14 Question Types of IELTS Reading Test

When preparing for IELTS, you need to study the material and practice sample questions. However, it is also important to learn about the types of questions that you will have. Thus, you can be better prepared and come up with the best way to get it done. 

As in IELTS Reading, there are 14 question types divided into 3 sections for a total of 40 questions. Usually, each section has 3 or 4 different types of questions to answer. To complete all IELTS Reading questions, you only have one hour. 

You need to practise each type of question so that you can prepare well for the exam and pass with a good score. Here are the 14 types of questions in the IELTS Reading test, complete with explanations and tips that will help you.

 Types of IELTS Reading Test Questions 

In the matching heading type, you have to read the paragraphs and choose the best topic for each of them. It is important to understand the main ideas, supporting ideas, and how they differ from one another in paragraphs. To answer questions easily, you can follow the steps below. 

• Read the topic list before reading the paragraphs. 

• Usually, the list of available topics will be much larger than what is actually needed. So, you probably won't use all the lists. 

• Note the keywords on each topic and match them to the paragraphs. 

• Answers are often numbers, so read the instructions carefully.

In this type of question, you will be given a reading section followed by a list of statements. From there, you are asked to choose the statement that best fits the content of the reading. 

In addition to paying attention to keywords and paragraph content, you must be familiar with paraphrasing to find the right information. Since the answers are not in consecutive paragraph locations, be sure to really read each section carefully. There may be two answers in one paragraph, while the other paragraph does not provide the information needed.

Matching features is an important type of test to assess your ability to understand the relationship between facts from reading, as well as the ability to identify ideas and opinions. 

Here, you are asked to read the paragraphs, then check the list of statements with the information provided. For example, based on your reading, you might need to match a researcher's name to his discovery, or a historical event to his timeline. 

To take this type of IELTS Reading test, you need to pay attention to a number of things, including: 

• Understand each specific piece of information in the passage, so you don't have to read the entire paragraph. 

• Remember synonyms for words, because statements or answers may use other words that have not appeared in the reading. 

• Note the keywords or important information contained in paragraphs.

In matching sentence endings, you will be given readings along with two lists of sentences. The first list of sentences contains incomplete sentences, while the others are alternative sentences. Here, you need to match incomplete sentences with alternative sentences based on the reading provided. 

One of the tips for working on this type of problem is to practise grammar, such as subject-verb agreement, noun & pronoun, and tenses. Because, by understanding it, you can find which next sentence is more suitable from a grammatical point of view.

When working on this type of question, you must find whether each statement gives correct information or not based on the text. Because, as the name implies, if the question is appropriate, the answer you can choose is 'True' or 'Yes'. Meanwhile, if it is not appropriate, you can choose 'False' or 'No'. In addition, you can select 'Not Given' for statements that are not mentioned in the text.

You must be familiar with the multiple choice question type. Apart from IELTS Reading, this type of question can also be found in exams or tests in Indonesia. 

To complete the test, you must choose the correct answer based on the reading. In addition to understanding the main idea of the paragraph, you also need to look for specific information in the text. That is why the skimming technique will probably be very useful in this type of question. 

If you have difficulty choosing one of the four available options, you can use the elimination method. Try to reduce some of the choices that are considered the most inappropriate.

Almost the same as multiple choice, in this type of question you will be asked to choose the most correct answer. More specifically, the choice list contains words, information, or names. Thus, the questions asked will lead to a list of amounts that must be mentioned and you can choose more than one option. For example, 'Which THREE of the following materials are mentioned?'. 

If you previously matched topics or titles, in this section you only need to select one of the titles from the list. You will be given a reading, then asked to choose the most appropriate title. 

As with the 'matching headings' question type, here you need to understand the difference between main ideas and supporting ideas and know the purpose of the passage.

As with other English proficiency tests, you will be given readings followed by a series of questions. This type of question evaluates your ability to identify and understand information based on reading material. 

Usually, questions and information in paragraphs follow the same order. So, it will be easier for you to find answers to these types of questions.

In this type of IELTS Reading test questions, you will be given readings along with a list of incomplete questions. You must complete the blanks that are not completed based on the reading provided. So, it is better to learn paraphrasing and synonyms so you can find answers more easily to 'sentence completion' types of questions.

Besides in the sentence form, there are also types of IELTS Reading test questions that require you to complete a conclusion from the reading. 

To answer this type of question, you need to know the part of speech of the missing words in the paragraph, whether they are nouns, adjectives, etc. So, you can find the right word and follow English grammar.

In this type of question, you will get to see a table with some missing pieces of information. You need to complete the blanks with appropriate information based on the reading material. 

As with 'table completion', in the type of question 'flow chart completion' you will also be asked to complete the missing information. The difference is that the data will be presented in chart form. You must fill in the blanks in the chart based on the reading material provided.

Finally, you need to fill in the missing information on the chart. As with the previous types of questions, the 'diagram completion' aims to assess your ability to understand synonyms, paraphrases, and find meaning in the text. 

Those are the 14 types of IELTS Reading test questions that you will be working on. Don't forget to practise a lot and understand each type of question so you can work on it more effectively. 

When you're ready, you can register for the IELTS test with IDP! Whether IELTS on Computer or IELTS on paper, we provide access to an easy IELTS test for you. Register for your IELTS test now here .