Problem: you understand the passages but run out of time, or lose marks on True/False/Not Given and matching headings. Answer in brief: use roughly 20 minutes per section as a starting plan, adapting to the questions you find difficult; skim for structure first, then scan for evidence one question at a time; treat T/F/NG as a text-matching test, headings as a main-idea test, and completions as a grammar-plus-scan test. This guide teaches each type with worked mini-passages and 12 practice tasks with complete answers and evidence.
Learning outcomes
By the end you will be able to: use a flexible time plan across the three sections; decide True/False/Not Given from passage evidence without using outside knowledge; match headings to whole-paragraph main ideas and information to exact locations; handle multiple-choice distractors and completion word limits; and keep an evidence log that makes every answer checkable. The guide develops skills introduced in the source book, 10 Sets of Authentic IELTS Academic Reading (Jobin Thomas), whose overview chapter sets out the 60-minute, 40-question, 3-section format with the standard question types, alongside numbered practice tests with answer keys.
Format, timing and a flexible routine
IELTS Academic Reading has 40 questions across three sections, with 60 minutes in total. Each correct answer receives one mark. The texts draw on general-interest material written for non-specialist readers and can use narrative, descriptive or argumentative styles. Do not assume a rigid text genre for each numbered section. Check the official IELTS Academic Reading format for current requirements and question instructions.
A starting plan is roughly 20 minutes per section, including checking and entering answers. This is a study strategy, not an official time allocation for individual passages. Try a brief structure skim, a longer answering period and a final check. For example, you might spend two minutes orienting yourself, fourteen answering and four revisiting uncertainty. Adjust this after practice rather than forcing every text into identical blocks.
During the first scan, identify the topic and the purpose of each paragraph. Then read the relevant question instructions carefully: a familiar task can still have a different word limit or require two answers. Work through one set at a time, locating evidence and reading the surrounding context. If a question consumes too much of your remaining time, flag it, move on and return when possible.
Some sets, including multiple choice and sentence completion, follow the order of information in the text. Do not assume every task does: matching information and some summary tasks can require a different search. Headings can be attempted before or after detail questions; use practice to find which order helps you understand the particular passage. A useful plan leaves time to check missing answers, units, word limits and selected letters before the section of practice ends.
True / False / Not Given (and Yes / No / Not Given)
Identifying Information (True/False/Not Given) asks whether each statement matches the passage’s facts. Identifying Writer’s Views (Yes/No/Not Given) asks whether each statement reflects the writer’s claims or opinions — same technique, different target. Decide in three steps: (1) locate the exact sentence(s) using content words from the statement; (2) compare meaning, not words — synonyms and paraphrase are expected; (3) grade precisely: True/Yes if the passage confirms it fully; False/No if the relevant information or writer’s position contradicts it; Not Given only if the passage neither confirms nor contradicts — the information is absent, not merely uncertain.
Three recurring traps: absolute words (all, only, never, main) — check whether the passage really supports the absolute; half-true statements — a directly contradicted detail can make the statement False; a detail that is merely unstated can instead make it Not Given; plausible outside knowledge — school science or news memory is irrelevant; only the passage counts. For Yes/No/Not Given, distinguish the writer’s own position from a view the writer reports. The absence of an opinion is Not Given, not automatically No. A quoted official may hold a view that the writer never endorses. Quantifiers also require meaning-based comparison: more than 60% does mean most of the same clearly defined group. However, “the main source” does not mean “the only source”, and mentioning two boroughs does not establish how many boroughs exist in total. When torn between False and Not Given, ask: does any passage sentence contradict this? If yes → False. If no sentence touches it → Not Given.
Matching headings and matching information
Matching headings: choose each paragraph’s main idea from a list with extra options. Read for what the whole paragraph is about plus what it says — the heading must cover most sentences, not one striking detail. Method: skim the paragraph, summarise it in five words of your own, then match your summary — never match a heading to a single shared word. Eliminate used headings physically; the distractors typically describe details from wrong paragraphs. Do headings last within a passage only if they slow you; many strong readers do them first while the structure skim is fresh.
