The Reading Module

This IELTS test module consists of three reading passages of increasing difficulty, each accompanied by questions. Each reading passage is between 500 and 900 words. You are given 60 minutes to answer questions for all three passages.

The reading passages are on a variety of subjects and are chosen for their suitability for candidates entering university. For example, a passage may discuss alternative energy projects or perhaps report on research into management trends. The passages may contain information presented in the form of tables, diagrams, charts and so on. A short glossary of technical words may accompany reading passages.

Questions generally follow the reading passages to which they refer, but occasionally questions occur before a reading passage. (Remember that the Reading Module is not assessing your knowledge of any particular subject. There is no need to feel anxious if the topic of the passage is not familiar.)

Your task is to answer the questions based on the reading passages. You must place your answers directly on the answer sheet, although you are free to make marks, such as underlining, on the question paper.

There are several types of questions you can expect in the Reading Module. These include:

• short answer
• multiple choice
• matching
• classification
• completing sentences
• completing notes
• completing a summary
• completing a table
• completing a form
• completing a flow chart or diagram
• selecting headings for paragraphs and sections
• recognising a writer's views or claims

Sample answers are sometimes provided in the IELTS Reading Module. Although you should expect the types of questions listed above, that does not mean you will have to answer each type. The IELTS Reading Module contains a combination of some of the listed types, but the combination changes from test to test. You can never be sure which question types you will have to answer on any given test date.

The types of skills the Reading Module assesses include:

• identifying the gist of a passage
• finding detailed factual information in a passage
• identifying relationships between ideas or  information items, such as:

            — cause and effect

            — order of events

            — comparison

• making inferences
• distinguishing between fact, assumption or opinion
• understanding text organisation
• summarising information

The Reading Module must be taken together with the Listening and Writing Modules.