60 minutes, 3 passages, 40 questions. Most students don't finish. The solution isn't reading every word faster — it's reading strategically. These techniques will help you manage time without sacrificing accuracy.
Why You're Running Out of Time
Most students read every word of every passage before attempting questions. This is the wrong approach. An IELTS passage is 700-900 words. Reading all three passages in full takes 20-25 minutes before you've answered a single question. You have 60 minutes total.
Technique 1: Skim First, Read Second
Before you attempt questions, spend 60-90 seconds skimming each passage. Read: the title, the first sentence of each paragraph, and the final sentence. This gives you a mental map — you know roughly where different topics are covered. When you then answer questions, you can scan directly to the right section.
Technique 2: Answer First, Read Second (For Some Question Types)
For short-answer, sentence completion, and summary completion: read the questions first, then scan the passage for specific information. This is faster than reading the passage first because you're searching with purpose.
Exception: matching headings requires reading paragraph by paragraph — you can't avoid this.
Technique 3: Time Allocation by Passage
Passage 3 is always the hardest. Don't spend equal time on each passage. Aim for: Passage 1 — 15 minutes, Passage 2 — 18 minutes, Passage 3 — 22 minutes, plus 5 minutes checking. If you spend 25 minutes on Passage 1, you're already in trouble.
Technique 4: Build Your Vocabulary to Read Faster
Reading speed in English is directly related to vocabulary recognition. If you have to decode many words, your reading slows down dramatically. Learning the Academic Word List (AWL) — especially the top 200 most frequent words — is one of the highest-ROI improvements you can make for IELTS Reading.
Daily Practice That Works
Read one full English article every day — quality newspapers, academic blogs, science magazines. Time yourself. The goal is to read 300-350 words per minute while comprehending the main ideas. Most intermediate English learners read 150-200 wpm. Doubling this over 6-8 weeks is realistic with daily practice.
Related Guides
→ True/False/Not Given · Matching headings · Academic Word List