Matching information: match statements (a definition, a figure, a cause, an opinion) to the paragraph containing them. Scan for the distinctive noun or number, then read the surrounding two sentences to confirm the function matches (a figure merely mentioned is not “a comparison of figures”). Names, dates and capitalised terms are fast anchors; Reporting verbs such as argues, claims and suggests can help locate opinions, although opinions can also be expressed without one. Both matching sets reward the initial structure skim: knowing where causes and examples occur can reduce unnecessary searching.
Multiple choice and completion tasks
Multiple choice: tests detail plus main idea. Read the stem, predict the answer area, then eliminate: the correct option paraphrases the passage; distractors typically (a) contradict one detail, (b) state something true but not asked, or (c) use passage words with shifted meaning. For “choose TWO letters” style sets, each correct letter needs its own evidence — finding one does not validate the other.
Completion (sentences, summaries, tables, flow-charts, diagrams): a combined scan-plus-grammar test. First read the gap sentence and predict a possible word type (noun, number, adjective), without guessing a final answer; note the word limit (ONE WORD ONLY, NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS) — breaking it loses the mark even with the right content. Then scan for the anchor words, read closely, and copy exactly: spelling, hyphenation and singular/plural must match the passage. Summary completions with a word bank test paraphrase recognition — match meanings, then check grammar fit; bank words that fit grammar but not meaning are the designed distractors.
Unknown words: meaning without a dictionary
In timed practice, work without a dictionary so that you can develop context-reading skills. Many unknown words need no exact definition — only enough meaning to answer. Try these four clues, using whichever the sentence makes available. Word parts: prefixes and roots narrow the field (outcompete = compete against and beat). Sentence grammar: the word’s job limits its sense (“capped hive density” — capped takes an object and a limit, so it means restricted). Local contrast or example: the sentence often defines the term (“scarce flower patches” helps you identify the relevant setting and resource). Paragraph direction: if the paragraph argues a restriction is needed, the surrounding argument may help you test a possible meaning; it does not guarantee that an unfamiliar adjective is negative. Worked example from Model 1: “forage diversity” is never defined, and the surrounding discussion of flower patches supports interpreting it as the variety of available food sources — enough to answer any question about causes without a dictionary entry. Give extra attention to unfamiliar words that affect the answer. If a word elsewhere helps you follow the passage, use its context too; avoid letting one difficult item consume your remaining time. Mark guessed words and check them after the test — that list becomes targeted vocabulary study, which is exactly how the book’s test volumes convert practice into language gain.
Worked models: two mini-passages, fully solved
Labelling: both passages and questions below are newly written for this article to practise skills covered by the book. They describe invented studies and transport schemes; their claims are part of fictional training material, not reports of actual research or history. The book’s own passages are not reproduced here because several cite third-party sources; the book’s full tests with answer keys remain the practice ground in the study sequence. These are teaching models, not official exam material.
Model 1 — Science passage: T/F/NG plus completion (newly written, 144-word passage)
Passage (newly written fictional training text, 144 words): A. Urban beekeeping has spread rapidly across European cities in the past decade. Supporters argue that rooftop hives strengthen local pollination and reconnect residents with food production. B. The evidence for colony health, however, is mixed. A 2023 municipal survey in one capital found that rooftop colonies produced on average 18 kilograms of honey per hive, compared with 24 kilograms from rural hives in the same region. Researchers attributed much of the gap to limited forage diversity rather than to pollution, which showed no measurable effect on yield in that study. C. City authorities have responded cautiously. Two boroughs now require registration of all hives, and one has capped hive density near parks after complaints from wild-bee conservation groups, who argue that honeybees outcompete solitary species at scarce flower patches. Officials stress that the cap is a trial measure pending a wider forage-mapping study due next year.
