IELTS General Training Reading Test Review

Vocabulary and key concepts from the IELTS General Training Reading test preparation transcript.

Total Test Time

The Reading test takes exactly $60$ minutes with no extra time granted for transferring answers at the end.

Number of Questions

There are a total of $40$ questions designed to test a wide range of reading skills.

Reading Skills

The range of skills includes reading for gist, main ideas, detail, skimming, scanning, understanding logical arguments, and recognizing writers' opinions, attitudes, and purpose.

Section 1 Focus

Focused on social survival and the practicalities of living in an English-speaking country, containing two or three short texts or several shorter texts such as notices and advertisements.

Section 2 Focus

Focused on workplace survival and the practicalities of working in an English-speaking environment, comprising two texts such as job descriptions, contracts, and staff training materials.

Section 3 Focus

Involves reading one long text of extended prose with a more complex structure, emphasizing descriptive and instructive content from newspapers, magazines, or book extracts.

Skimming

A technique involving reading the topic sentences and final sentences of each paragraph to get the main ideas.

Scanning

A reading technique used to locate key words or their synonyms within the text to answer specific questions.

Surveying

An initial reading step to get a general idea of the extent of the task before skimming or scanning.

Key Words

The most important words (or their synonyms) found in the questions that need to be located in the texts.

Up-to-date (Synonyms)

Terms used in the text to describe modern or the latest methods.

Established for a significant time (Context)

Referenced in the University of Canberra text as the TESOL Centre having more than $24$ years’ experience.

Language teaching for special purposes

Courses designed for particular reasons or uses, such as Business, Hospitality, or Travel.

School students (Context)

Referenced in the Club Français text as High School Crash Courses for Years $8-12$, often meaning pupils or children under $18$.

Transferring Answers

The recommendation for students to move their answers to the answer sheet after each group of questions rather than waiting until the end of the test.

NB (Instruction)

A specific instruction meaning 'Nota Bene'; in the test context, it alerts students that they may use any letter more than once.