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One of the major parts of the IELTS exam, General Reading requires a lot of reading practice to secure a good band. This can be done by reading books, newspapers, magazines, notices, guidelines, advertisements, and company handbooks. All the above-mentioned material is relevant to encountering an English-speaking environment daily. This IELTS General Reading test comprises three parts with part 1 of two to three short stories, part 2 comprising two texts and part 3 has one long text. There are many types of questions given in this exam that you need to pass in order to secure good grades or above 7 bands. Furthermore, to pass this exam you must consider learning from the most relevant source, the format of the exam, duration, marks, and much more. If you want to know more about IELTS general reading exam, information, tips, marking criteria, types of questions, and much more, then keep reading!
About IELTS General Reading
There are two types of exams, one for IELTS Academic candidates and one for IELTS General candidates. This test comprises mainly 3 sections with 40 questions of a duration of 60 minutes. These sections are as follows
| Section | Details |
| Section 1 | There are 2-3 short factual texts. These topics are relevant to daily life in an English-speaking country. |
| Section 2 | This section consists of 2 short factual texts that focus on work-related issues, for example, policies of the company, pay and conditions, staff development, training, and workplace facilities. |
| Section 3 | This section had one long and one complex test on general interest topics. |
Information and Tips
There is some essential information you need to know before attempting IELTS general reading exam. Here are some tips for IELTS general reading exam.
- You may not understand every word – It is suggested to look and learn a dictionary but it is not possible so do not expect to understand each and every word. The theory behind learning and having a dictionary memorized is good but worrying about every word that you do not expect is quite bad for you and your IELTS exam.
- Practice your skills including IELTS Skills – You need to familiarise yourself with the test but it is very important to learn from your mistakes and other relevant skills.
- Read instructions carefully before attempting – It is advised to most of the students that you must analyze your instructions before actually reading or attempting the questions.
- Do not panic – Above all, you must not panic yourself as it is very crucial to attempt IELTS general reading test with a calm mind to score higher bands. This also helps in analyzing and making fewer mistakes.
IELTS Reading Band Score
The scoring process of the IELTS general reading test is based on the number of correct attempts. The section has a total of 40 questions and answering all these 40 questions correctly helps to get a score of 9 bands. To help you in analyzing the scoring process of the test, here are the highlights of the reading band score.
| Correct answers | Band Score |
| 40-39 | 9 |
| 38-37 | 8.5 |
| 36-35 | 8 |
| 34-33 | 7.5 |
| 32-30 | 7 |
| 29-27 | 6.5 |
| 26-23 | 6 |
| 22-19 | 5.5 |
| 18-15 | 5 |
| 14-13 | 4.5 |
| 12-10 | 4 |
| 9-8 | 3.5 |
| 7-6 | 3 |
| 5-4 | 2.5 |
Marking Criteria
The marking criteria are as follows.
Task Achievement
To accomplish this task you are required to
- Present information accurately
- Provide an overview
- Highlight pointing key features or stages
- Appropriate data
- Supporting details
Task Response
In this task, you are required to first address the task accurately by proving relevant points to support your answer. Further, you are also required to present your opinion wherever necessary and not forget the conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion
This inside organizes information into small paragraphs with a central idea in each paragraph. Further, you must also apply a range of linking devices.
Grammar Range and Accuracy
First use a broad range of sentences and structures with proper grammar, tenses, and punctuation. Further, you must try avoiding errors.
Types of Questions in IELTS General Reading
There are various types of questions asked in the test. It is very important to know the types of questions in order to score good marks or higher bands. Some of the prominently asked questions in the IELTS general reading exam are –
- Diagram label completion
- Identifying a writer’s views or claims
- Summary, note, table, flowchart completion
- Short answer questions
- Multiple choice questions
- Matching sentence endings
- Matching information
- Matching heading
- Matching features
- Identifying information
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FAQs
the only way to practice for IELTS general reading test is by solving sample papers the same way as you are going to attempt the original test.
IELTS general reading test is quite difficult but anybody can ease this prestigious exam with hard work and consistent practice.
You can get more than 6.5 in the General Reading IELTS test by practicing and solving sample papers. Another most important thing by proper guidance and feedback to get a higher score in IELTS general reading.
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