Questions: For questions 1–3, answer True, False or Not Given using this passage only. 1. In the reported survey, rooftop hives produced more honey than rural hives. 2. Pollution was found to reduce rooftop yields in the survey. 3. Wild-bee groups complained that honeybees outcompete solitary species at scarce flower patches. 4. Complete: Rooftop colonies averaged ____ of honey per hive. (Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage.) 5. Matching information: Which paragraph reports the official response to the complaints? 6. Complete: The density cap near parks is described as a ____ measure. (Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage.)
Answers with evidence: 1. False — B gives 18 kg rooftop versus 24 kg rural: the statement reverses the facts. 2. False — B states pollution “showed no measurable effect on yield in that study”: direct contradiction, not absence. 3. True — C states the cap followed complaints from wild-bee groups “who argue that honeybees outcompete solitary species at scarce flower patches”: the wording matches the statement directly. 4. 18 kilograms — B states it exactly; use the wording supplied in this exercise rather than substituting an abbreviation. 5. C — registration requirements, the cap and the pending study all sit in C; A–B hold background and findings, never official action. 6. trial — C calls it “a trial measure”; “temporary” is one word, but it is not the word used in the passage. The error would be ignoring the instruction to choose from the passage, not exceeding the word limit.
Why it works: each answer cites a paragraph and exact wording; Q2 shows contradiction versus absence (False, not Not Given); Q3 shows direct match discipline — the True verdict rests on stated wording, not on sympathy with the groups; Q4 shows limit discipline and exact copying (“18 kilograms”, including the required unit); Q5 shows function matching (official action lives only in C); Q6 shows the one-word limit obeyed with the passage’s own word (“trial”, not the plausible “temporary”).
Model 2 — Fictional transport trial: headings and multiple choice
Passage (newly written fictional training text): D. In the invented city of Mereton, electric vehicles were introduced in a small transport trial, but the first scheme attracted few users. E. The decisive limits were range and infrastructure: the trial vehicles stored little energy, and chargers existed at only two city-centre depots. Petrol vehicles could refuel across a much wider area. F. Image also mattered. Some buyers associated quiet vehicles with limited power, although the trial report did not identify this preference as the main obstacle. G. A later scheme used scooters and buses on fixed urban routes. Overnight depot charging addressed the route limits, while an emissions-restricted district created demand for those services. The report did not discuss battery prices or advertising campaigns.
Questions: 7. Match headings to E–G (list: i. A secondary concern about vehicle image / ii. How a later scheme found a workable setting / iii. The main practical limits of the first trial / iv. A fall in battery prices). 8. Multiple choice: The first Mereton scheme mainly struggled because of — A. buyer taste alone / B. range and charging limits / C. higher prices / D. government bans. 9. (Choose TWO letters.) Which TWO factors supported the later Mereton scheme? A. depot charging on fixed routes / B. an emissions-restricted district creating demand / C. cheaper batteries / D. advertising campaigns.
Answers: 7. E–iii (range and charging limits), F–i (the secondary image concern), G–ii (the design and setting of the later scheme). Heading iv is unused: the passage does not describe falling battery prices. 8. B — E names range and infrastructure as “decisive”; A is a distractor (taste appears in F as a secondary factor); C is not stated, and D concerns a ban that the passage does not describe. 9. Answers: A and B — both stated in G; C and D are plausible but unmentioned, the classic “true in life, absent in text” trap. Each correct letter needs its own evidence: A from “Overnight depot charging addressed the route limits”, B from “an emissions-restricted district created demand”.
Why it works: the headings reward whole-paragraph summaries (E explains practical limits, F discusses image, and G describes the later scheme); the multiple choice turns on one decisive word (“decisive” in E); the two-letter set punishes plausible-but-absent options C and D. The answers require close reading of the relevant paragraphs. Skimming helps locate them, but it does not replace checking the exact relationships between the ideas.
Practice bank: 12 tasks with answers and evidence
All tasks below are newly written. Each either supplies its own input or identifies the complete model passage above. Attempt the question before revealing the explanation.
1. Quantifiers: a supported contradiction
New fictional passage: “The city has eight boroughs. Only two require hive registration; the other six do not.” Statement: “All of the city’s boroughs require registration.” Choose True, False or Not Given.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: False.
