IELTS Academic Reading: running out of time on Passage 3? How to manage the 60 minutes
Passage 1 goes well, Passage 2 takes longer than you hoped, and Passage 3 arrives with ten minutes on the clock. This is the most common Reading problem I see in IELTS Academic, and it is a planning problem more than a reading problem.
IELTS Academic Reading gives you 60 minutes for three passages and 40 questions. Together the passages are about 2,150 to 2,750 words, taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. There is no extra time at the end: on the computer test you type answers straight in, and on paper you had to write them on the answer sheet within the same 60 minutes.
This article is about IELTS Academic. IELTS General Training Reading has a different structure, with short everyday texts first. If that is your test, read how to finish all 40 questions in IELTS General Reading.
Why the time runs out
In most tests, Passage 3 is the longest and the most complex, often with an argument or several points of view rather than plain facts. It is where you need your best reading. The time disappears earlier, in three ways:
- Reading the whole of Passage 1 slowly and carefully before looking at any question.
- Fighting one hard question for five minutes.
- Rechecking answers you were already sure of.
Question 9 of Passage 1. You have read the paragraph three times and still cannot decide between two answers.
How many do you need?
IELTS gives an example: about 23 correct answers out of 40 for band 6 in Academic Reading, about 30 for band 7 and about 35 for band 8. The exact number changes a little from test to test. The point is that you do not need every question. You need to answer every question you can, which means reaching Passage 3 with enough time to do it properly.
Read the questions first, not the whole text
Look at the questions for the passage, then skim the text for its shape: read the first sentence or two of each paragraph. Now you know roughly where things are. Most question types follow the order of the text, so once you find question 1, question 2 is usually a little further on.
Passage 3 has a summary to complete, with a box of words to choose from.
A timing plan to practise
- Passage 1: about 17 minutes. Passage 2: about 20 minutes. Passage 3: about 23 minutes.
- Write your finishing times on your note paper before you start, for example 17 and 37 minutes in.
- On the computer test, the timer flashes when 10 minutes and then 5 minutes are left. By the first flash, you should already be in Passage 3.
- Give any question one fair try. If it is not coming, guess, flag it and move on.
- Do matching headings first in a passage that has them. Finding main ideas shows you where the other answers are.
- Practise with a timer every time, all three passages together, so the hour feels normal.
If the questions themselves are the problem, start with True, False, Not Given and matching headings. They are the two question types that eat the most time.
- IELTS Academic Reading format, IELTS.org
- IELTS Academic test format, IELTS.org
- IELTS scoring in detail, IELTS.org
- How IELTS on computer works, IDP IELTS
Exam rules change. Always check with the exam provider and the organisation you are applying to.
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