IELTS Reading Question Types: All 11 Explained with Tips
The IELTS Reading test uses 11 types of questions, and each one asks you to do something slightly different. Once you know what every type wants from you, you stop wasting time working out the task and can spend it on the text instead.
Below you will find all 11 types in one table, then a short guide to each one: what you have to do, the tip that helps most and an exam-style example. Try the questions yourself first, then open How to answer to see where each answer is in the text and why the other options are wrong. Both Academic and General Training use the same question types; only the texts are different.
All IELTS Reading question types at a glance
| # | Question type | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | True / False / Not Given | Decide if a statement agrees with the facts in the text |
| 2 | Yes / No / Not Given | Decide if a statement agrees with the writer's opinion |
| 3 | Matching headings | Choose the best heading for each paragraph |
| 4 | Matching information | Find which paragraph contains a piece of information |
| 5 | Matching features | Match statements to people, places or dates |
| 6 | Matching sentence endings | Choose the right ending for each half sentence |
| 7 | Sentence completion | Complete sentences with words from the text |
| 8 | Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion | Fill gaps in a summary or notes, with words from the text or from a box |
| 9 | Diagram label completion | Label parts of a diagram with words from the text |
| 10 | Multiple choice | Choose the right answer from A, B, C or D |
| 11 | Short-answer questions | Answer questions with a few words from the text |
One rule applies to almost every type: read the instructions. If they say NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, a three-word answer is wrong, even if it is correct.
True / False / Not Given and Yes / No / Not Given
1. True / False / Not Given
You read statements and decide whether each one agrees with the facts in the text (TRUE), contradicts them (FALSE), or is not mentioned (NOT GIVEN). It is the type students find hardest, mostly because of the difference between FALSE and NOT GIVEN.
Tip: ask yourself whether the text tells you the statement is wrong. If it does, choose FALSE. If it simply does not say, choose NOT GIVEN.
Do the following statements agree with the information in the text? Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information, FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
City Library: opening hours and membership
The library is open from 9 am to 8 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 5 pm at weekends. New members must show a photo ID and proof of address. Registration is free for residents of the city.
How to answer: step by step
- TRUE The text says 9 am for weekdays and 9 am for weekends. Different words in the statement (every day), same meaning.
- FALSE The text says registration is free for residents. The statement says the opposite, so it contradicts the text.
- NOT GIVEN The text only talks about residents. It does not say whether non-residents can join or not. Do not guess from what is “likely”.
True False Not Given: rules, tips and 45 practice questions →
2. Yes / No / Not Given
The same idea, but about the writer's views or claims, not facts. YES means the statement agrees with what the writer thinks, NO means the writer thinks the opposite, NOT GIVEN means you cannot tell what the writer thinks. It appears mostly in Academic texts that argue a point.
Tip: look for opinion words such as I believe, it is clear that, unfortunately, should. They show you where the writer's view is.
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer? Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer, NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer, NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.
In my view, working from home is here to stay. Companies that force staff back to the office five days a week will lose their best people. Even so, the office still has a role: new employees learn far more quickly when they can sit next to experienced colleagues.
How to answer: step by step
- YES In my view, working from home is here to stay: the opinion words in my view show this is what the writer believes.
- NO The writer says the office still has a role for new employees. That is the opposite of “no longer useful”.
- NOT GIVEN The writer talks about working from home and about learning in the office, but says nothing about office size.
Matching questions
3. Matching headings
You get a list of headings and choose the best one for each paragraph. There are always more headings than paragraphs, so some are not used.
Tip: read the first and last sentence of the paragraph to find its main idea. A heading that matches only one detail is usually a trap.
The text has two paragraphs, A and B. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i–iv.
A When the town’s only cinema closed in 2015, local people missed more than films. It had been the place where teenagers met, couples went on first dates and families spent Sunday afternoons.
B Two years later, a group of volunteers bought the building with money raised from local businesses. Today it shows films four nights a week and is run entirely by unpaid staff.
List of headings
i How the cinema was saved
ii Why the cinema closed
iii What the town lost
iv Plans for a new cinema
How to answer: step by step
- iii Paragraph A is about what the cinema meant to people: meeting place, first dates, family afternoons. Heading ii is a trap: the paragraph says the cinema closed, but never says why.
- i Volunteers bought the building and run it today, so the cinema was saved. Heading iv is wrong: they reopened the old cinema, they did not plan a new one.
4. Matching information
You read statements and find which paragraph (A, B, C…) contains each piece of information. Unlike headings, it is about a detail, not the main idea, and some paragraphs may be used more than once.
Tip: do this type after the other questions on the text. By then you know the text well and remember where things are.
The text has three paragraphs, A–C. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A, B or C.
A The city’s bike-sharing scheme started in 2019 with 200 bicycles at 15 stations.
B Users pay £1 to unlock a bike and 10p for every minute of riding. Annual members ride free for the first 30 minutes.
C The council says car journeys in the centre have fallen by 8%, although local taxi drivers question this figure.
How to answer: step by step
- B £1 to unlock a bike and 10p for every minute: these are the prices.
- C The council gives a figure, but taxi drivers question it. To question something means to doubt it, so the two sides disagree.
- A Started in 2019 with 200 bicycles at 15 stations tells you how big it was at the start. Notice that the answers are not in the order of the paragraphs.
5. Matching features
You match statements or findings to a list of options, for example researchers, companies, countries or dates.