Reasoning: The passage explicitly supplies counterexamples: six boroughs do not require registration. The word two alone would not establish this if the total number of boroughs were unknown. Do not mechanically treat every smaller number as contradicting all; identify the defined group and what is actually said about its remaining members.
2. A mixed statement with direct contradiction
Use Model 1 paragraph C. Statement: “The cap follows a completed study and is described as a permanent measure.” Choose True, False or Not Given.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: False.
Reasoning: The passage describes a trial pending a study due next year. The completed-study claim directly contradicts that timing. One direct contradiction is enough for this statement. If a different statement merely adds an unmentioned detail, however, that absence must not automatically be called False.
3. Absence of information
Use the entire Model 1 passage. Statement: “The forage-mapping study will cost £200,000.” Choose True, False or Not Given.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Not Given.
Reasoning: The passage supplies the study’s purpose and expected timing, but no budget. The figure is neither supported nor contradicted. A reasonable-looking amount is still outside the evidence. In your notes, record “cost not stated” rather than pretending there is a sentence that proves a different cost.
4. The writer’s view, not a reported view
New fictional editorial: “Officials call the current cap a trial. In my view, the council should retain it as a temporary experiment and should not make it permanent before reviewing the evidence.” Statement: “The writer supports making the cap permanent before the evidence review.” Choose Yes, No or Not Given.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: No.
Reasoning: The writer explicitly argues against permanence before review. This is a direct contrast with the statement. If the passage had contained only the first sentence about what officials call the cap, the writer’s own preference would remain unstated. Reporting a policy’s current status does not necessarily reveal someone’s desired long-term policy.
5. A heading for the whole paragraph
Read Model 1 paragraph B in full. Which heading fits best? i. Comparing colony yields and a possible explanation / ii. A plan to ban rooftop hives / iii. A new pollution-control law.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: i. Comparing colony yields and a possible explanation.
Reasoning: The paragraph compares rooftop and rural honey yields, then reports the researchers’ explanation. Neither a ban nor a pollution-control law appears there. A heading must represent the paragraph’s overall work, not merely repeat a topic word. The pollution sentence supports the comparison; it is not a separate account of legislation.
6. Locating a reported opinion
Using Model 1 paragraphs A–C, identify the paragraph reporting the wild-bee conservation groups’ concern. Write one paragraph letter.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: C.
Reasoning: Paragraph C names the groups and reports their argument about competition at flower patches. Read the reporting clause to confirm whose view it is. The words wild-bee conservation groups are a useful search anchor even though they are not a capitalised organisation name. Paragraph B instead reports a survey and researchers’ interpretation.
7. Eliminating a plausible option
Return to Model 2 question 8. Explain why “buyer taste alone” is not the best account of the first Mereton scheme’s difficulties.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: It ignores the range and charging limits described as decisive.
Reasoning: Paragraph F supplies an image concern, but explicitly says it was not identified as the main obstacle. The option uses a real passage detail with the unsupported qualifier alone. Keep the whole option in view: recognising a familiar phrase does not validate the additional claim it makes.
8. A completion answer within the limit
Use Model 1. Complete “The survey reported an average yield of ____ per rooftop hive.” Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Compare: 18 / 18 kilograms / 18 kilograms of honey.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: 18 kilograms.
Reasoning: The unit is needed to express a yield. The answer contains a number and one word. “18 kilograms of honey” contains three words plus the number, so it exceeds this instruction. Copy kilograms from the passage for this exercise. Do not add surrounding wording merely because it appeared in the same evidence sentence.
9. Predicting a word type without forcing it
Use Model 2 paragraph G. Complete “The later scheme used ____ and buses on fixed routes.” Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: scooters.
Reasoning: The gap calls for the name of another vehicle type. Grammar helps narrow the search, but the words and buses do not, by themselves, force every possible preceding noun to be plural. The plural scooters is correct here because it is what the passage states. Confirm content first, then check the completed sentence.
10. Choosing an efficient question order
A practice passage has headings and sentence-completion questions. You understand two paragraph main ideas immediately, but one heading is uncertain. What is a reasonable next step?
