Academic Reading
Time and organisation
The Academic Reading Module has three reading passages, and a total of 40 questions to be answered in one hour. The first two reading passages have 13 questions each, and the last one has 14 questions.
The total length of the three passages is between 2,000 and 2,750 words. All your answers must be written on a separate Answer Sheet during the exam. No extra time is allowed for this at the end of the exam.
Content and task types
The reading passages will be on academic topics of general interest. You don’t need to have specialized knowledge of the topic, as any specialised vocabulary needed for the task will be explained in the text or in a glossary. However, you need to have a good understanding of more general academic terms in order to cope with the tasks successfully in the time given, and it will help you if you have some awareness of the types of general issues covered in the modules of this book.
The following task types may be included:
• multiple choice
• matching lists or phrases
• matching headings to sections/paragraphs
• classification
• identification of information – True/False/ Not Given
• identification of writer’s views – Yes/No/Not Given
• locating information in sections/paragraphs
• short-answer questions and lists
• note / table / flow chart completion
• sentence completion
• summary completion
• labelling a diagram, map or plan
Marking and assessment
All the answers have one mark. Any answer which is above the word limit specified for that task will not receive a mark, so it is important to read the instructions carefully. Spelling and grammar must be correct. The final score is converted to a whole or half band on the IELTS band scale.
