IELTS Reading guide
Find evidence without reading everything twice
Practice IELTS Reading with a repeatable approach to locating evidence, matching meaning and distinguishing false from not given.
Match practice to your module
Academic and General Training use different Reading material. Academic practice develops your handling of longer explanatory and argumentative passages. General Training also includes everyday and workplace texts. Choose the relevant module in Gym, while remembering that careful evidence matching helps in both.
Build a map of the text
First notice the title, headings and the purpose of each paragraph. Write a short mental label such as ‘problem’, ‘early experiment’ or ‘alternative explanation’. This is a map for finding information, not a requirement to memorize the passage. When you reach a question, return to the most likely part and read closely.
Look for paraphrase
A question about a ‘decline in demand’ might point to a passage saying that ‘fewer customers requested the service’. The vocabulary differs, but the meaning matches. Check the complete proposition, including who, when, how much and with what certainty. A matching keyword alone can lead to a distractor.
Separate contradiction from missing information
For True/False/Not Given, ask whether the passage supports the statement, contradicts it, or does not establish it. If a text says a library opened in 1985, ‘It opened in 1986’ is contradicted. ‘It was the town’s largest building’ is not established by that sentence. Avoid filling gaps with general knowledge or assumptions.
Use headings for the main point
A heading should describe the paragraph’s central purpose, not one interesting detail. After reading a paragraph, complete the sentence ‘This paragraph mainly explains…’ in your own words. Then compare the possible headings. Check whether your choice covers the whole paragraph without adding an idea the author did not express.
Turn review into a skill
After a Gym exercise, locate the exact sentence supporting each answer and explain your choice before opening the explanation. For a wrong answer, name the error: an overlooked qualifier, a misunderstood reference, a word-limit violation or an unsupported inference. Use that error category to choose your next exercise.