IELTS General Training Reading: Format, Timing and Strategy

IELTS General Training Reading tests everyday English: notices, advertisements, workplace documents and a longer magazine-style article. It is used for migration to countries such as Canada and Australia, and for work and training, so many candidates take it. The test is easier to read than Academic, but the score conversion is stricter, which makes accuracy and timing matter more.

The three sections

• Section 1: two or three short, factual texts on everyday topics, such as notices, timetables and advertisements. The questions are usually the most direct.
• Section 2: two short texts about work, such as job descriptions, training information or workplace policies.
• Section 3: one longer text of general interest, written in more complex language, with more inference-based questions.

Question types

You will meet the same families as in Academic Reading, including True/False/Not Given, matching information and headings, sentence and summary completion, short answers and multiple choice. Our guides to True/False/Not Given and matching headings apply directly.

A timing plan for 60 minutes

• Section 1: about 15 minutes. These texts are the easiest, so move quickly and bank marks.
• Section 2: about 20 minutes.
• Section 3: about 25 minutes. Protect this time, because the final text is the hardest and carries the same number of questions.

There is no extra time at the end to copy your answers, so write them on the answer sheet as you go. Our guide to Reading time management explains the reasoning in more detail.

How it is scored

Each correct answer scores one mark out of 40. General Training conversions are stricter than Academic. As a rough guide, about 34 to 35 correct answers gives band 7 in General Training, whereas about 30 gives band 7 in Academic. The exact table varies by test version, so treat these figures as estimates and check them with our band score calculator.

Strategy tips

• Read each question first and underline keywords. In Section 1, scan the texts for those words instead of reading everything.
• Match a heading by the main idea of the paragraph, not by one familiar word.
• Check the word limit in every completion task. A hyphenated word counts as one word.
• Never leave an answer blank. There is no penalty for a wrong one.
• If a question takes more than about 90 seconds, mark a guess and move on.

Practise

Use our free Reading practice tests and the Reading and Listening flashcards. If you are not sure which version you need, read Academic or General Training.