IELTS Academic Reading

About the IELTS Academic Reading test

The reading test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General candidates
3 sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes

  • Each section contains one long text.
  • Texts are authentic and are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. They have been written for a non-specialist audience and are on academic topics of general interest.
  • Texts are appropriate to, and accessible to, candidates entering undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeking professional registration.
  • Texts range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. Texts may contain non-verbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts contain technical terms, then a simple glossary is provided.
  • There are three texts and 40 questions.