Sunday, August 4, 2019

IELTS Online Reading Material | Academic

IELTS Academic reading is organized as three sections. Each is more difficult than previous one. In general, there is a total of 40 questions, with about 11-15 questions in each section. IELTS Academic reading tests' contents are at undergraduate or graduate level, which usually are taken from mainstream books, newspapers, and magazines, e.g. The Economist.

In common cases, one of the passages is general academic topic, one passage presents a logical argument, and one passage involves a diagram, graph, table, or illustration. Test takers don't need any special knowledge or background to understand the texts. If the context contains any technical term, a glossary should be attached. However, no dictionaries or books are allowed to be in testing room.

This is Academic Reading Full Sample with 3 sections 60 minutes.

1. Overview

Here we introduce IELTS reading test briefly, from test structure, question types, to answer tips. Last but not least, we collect lots of resources to help you practice IELTS reading online. We maintain the web page as an informative hub of IELTS reading test and its materials, and hope it can give you right answers about IELTS reading section. If you have any confusion regarding to IELTS reading test, IELTS Official Website may help you out.




Reading is an important module in IELTS test. Unlike speaking and listening share same test for both General and Academic versions, reading module has separate test papers for each version. The reading objects are different: the General module uses easier texts from social, school, and work contexts, and the Academic module chooses more advanced texts, usually around college level, from academic sources.

So, test takers must know the difference and prepare right version. If working on wrong version, the effort wouldn't be rewarded as expected.

If ignoring the reading objects, the Academic and General tests are similar in many ways. Both should be finished in 60 minutes, contain 3-4 passages and 40 questions, and are scored in the same way. In two versions, test takers must answer all questions to the answer sheet in one hour, both have no extra time to fill in answer sheet.

In both General and Academic modules, one mark is awarded for each correct answer. A special table converts your actual score, possibly out of 40, into a band score on the IELTS band scale, such as 6 or 6.5. The primary scoring rule is same for both General and Academic tests, but actual converting tables are different among various test papers, because reading contents may not be in same difficulty, the converting table adjust the final IELTS band to compare with other test papers. If you did 20 questions right on two test papers but got different IELTS bands, the reason is the converting table is different.



Question Type There are more than 10 question types in reading test module. General and Academic tests share these question types.As a matter of fact, question types are very flexible and updated from time to time. One test paper usually doesn't include all types. In reading test, you may see some of them, or even find new question types.

Although we cannot predicate all question types, practice and familiarize some common ones helps very much to speed up your reading and answering in test day. When you exercise, pay attention to these question types:

  • Multiple Choice:Letters
  • Short Answer:Words
  • True/False/Yes/No/Not Given:Words
  • Matching Information/Features:Letters
  • Paragraph Headings:Numbers
  • Sentence Completion:Words and/or Number
  • Summary, Note, Table, Flow-chart Completion:Words and/or Number
  • Diagram, Label Completion:Words and/or Number
  • Identifying Views or Claims:Words and/or Number
  • Classification:Words and/or Number

Lots of practices can help you to familiarize with common question types. Based on these practices, you can find which types are easier and which types are not. Try to pay more efforts on shortcomings, it will improve your IELTS reading test efficiently.



Test structure and Time IELTS reading is the biggest one in all 4 modules, lasts 60 minutes. The reading objects are totally 2500 words around. If you cannot finish all answers in one hour, you have little chance to pass the test.A normal IELTS reading test paper has three passages and forty questions. Test takers should read and answer all of them in only one hour. In most cases, the three passages become increasingly difficult.

Because the sections aren't equivalent in difficulty, suggest to start from easiest one. If you're confused with a particular question, move on to the next and come back later if possible. If you finish early, review difficult questions.

High score hunters should arrange more time on difficult section in order to complete all questions with high quality. E.g.

17 minutes on section 1
20 minutes on section 2
23 minutes on section 3

2. Reading Skill and Tip 


IELTS reading test is to check English reading skill for either General or Academic respectively. It doesn't imply any other special requirement. However, understanding the convention of checkpoints is a shortcut to get a good score.

The IELTS reading test papers are used to focus on these skills:
Get the big picture as well as the minor points
Separate facts from opinions and attitudes
Detect the overall purpose of the passage
Follow the main arguments
Trace specific details and relevant information
Digest the key points
Symbolize written information in graphic form
Know accurate spelling and correct grammar.