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Record the supported headings, then try the detail questions and return to the uncertain heading.
Reasoning: This is a strategy question with more than one defensible plan. Another reader may prefer completing a full question set first. The test does not require a universal headings-last rule. Compare accuracy and time across your practice attempts, and adapt the order to how well you currently understand the passage.
11. Building a useful evidence log
For Model 1 question 2 about pollution, record an answer, an evidence location and a short reason. Then describe the log entry for the unmentioned study cost in practice task 3.
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Q2: False; paragraph B; the study reports no measurable yield effect. Task 3: Not Given; the passage supplies no budget information.
Reasoning: For supported and contradicted statements, quote or underline the decisive phrase during practice. For Not Given, identify the missing relationship rather than inventing a proof sentence. An evidence log is a learning aid; do not insist on writing long notes during the real test if that prevents you from completing the answers.
12. Recovering time sensibly
You have four minutes left in a practice test and six unanswered questions. Two have evidence already located; four still need searching. What could you prioritise?
Show answer and explanation
Suggested answer: Finish the two with located evidence, then use the remaining time on questions you can resolve most efficiently and check that all required answer fields are filled.
Reasoning: There is no guaranteed fastest passage or question type for every reader. Avoid spending the entire remainder on one unresolved item. Elimination can improve the basis for a guess, but a guessed answer is not guaranteed to earn a mark. In your post-test review, separate supported answers from guesses so the practice score remains informative.
Common errors and corrections
- Using outside knowledge: return to the passage’s actual claim. The fictional models here deliberately reward evidence rather than remembered science or transport history.
- Calling every unsupported detail False: distinguish a direct contradiction from missing information. “The study costs £200,000” is Not Given when the passage never mentions cost.
- Confusing a writer with a quoted person: identify who holds the view. A report that officials described a trial does not necessarily tell you the author’s preferred permanent policy.
- Matching a heading to one word: summarise the paragraph’s function, then choose the heading that covers that function. A mentioned detail may belong to a distractor.
- Ignoring part of an option: check qualifiers such as alone, mainly, always and only. An option can begin with a true detail and finish with an unsupported or contradictory claim.
- Breaking a completion limit: count both the permitted words and any number. Check whether the instruction requires words from the passage or selection from an answer bank.
- Forcing a strategy on every passage: timing plans and question order should help you read accurately. They are not universal rules, and they do not replace reading each set’s instructions.
Independent practice and self-assessment
Task: Choose one passage from the matching book and complete its questions using the instructions supplied with that passage. Begin with a roughly 20-minute practice period if that is appropriate to the passage and question count. Record your answers before checking the key. If a section is shorter than a full test section, adapt the practice time instead of pretending it is a complete mock test.
For each incorrect answer, write three things: what you selected, what the key gives, and what the passage actually supports. Locate the decisive words for True, False, Yes or No. For Not Given, identify the missing fact or opinion. If an answer key seems inconsistent with its passage, investigate it rather than copying it as a rule. Books and practice materials can contain errors.
Use four review categories: locating evidence, interpreting meaning, following instructions, and time management. “I need to read faster” is too broad to guide the next session. “I treated an unmentioned cost as False” gives you a specific distinction to practise. Likewise, a wrong heading may come from choosing a detail rather than misunderstanding all the vocabulary.
Self-check: Did I read the current word limit? Did I answer the stated question? Did I separate the author’s view from a reported view? Did I check every part of the option? Can I explain why the strongest distractor fails? Which answers were guesses? How much time did I spend after locating the relevant sentence? Keep these notes short enough to compare across several passages.
A study sequence with the book
First, establish the evidence habit. Read the overview chapter and practise with the mini-passages here. Work without a timer initially if necessary. Focus on identifying the sentence or missing relationship that determines an answer, rather than merely remembering the answer key.
Next, isolate recurring problems. Select passages from the numbered tests to practise one question family at a time. For statement questions, contrast direct contradiction with absence. For headings, write your own brief paragraph summary before inspecting the options. For completion tasks, predict a possible word type and verify the exact required wording.
