Full Practice — General Training
Two General Training texts — a public library membership notice and a workplace annual-leave policy — with thirteen questions across five question types. Timed practice with a full answer key and explanations.
What you'll be able to do
- Read everyday and workplace English at the pace the GT test demands
- Answer short-answer, True/False/Not Given, matching and completion questions in one sitting
- Find precise details — dates, fees, limits — quickly in notices and policies
- See why GT texts look easy but still cost marks when you skim carelessly
General Training texts look friendlier than the Academic ones — a library notice, a staff handbook — but the marking is tougher, and the marks hide in small details: a date, a fee, a limit, an exception. This is a timed practice. Set a clock for about 20 minutes, read both texts, and answer all thirteen questions in order, writing each answer down as you go rather than leaving them to copy at the end.
Do not check anything until the timer stops. When it does, reveal the answers one at a time and read every explanation, even for the questions you got right — the reason an answer is correct is the part that transfers to test day. For the official marking rules, the test-maker's site at ielts.org is the authority.
How to use this practice
Set a 20-minute timer. Read the passage, answer all questions, THEN reveal answers one by one and read the explanation for every question — including the ones you got right.
📄 Text A: Riverside Public Library — Membership · Text B: Northgate Retail — Annual Leave Policy
TEXT A — RIVERSIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY: JOINING AND BORROWING
Membership of Riverside Public Library is free for anyone who lives, works or studies in the Riverside district. To join, bring one document showing your name and current address — a utility bill, tenancy agreement or bank statement dated within the last three months is accepted. A driving licence on its own is not enough, as it does not always show a current address. Under-18s must be signed up by a parent or guardian, who is responsible for any items borrowed on the child's card.
Once you have a card, you may borrow up to twelve items at a time. Books and audiobooks may be kept for three weeks; DVDs and the latest "Hot Picks" novels are loaned for one week only. Items can be renewed twice, either online or by phone, unless another member has reserved them. There is no charge for renewing.
Overdue items are charged at 20 pence per item per day, up to a maximum of £6 per item. If you lose or damage an item, you will be asked to pay its full replacement cost. The library no longer accepts cash — fines and charges must be paid by card at the desk or through the library website. Members who owe more than £10 cannot borrow further items until the balance is cleared.
The library is open Monday to Saturday. Reservations from other branches usually arrive within four working days, and you will be notified by text or email — never by post — when an item is ready to collect. Reserved items are held for six days before being returned to the shelf.
TEXT B — NORTHGATE RETAIL: ANNUAL LEAVE POLICY (STAFF HANDBOOK, SECTION 4)
All permanent employees at Northgate Retail are entitled to 28 days of paid annual leave each year, including public holidays. The leave year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Part-time staff receive a pro-rata entitlement based on the number of days they normally work each week.
Requests for leave must be submitted through the online staff portal at least two weeks before the first day of the leave requested. Requests for more than five consecutive days must be submitted at least one month in advance. Your line manager will approve or decline the request within five working days. Leave is not confirmed until you receive email approval; do not book travel before then.
During the November and December peak trading period, no more than two members of any team may be on leave at the same time, and requests are approved on a first-come, first-served basis. New employees may not take annual leave during their first three months, except in an emergency approved by a manager.
Up to five days of unused leave may be carried over into the next leave year, provided they are used before 30 June. Any leave beyond those five days is lost if not taken. On leaving the company, staff are paid for any accrued but unused leave, but any leave taken in excess of the amount accrued will be deducted from the final salary payment.
1. (True/False/Not Given — Text A) You can join Riverside Public Library for free if you work in the Riverside district but live elsewhere.
Answer: TRUE
Text A, paragraph 1 says membership is free for anyone who "lives, works or studies in the Riverside district." Working there qualifies you regardless of where you live.
2. (True/False/Not Given — Text A) A driving licence by itself is enough proof to join the library.
Answer: FALSE
Paragraph 1 states "a driving licence on its own is not enough, as it does not always show a current address." The statement contradicts this directly.
3. (Short answer, NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS — Text A) How many items may a member borrow at one time?
Answer: twelve items
Paragraph 2 says "you may borrow up to twelve items at a time." "Twelve" or "12 items" is also acceptable within the word limit.