On summary, the test emphasizes three key abilities you must have to shoot high score:
  • Skimming: reading quickly to get the main idea, or say big picture
  • Scanning: reading quickly to look for a specific piece or specific words
  • Reading for detail: reading every word in detail to really understand information At IELTS reading test, test takers have to use all three techniques at different stages. Start by skimming through the entire text to get a big picture, then jump to the questions to see what kind of information is required; finally scan for a specific piece of information or read a particular section to discover the detail.

Practice IELTS reading materials online is a quick way to sharpen skills and summarize tips. In fact different people may have different tips to deal with IELTS reading sections. The 5 minutes video, which is by 9 band winner of IELTS reading test, presents 13 tips to practice IELTS reading. It's a concise list, short but practical, an ideal sample of reading test tips. Contrasting with them, try to summarize your own IELTS reading test tips by practicing online, which will improve your reading skill in nature.

  1. Look for the heading and subtitle;
  2. The question section first, then go to text;
  3. Check the first 5 questions, then try first paragraph;
  4. Reading the whole article before question is a wrong order;
  5. Learn all types of questions before taking test;
  6. Underline all name or important information;
  7. Don't panic if the topic isn't familiar;
  8. Spelling in your answer sheet matters;
  9. Avoid grammar errors in answers;
  10. Develop speed reading skill;
  11. Enrich your vocabulary as you can;
  12. Practice complicated articles from BBC and Economist;
  13. Practice IELTS reading test in exam-like condition.

3. Reading Material List


We collect most popular IELTS reading online practices here. This is a hub to help test takers get reading materials easily and quickly. The list is maintained by our editors. If you see only broken url please contact with editor.


IELTS Exam for Academic

IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #1 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #2 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #3 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #4 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #5 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #6 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #7 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #8 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #9 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #10 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #11 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #12 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #13 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #14 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #15 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #16 (1 section,20 minutes)
IELTS Reading Sample (Academic) #17 (1 section,20 minutes)

IELTS Liz: Question Type Exercise

Sentence Completion Life on Earth
Matching Sentence Endings Crime and Punishment
Categorisation Beds in the Ancient World
Matching Headings with Tips Pangolins
Matching Paragraph Information Ebola
Short Answer Questions The History of Easter Eggs
Sentence Completion Water Pollution
Multiple Choice GM Foods
Matching Headings Antimicrobial Resistance
Matching Paragraph Information and Tips The South Pole
Matching Sentence Endings NASA’s Mars Ship
Multiple Choice Alzheimer's
Summary Completion Fermented Foods
Multiple Choice An Ear for Music
Sentence Completion War on Smoking
Summary Completion Importance of Sleep
Sentence Completion Penguin Facts
Matching Paragraph Information Hobbies for the Elderly
Multiple Choice All about Rice
Matching Headings The Greenhouse Effect

IELTS Mentor: Top 20 Academic Samples

Reading Sample 1 - Population Viability Analysis
Reading Sample 2 - Visual Symbols and the Blind
Reading Sample 3 - Zoo Conservation Programmes
Reading Sample 4 - A Workaholic Economy
Reading Sample 5 - The Risks of Cigarette Smoke
Reading Sample 6 - A Remarkable Beetle
Reading Sample 7 - Alarming Rate of Loss of Tropical Rainforests
Reading Sample 8 - Changing Our Understanding of Health
Reading Sample 9 - Paper Recycling
Reading Sample 10 - Absenteeism In Nursing
Reading Sample 11 - The Rocket From East To West
Reading Sample 12 - The Scientific Method
Reading Sample 13 - A.D.D. Missing Out on Learning
Reading Sample 14 - The Beam Operated Traffic System
Reading Sample 15 - Beneath The Canopy
Reading Sample 16 - Destinations For International English Students
Reading Sample 17 - The Danger Of Ecstasy
Reading Sample 18 - The Discovery of Uranus
Reading Sample 19 - Creating Artificial Reefs
Reading Sample 20 - The Pursuit of Happiness

IELTS Up for Academic

IELTS Academic Reading test 1 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 1 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 1 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 2 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 2 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 2 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 3 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 3 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 3 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 4 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 4 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 4 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 5 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 5 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 5 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 6 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 6 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 6 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 7 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 7 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 7 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 8 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 8 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 8 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 9 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 9 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 9 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 10 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 10 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 10 (3rd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 11 (1st section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 11 (2nd section,20 minutes)
IELTS Academic Reading test 11 (3rd section,20 minutes)


Good Luck 


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