IELTS General Training · Reading · R3

IELTS General Reading Section 3: Longer General-Interest Text

IELTS General Training Reading Section 3 is one longer text on a topic of general interest, such as a magazine-style article about lifestyle, travel or history. It is the longest and most demanding text of the three, with questions on details, the writer's views and the overall argument, such as multiple choice, matching and completion.

Texts: One longer general-interest text
Questions: Part of the 40 Reading questions (our mocks use 13)
Time: Shares one 60-minute timer; plan to leave the most time for it
Typical tasks: Multiple choice, matching, YES/NO/NOT GIVEN or TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN, summary completion
Total length: All three sections together are about 2,150 to 2,375 words

How it works

1The full text appears in the left pane; question groups are on the right.
2Skim the text first for its main idea and paragraph topics.
3Work through each question group, returning to the paragraph that answers it.
4Use any spare minutes at the end to check answers left blank in earlier sections.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Multiple choice. Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Excerpt from an article on repair cafés: "The volunteers insist they are not a free repair service. Visitors are expected to stay, watch and, where possible, hold the screwdriver themselves. The point, says organiser Tessa Grant, is that people leave knowing how to fix the next fault on their own." According to Tessa Grant, the main aim of a repair café is to

AA repair items at no cost
BB teach visitors repair skills
CC recruit new volunteers
DD reduce waste in the town

Show answer

Answer: B teach visitors repair skills

Grant says the point is that people 'leave knowing how to fix the next fault on their own'. Option A is what the volunteers say they are not. C and D are not stated in the excerpt.

Tips that work

Arrive at Section 3 with at least 20 minutes left; it is the text most candidates run out of time on.
Questions in most groups follow the order of the text, so each answer is usually after the previous one.
For views and claims, check who is speaking: the writer, or a person the writer quotes.
Eliminate options that are true in general but not stated in the text.

Common mistakes

Reading the whole article in detail before looking at the questions.
Choosing an option that repeats a word from the text but changes its meaning.

Questions candidates ask

How is General Training Section 3 different from Academic Reading?

Academic Reading uses three long academic passages. General Training has one longer text in Section 3, taken from sources like magazines or newspapers rather than academic writing, after two sections of shorter everyday and workplace texts.

What is the difference between YES/NO/NOT GIVEN and TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN?

TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN checks facts in the text. YES/NO/NOT GIVEN checks the writer's opinions or claims. The reasoning is the same: NOT GIVEN means the text does not say either way.

I never finish Section 3. What should I change?

Time the first two sections strictly in practice. If Section 1 and 2 take 40 minutes, you have 20 left. Answer every question even when unsure, since blank answers cannot score.