IELTS Reading practice: passages, questions and answer review

Reading well in IELTS means finding evidence efficiently, recognising paraphrases and understanding exactly what a question asks. MaxIELTS brings Academic and General Training Reading exercises together so you can practise, check your answers and return to question types that need more work. The explanations here are study guidance, not official test material.

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Try it: evidence or assumption?

Read the short passage. Decide whether each statement is TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. Use only information in the passage.

A fictional community library

In April, the Brookfield library extended its Thursday opening hours from six to eight in the evening. The change followed requests from people who worked during the day. Saturday hours remained unchanged. After a month, staff counted more evening visitors, but they had not yet asked those visitors why they came. The library planned to collect their comments in June.

The library now closes at eight on Thursdays.
The library also extended its Saturday opening hours.
Most evening visitors came to borrow novels.

Show the worked review

1. TRUE

The first sentence gives the new Thursday closing time: eight in the evening.

2. FALSE

The passage explicitly says Saturday hours remained unchanged. That contradicts the statement.

3. NOT GIVEN

The passage gives no reason for the visits and says staff had not yet asked. It does not establish what most visitors borrowed.

Practice takeaway: FALSE needs contradictory evidence. Missing information is NOT GIVEN, even when a guess sounds reasonable.

An original MaxIELTS learning example, not an official test question or a full test.

Try eight True / False / Not Given questions with evidence

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What will you practise?

Academic Reading uses passages intended to assess reading in an academic context. General Training Reading includes materials closer to everyday and workplace situations as well as longer texts. Choose the version that matches the test you plan to take instead of moving between formats without a purpose.

Practise different formats such as True / False / Not Given, Yes / No / Not Given, matching headings, multiple choice and completion tasks. Each format tests a slightly different reading decision; understanding the instructions matters as much as finding the right sentence.

A focused practice routine

Choose Academic or General Training, and select a passage or question type before starting.
Read each instruction carefully, including any answer-word limit and whether it asks about facts or the writer’s views.
Underline evidence, complete the questions, then review wrong answers by identifying exactly which part of the passage you misread.
Repeat a similar task later; track error types rather than memorising answers to the same passage.

Common mistakes

Assuming that a keyword match proves an answer without checking the meaning of the full sentence.
Treating Not Given as if it meant the same thing as False or No.
Spending too long on one hard item and leaving easier questions unanswered.

Start with one short reading set. After reviewing, choose a related guide below and practise again using new material. Free access may be limited by the current plan.

Frequently asked questions

Is IELTS Reading the same in Academic and General Training?

Both assess reading skills, but their passages and some contexts differ. Select your intended test format.

Can I practise Reading without a Premium plan?

MaxIELTS offers sample practice; the number of available questions depends on your account and current access rules.

Official reference

For official test requirements, use the test owner’s guide. This is independent MaxIELTS study content.

IELTS Academic Reading format

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