How long do I have for IELTS Reading?

60 minutes for 3 passages and 40 questions, with no separate transfer time in the Academic test — so budget about 20 minutes per passage.

Should I read the whole passage first?

No. Skim for structure (~2–3 min), then scan to the relevant part for each question. Reading every word up front is the most common time-sink.

Is the reading the same for Academic and General Training?

The skills are the same, but the texts differ — Academic uses longer academic passages; General Training uses everyday and work-related texts. The timing (60 min, 40 questions) is the same.

What if I can't finish in time?

Use a hard per-question cap (~90s), guess and flag tough ones, and make sure every answer is filled — leaving blanks costs guaranteed marks.

IELTS Reading: Skimming, Scanning & Time Management That Works

Skimming vs scanning — and when to use each

Skim when you first meet a passage: read the title, first/last sentence of each paragraph, and any headings to map where topics live. ~2–3 minutes. You're building a mental index, not understanding everything.
Scan when answering: jump to the part of the passage a question points to (a name, date, keyword) and read closely around it. The answer is almost always paraphrased, not word-for-word.

Most candidates lose time by doing the opposite — reading every word slowly up front, then having no time for the questions.

Budget the 60 minutes

~20 minutes per passage. Passage 3 is usually hardest, so don't overspend on Passage 1.
~1 minute to skim, ~19 to answer each passage.
Hard cap per question: if a question takes more than ~90 seconds, mark your best guess, flag it, and move on. Coming back later with fresh eyes is faster than grinding.

Question-type tactics

True/False/Not Given & Yes/No/Not Given: the order follows the passage. "Not Given" means the text neither confirms nor contradicts — don't use outside knowledge. (See our dedicated TFNG guide.)
Matching headings: do these by skimming paragraph main ideas — don't read in full first.
Sentence/summary completion: predict the type of word needed (noun? number?) and mind the word limit ("no more than two words").
Multiple choice: read the question first, then scan; eliminate options that are true-but-not-the-point.

Habits that protect your band

Answer order ≠ difficulty order. Do the questions whose answers you can locate fastest first.
Transfer carefully (paper test): there's no extra transfer time in IELTS Reading, so write answers straight onto the sheet as you go.
Never leave a blank — wrong answers aren't penalised, so always guess.
Watch spelling & word limits — a right answer over the limit or misspelt scores zero.

How to practise

Always practise timed — reading skills only transfer under the clock. After each set, review every miss and label why (ran out of time? missed the paraphrase? exceeded the word limit?). Build the rest of your prep in the IELTS preparation hub, and lift the productive skills where most candidates plateau with AI writing feedback and speaking practice.