Then add timing. Work through a complete section with a provisional time budget and review how you used it. Try a different question order if your current approach repeatedly leaves easy evidence unchecked. Compare accuracy as well as speed; rushing into a familiar-looking distractor is not progress.
Finally, combine skills. Use an appropriate full practice test under its stated conditions, entering answers as you work. Read the instructions for every question set. After marking, revisit one difficult passage untimed and explain the logic of each corrected answer. Consult your test provider’s current test-day instructions for the format and materials you will use.
The source contains overlapping material in some numbered tests. Recognising a passage can inflate your practice result through memory. Use repeats deliberately for error correction, and use unfamiliar material when you want to assess how well the method transfers. A remembered answer is different from independently locating and interpreting fresh evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Passage first or questions first? Try a brief orientation scan, then work with one question set. Some readers benefit from previewing headings first. Choose the approach that improves your accuracy and time in practice, rather than assuming one order is compulsory.
Do True/False and Yes/No mean the same thing? Both require comparison with the text, but their targets differ: factual information versus the writer’s views or claims. Use the answer labels requested by the current instructions. A reported person’s opinion should not automatically be attributed to the author.
Does Not Given mean I failed to find the answer? It means the information needed to confirm or contradict the statement is absent. You still need to read the relevant context carefully. A missed sentence and a genuinely unreported detail can feel similar, which is why practice review matters.
Must I copy every completion answer exactly? Follow the instruction. If it asks for words from the passage, use those words within the stated limit. If it supplies a word bank or asks for letters, follow that format instead. A plausible synonym is not a substitute for a required passage word.
What if two headings appear suitable? Compare the whole paragraph with both. Ask which heading represents its main purpose and which merely describes one example. Then check whether the apparent match depends only on repeated vocabulary.
Should I write an evidence note beside every answer? During study, short notes expose your reasoning and make correction easier. During a timed attempt, use only as much annotation as your pace allows. For Not Given, note what is missing rather than demanding a quotation that proves absence.
How can I reduce translation in my head? Read short groups of words as ideas and summarise each paragraph’s role. When an unfamiliar word matters, test its possible meaning against grammar and nearby contrasts. Afterwards, review the vocabulary that repeatedly blocked understanding.
Can a practice answer key be wrong? Yes. Check disputed answers against the complete passage and current official task definitions. Do not invent a new rule to defend a key that lacks evidence. Keep the original material intact and record the correction in your study notes.
The matching book
This guide accompanies 10 Sets of Authentic IELTS Academic Reading in the Jobins Training collection — the 60-minute format, section order, all standard question types and the evidence habit — with newly written fictional mini-passages for teaching. You can find its current listing here: IELTS Reading — Book 1 in the Jobins Training collection. The book provides numbered practice tests and answer keys for extended work beyond these short teaching examples. Its title is the published book title; it does not mean the examples here are official IELTS questions.
Continue your practice with 10 Sets of Authentic IELTS Academic Reading
Want more practice? This article introduces the key principles, but 10 Sets of Authentic IELTS Academic Reading provides additional practice, worked examples and structured preparation. View the book →
Sources and editorial note
This article draws on the overview of reading skills, task types, timing and study methods in 10 Sets of Authentic IELTS Academic Reading by Jobin Thomas, together with the structure of its numbered practice tests and answer keys. The examples and passages here are newly authored fictional practice material. They do not reproduce the source’s third-party passages and should not be treated as accounts of actual research or transport history.
The source includes overlapping practice material: Tests 04 and 05 have similar cyber-security and aquatic-animal sequences, while Tests 06 and 08 overlap on stock-market volatility. Treat repeated material as revision rather than independent evidence of progress. Current official guidance takes precedence over fixed section-by-section descriptions or unsupported rules in any practice source.
Exam requirements and task definitions were checked against the official IELTS Academic Reading format. Further explanations are available from IDP IELTS on Not Given and IDP IELTS on matching headings. Recheck the provider’s current guidance before your test.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