Tip: underline every name from the list in the text first. Then read only around those names.
Look at the following statements and the list of researchers below. Match each statement with the correct researcher, A, B or C.
Dr Patel found that students remember more when they study in several short sessions rather than one long one. Professor Lindqvist showed that a night’s sleep after learning improves memory. Dr Okafor, however, argued that the benefits of sleep are smaller than earlier studies had suggested.
List of researchers
A Dr Patel
B Professor Lindqvist
C Dr Okafor
How to answer: step by step
- C The benefits of sleep are smaller than earlier studies had suggested: Okafor doubts what earlier studies found.
- B Rest after studying is a paraphrase of a night’s sleep after learning.
- A Several short sessions means the same as dividing study time into parts.
6. Matching sentence endings
You get the first half of some sentences and choose the right ending from a list. The finished sentence must agree with the text and also be correct grammatically.
Tip: use grammar to cross out endings that cannot fit, then check the meaning in the text.
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–D, below.
Honeybees tell each other where to find food through a movement known as the waggle dance. The direction of the dance shows the direction of the food in relation to the sun, while the length of the dance shows how far away the food is.
A tells other bees how far they need to fly.
B shows where the food is compared to the sun.
C depends on how much food there is.
D is learned from older bees.
How to answer: step by step
- B The text: the direction of the dance shows the direction of the food in relation to the sun. Compared to = in relation to.
- A The length of the dance shows how far away the food is, so it tells bees how far to fly. Endings C and D fit the grammar, but the text says nothing about them.
Completion questions
7. Sentence completion
You complete sentences with words taken from the text. The instructions tell you how many words you may use.
Tip: before you look in the text, decide what kind of word is missing: a noun, a number, an adjective. Copy the words exactly; spelling mistakes cost the mark.
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
The world’s first underground railway opened in London in 1863. Its trains were pulled by steam engines, which filled the tunnels with smoke. Electric trains did not appear until 1890.
How to answer: step by step
- steam engines Two words, copied exactly from the text. Powered by is a paraphrase of pulled by. Electric trains is wrong: they came later.
- smoke The text says the engines filled the tunnels with smoke. One word is fine: “no more than two” means one or two.
8. Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion
You fill gaps in a summary, notes, a table or a flow chart about part of the text. Sometimes you take words from the text; sometimes you choose from a box of words, which may be synonyms of the words in the text.
Tip: the summary usually covers one part of the text only. Find that part first and the answers are often in order.
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–F, below.
The farmers’ market takes place every Saturday morning in the town square, except in January and February. All the stallholders are producers who live within 30 miles of the town, and many of them have sold at the market for more than a decade.
Summary
The market is held every week apart from two 1 ______ months. All the sellers come from the 2 ______ area, and many have been selling there for over ten 3 ______ .
A local B winter C years D summer E national F weeks
How to answer: step by step
- B January and February are winter months. The box words are often synonyms, so the exact word winter is not in the text.
- A Live within 30 miles of the town means they are local. National would mean the whole country.
- C A decade is ten years. Weeks fits the grammar but not the meaning.
9. Diagram label completion
You label parts of a diagram, for example a machine or a process, with words from the text. It appears mostly in the Academic test.
Tip: find the paragraph that describes the diagram, then follow the description step by step.
Multiple choice and short-answer questions
10. Multiple choice
You choose the right answer from usually four options, or sometimes two or three answers from a longer list. The wrong options often use words from the text but change the meaning.
Tip: read the question stem carefully and find the answer in the text before you look at the options. Then choose the option that means the same.
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Parking at the office is limited. Spaces are given first to staff with disabilities and then to those who share a car. Any remaining spaces are offered to other employees on a first-come, first-served basis.
A employees who arrive early
B staff with disabilities
C managers
D staff who share a car
How to answer: step by step
- B The text: spaces are given first to staff with disabilities. D is a trap: car sharers are mentioned, but they come then, second. A matches first-come, first-served, but that is for the spaces left at the end. C is not mentioned at all.
11. Short-answer questions
You answer questions about facts in the text, using a limited number of words, for example NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
Tip: question words tell you what to look for: when means a date or time, how many a number, who a person or organisation.
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.
All new employees attend a two-day induction course in their first week. The course covers health and safety, company policies and the IT system, and ends with a short test.
How to answer: step by step
- two days (2 days) How long asks for a length of time. Two-day course gives you the answer; a number is allowed.
- (a short) test You may write test or a short test, both are within three words. It ends with a short test would be too long and lose the mark.
IELTS Reading question types FAQ
Quick answers to the questions students ask most.
How many question types are there in IELTS Reading?
There are 11 question types. A test does not use all of them, but you should be ready for every one, because you do not know in advance which will appear.
Are the question types the same in Academic and General Training?
Yes. Both tests use the same question types and both have 40 questions in 60 minutes. The difference is in the texts: General Training uses everyday and work-related texts, Academic uses longer texts from books, journals and newspapers.
Which IELTS Reading question type is the hardest?
Most students say True / False / Not Given and Matching headings. Both get easier with practice once you know exactly what they ask for.
Do the answers come in the same order as the text?
For most types, yes: True / False / Not Given, Yes / No / Not Given, sentence completion, short answers and usually multiple choice follow the order of the text. Matching information, matching features and matching headings do not.
Is there extra time to copy answers onto the answer sheet?
No. Unlike Listening, Reading has no extra transfer time, so write your answers on the answer sheet as you go.