4. (Note completion, ONE WORD OR A NUMBER — Text A) DVDs and "Hot Picks" novels may be kept for ________ week(s).
Answer: one
Paragraph 2 states DVDs and the latest "Hot Picks" novels "are loaned for one week only." The answer is "one" (or "1").
5. (True/False/Not Given — Text A) The library will telephone you to say a reserved item is ready to collect.
Answer: FALSE
Paragraph 4 says members are notified "by text or email — never by post" when an item is ready; a phone call is not one of the stated methods, and the text specifies only text or email. This makes the statement False rather than Not Given.
6. (Short answer, NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS — Text A) What is the maximum overdue charge for a single item?
Answer: £6
Paragraph 3 states overdue items are charged at 20 pence per day "up to a maximum of £6 per item." The cap per item is £6.
7. (True/False/Not Given — Text A) The library allows fines to be paid in cash at the desk.
Answer: FALSE
Paragraph 3 says "the library no longer accepts cash — fines and charges must be paid by card." Cash payment is explicitly ruled out.
8. (Multiple choice — Text B) How much paid annual leave do permanent full-time employees get each year?
- A 20 days plus public holidays
- B 28 days including public holidays
- C 28 days plus public holidays
- D 5 days per month
Answer: B
Text B, paragraph 1 says employees get "28 days of paid annual leave each year, including public holidays." C is the trap — it adds public holidays on top, but the text says they are included in the 28.
9. (Sentence completion, ONE WORD OR A NUMBER — Text B) Ordinary leave requests must be submitted at least ________ weeks before the leave begins.
Answer: two
Paragraph 2 states requests must be submitted "at least two weeks before the first day of the leave requested." The answer is "two" (or "2").
10. (True/False/Not Given — Text B) A request for a week's leave must be submitted at least one month in advance.
Answer: TRUE
Paragraph 2 says requests for "more than five consecutive days" need one month's notice. A week is more than five days, so the one-month rule applies.
11. (True/False/Not Given — Text B) New employees can never take annual leave during their first three months under any circumstances.
Answer: FALSE
Paragraph 3 allows an exception — leave "in an emergency approved by a manager." The word "never... under any circumstances" contradicts that stated exception.
12. (Matching Information — Text B) In which situation are leave requests approved on a first-come, first-served basis?
- A When an employee is in their probation period
- B During the November and December peak trading period
- C When more than five days are requested
- D When an employee is leaving the company
Answer: B
Paragraph 3 states that during the November and December peak period, requests "are approved on a first-come, first-served basis." The other options relate to different rules in the policy.
13. (Note completion, A NUMBER AND A DATE — Text B) Up to ________ days of unused leave may be carried over, but they must be used before 30 ________.
Answer: five / June
Paragraph 4 says "up to five days of unused leave may be carried over... provided they are used before 30 June." Both blanks come from that sentence: five, and June.
Score check
Count your correct answers out of 13. On General Training the band boundaries are higher than on Academic, so aim high: roughly 12–13 here is a band 8 pace, 11 is around band 7, 9–10 sits near band 6, and 7–8 is closer to band 5. The everyday texts feel easy, which is exactly why careless skimming costs GT candidates marks — notice how many of your errors were small details (a date, a fee, an exception word like "never") rather than hard reading. That is the habit to fix before test day.
Frequently asked questions
Why does General Training Reading need a higher raw score for the same band?
Because the texts are more everyday than the Academic passages, examiners expect more correct answers. For band 7 you typically need about 34–35 out of 40 on GT, compared with roughly 30 on Academic, so small careless errors matter more.
Are the two GT texts here the same as on the real test?
They mirror the real format — an everyday Section 1 style notice and a workplace Section 2 style policy — but they are original Vidaara material, not past papers. The real test also includes a longer Section 3 passage similar in style to the Academic ones.
How do I answer True/False/Not Given without second-guessing?
Find the sentence in the text on the same topic. If it agrees with the statement, mark True; if it says the opposite, mark False; if there is no sentence that settles it either way, mark Not Given. Do not use your own knowledge — only what the text says.
What should I do about word limits in completion answers?
Obey them exactly. If the instruction says NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, an answer of four words is marked wrong even if it is factually right. Numbers usually count as one word, and you should copy the spelling straight from the text.