Read for the question's evidence
IELTS Academic Reading contains three sections and 40 questions within 60 minutes. Questions may ask for a main idea, a specific fact, a writer's view or words that complete a statement. Learn the instruction for the question in front of you rather than applying one reading technique to every task. Official Academic Reading format.
True, False and Not Given: an original example
Read this short teaching passage before opening the explanation:
In 2022, the town library introduced a Saturday repair workshop. Volunteers helped residents mend small household items. The workshop initially ran once a month, but demand led the library to offer it twice a month from January 2024. The library has not collected information about how many participants repaired another item at home afterwards.
- The repair workshop began in 2022.
- The workshop ran every Saturday when it first opened.
- Most participants later repaired other items at home.
Show the answers and evidence
1. True. The first sentence directly gives 2022 as the introduction date.
2. False. “Once a month” contradicts “every Saturday.” The word Saturday identifies the day, not a weekly frequency.
3. Not Given. The passage supplies no evidence about the proportion who repaired another item. A lack of collected data does not prove that participants did not do so.
The third statement illustrates a common trap: “not established by the passage” is different from “established to be untrue.” Do not use your expectations about what workshop participants would probably do.
Match a heading to the whole paragraph
A heading should cover the paragraph's main purpose. For the passage above, “The development of a community repair workshop” is a better summary than “How to mend a household appliance.” The paragraph describes the workshop's introduction and expansion; it does not teach a repair method.
Before choosing, write a five- or six-word summary of the paragraph in your own words. Compare the proposed heading with that summary. A heading containing a memorable noun from the first sentence can still miss the point of the rest of the paragraph.
Check completion answers mechanically
- Follow the exact word limit. Do not assume every completion task allows the same number of words.
- Check whether the instruction requires words from the passage.
- Read the completed sentence for grammar and meaning.
- Check spelling and singular or plural endings against the evidence.
Turn a missed answer into a better next attempt
In Reading practice, complete a passage before studying the explanation. For each error, record the question type, your evidence and the missing distinction. Useful labels include wrong location, paraphrase missed, opposite meaning, outside assumption and instruction error.
If you found the right sentence but misunderstood it, more scanning drills will not solve that particular problem. Slow down the review and explain the sentence accurately. Then try a different passage under the timer. Use a full Academic mock to check pacing across all three sections once the targeted practice is helping.