IELTS Reading for Beginners: Where to Start

The IELTS Reading test has 3 passages and 40 questions. You have 60 minutes. That is a lot of reading in a short time.

If you are new to IELTS, this guide will help you start.

What the Test Looks Like

You will read 3 long passages. Each passage has about 700-900 words. Each passage has 13-14 questions.

The passages get harder:

• Passage 1: The easiest topic, usually about daily life
• Passage 2: Medium difficulty, often about work or education
• Passage 3: The hardest, often about academic or scientific topics

Why It Feels Hard

Many Band 4 students say the reading test feels impossible. Here is why:

Reason 1: Not enough time

You have 20 minutes per passage. That is not enough time to read every word carefully. You need to read fast.

Reason 2: Too many unknown words

IELTS passages use academic vocabulary. If you do not know many words, you cannot understand the text.

Reason 3: Questions are tricky

IELTS questions use different words than the passage. You need to find the same meaning in different words.

The 2 Strategies to Learn First

Do not try to learn everything at once. Start with these two strategies.

Strategy 1: Read the Questions First

Before you read the passage, look at the questions. Why?

• You know what information to find
• You can skip parts that are not important
• You save time

How to do it:

1. Read all the questions for one passage
2. Underline the key words in each question
3. Now read the passage, looking for those words

Strategy 2: Find the Main Idea

Do not try to understand every word. First, find the main idea of each paragraph.

How to do it:

1. Read the first sentence of each paragraph
2. Read the last sentence of the paragraph
3. This tells you what the paragraph is about
4. Read the middle only when you need the answer

This is called "skimming." It helps you read faster.

How to Practice

Week 1-2: No Timer

Start without a timer. Take as long as you need. Focus on understanding the text and learning the question types.

Use our Reading Practice section. Start with easy passages.

Week 3-4: Soft Timer

Set a timer for 25 minutes (longer than the real test). Try to finish in that time. If you cannot, note how much more time you needed.

Week 5+: Real Timer

Set a timer for 20 minutes. This is the real test time. Practice until you can finish on time.

The Most Important Question Type

True/False/Not Given questions cause the most problems for Band 4 students. Read our T/F/NG guide to learn this question type.

Start Today

Do not wait. Take one easy passage today. Use the two strategies. See how many questions you can answer correctly.

Start practicing: Reading Practice