score is out of 40. That raw score is then converted to a band from 0 to 9. The conversion is not the same for both tests: because General Training texts are more everyday, you need more correct answers to reach the same band. The tables below are indicative — the exact boundaries shift slightly between test versions — but they are close enough to set a target.
| Band | Academic — raw score / 40 | General Training — raw score / 40 |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39–40 | 40 |
| 8.0 | 35–36 | 37–38 |
| 7.0 | 30–32 | 34–35 |
| 6.0 | 23–26 | 30–31 |
| 5.0 | 15–18 | 23–26 |
| 4.0 | 10–12 | 15–18 |
What this means for your target
Say you need an overall 7.0. On Academic that's about 30 correct — you can afford to get ten wrong. On General Training you need 34–35, so you can only miss five or six. GT candidates often relax because the early texts look easy; the scoring quietly removes that cushion. Treat every question as if it counts, because it does.
A 60-minute plan that leaves nothing blank
The single biggest score-killer in Reading is running out of time with questions unanswered. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so a blank is a wasted mark. Work to a clock, not to a feeling.
Section-by-section timing
- Passage 1 — about 17 minutes. On GT this is the easiest section, so bank the marks quickly and buy time for later.
- Passage 2 — about 20 minutes. The difficulty steps up. Keep moving; if one question resists you, mark your best guess and come back.
- Passage 3 — about 20 minutes. The hardest text. Protect this time — don't let Passage 1 overrun into it.
- Final 3 minutes — sweep for blanks. Fill in every empty answer with your best guess. A guessed True/False/Not Given still has a one-in-three chance.
Never leave the answer sheet for last
Because there's no transfer time, write each answer on the sheet as you go, not at the end. Candidates who plan to copy everything in the last five minutes routinely lose eight or ten answers when the clock beats them.
Frequently asked questions
Is IELTS Reading the same for Academic and General Training?
The format is the same — 3 sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes, and the same question types. Only the texts differ: Academic uses long passages from books and journals, while General Training uses everyday and workplace texts plus one longer passage.
How many questions do I need right for band 7?
Roughly 30 out of 40 on Academic, but 34–35 out of 40 on General Training. General Training needs more correct answers for the same band because its texts are more everyday.
Is there extra time to copy my answers in IELTS Reading?
No. Unlike the Listening test, Reading gives you no transfer time. Your 60 minutes must include writing every answer on the answer sheet, so write as you go.
Is a wrong answer penalised in IELTS Reading?
No. There is no negative marking, so you should never leave a question blank. Always fill in a best guess before time runs out.