IELTS reading module contains three passages out of which 40 questions are framed. Ideally there are 13 questions from two passages and 14 from one passage, however these can vary also. There are 10 basic types of questions, some with possible variations. These questions have to be attempted in 60 minutes which also include the time to transfer the answer in the answer sheet. Each correct answer accounts for one mark. There is no negative marking for the incorrect answers. Band scores are allocated as per the fixed range of marks. For example, 30 marks account for 7.0 bands.
Question types:
- Multiple choice
- Identification of accuracy of information in the text ( True/False/Not Given)
- Matching information with paragraphs/ sections
- Matching headings with paragraphs/ sections
- Matching statements with text features
- Matching sentence endings with beginnings
- Sentence completion (gap-fill, word limit)
- Summary / note/ table/ flow-chart completion
- Diagram label completion
- Short-answer questions
Out of these questions many come in sequence in the text but some do not. It is not mandatory that the question paper will have all these types of questions, but some of these come prominently in the exam. Same type of questions can appear once, twice or thrice also in the paper. For instance, all the three passages can have a set of True/False/Not Given questions respectively