IELTS Reading Passage 3 practice tests
Practise the last part of the Reading test on its own: Passage 3 for Academic, or Section 3 for General Training. Each one takes about twenty minutes, with the answers explained.
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Questions
- 13 or 14
- Academic
- One long passage
- General Training
- One longer text
Academic Reading: Passage 3
Each one opens straight into that part. Check your answers as you go, see why each one is right, and get an estimated band at the end. Free, with no account needed.
- Academic Reading Practice Test 1, Passage 3Why We Forget — and Why It Might Be Useful14 questions: Multiple choice, Yes / No / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- Academic Reading Practice Test 2, Passage 3Why Boredom Matters14 questions: Multiple choice, Yes / No / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- Academic Reading Practice Test 3, Passage 3Working Less, Achieving More?14 questions: Multiple choice, Yes / No / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- Academic Reading Practice Test 4, Passage 3The Paradox of Choice14 questions: Yes / No / Not Given, Matching, Multiple choice
- Academic Reading Practice Test 5, Passage 3The Return of the Wolf14 questions: Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- Academic Reading Practice Test 6, Passage 3In Defence of Handwriting14 questions: Yes / No / Not Given, Matching, Multiple choice
General Training Reading: Section 3
- General Training Reading Practice Test 1, Section 3The Return of the Night Train13 questions: True / False / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- General Training Reading Practice Test 2, Section 3Science by the People13 questions: Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- General Training Reading Practice Test 3, Section 3Fix It, Don't Bin It: The Repair Café Movement13 questions: Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- General Training Reading Practice Test 4, Section 3Never Too Late: Learning a Language as an Adult13 questions: Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Completion and short answer
- General Training Reading Practice Test 5, Section 3The Great Allotment Revival13 questions: True / False / Not Given, Multiple choice, Completion and short answer
- General Training Reading Practice Test 6, Section 3Small Is Beautiful? The Tiny House Movement13 questions: Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Completion and short answer
What to expect in the last part of Reading
The last part of the Reading test is usually the most demanding. The text is longer or more complex, and the questions ask more about the writer's argument and opinions.
In Academic Reading, Passage 3 is often a text that discusses an idea and gives the writer's view of it. Yes / No / Not Given questions about the writer's claims are common, as are multiple choice and summary completion.
In General Training, Section 3 is one longer text on a topic of general interest, similar to a newspaper or magazine article. It is the most difficult text in the General Training paper.
Tips for Passage 3
- Leave yourself twenty minutes. Many people reach this part with ten minutes left. Practising it on its own shows you how long it really needs.
- Separate facts from opinions. Yes / No / Not Given asks what the writer thinks. Look for opinion words such as surprisingly, unfortunately, clearly and it seems that.
- Read multiple choice questions carefully. All four options usually contain words from the text. Only one matches what the text actually says.
- Check the summary's grammar. In summary completion the word you add must fit the sentence: a noun where a noun is needed, plural where plural is needed.
- Guess before time runs out. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a question blank.
More advice: IELTS Reading tips and tricks.
Questions
- Is Passage 3 the hardest in IELTS Reading?
- Usually, yes. The text is more complex and the questions are more about the writer's argument and opinions than about simple facts.
- How long should I spend on each Reading passage?
- About 20 minutes. The Reading test is 60 minutes for three parts and 40 questions, and there is no extra time to copy your answers.
- What is the difference between True / False / Not Given and Yes / No / Not Given?
- True / False / Not Given is about facts in the text. Yes / No / Not Given is about the writer's views or claims. Both are answered from the text only, never from your own knowledge.
- Do these practice tests come with answers?
- Yes. Press "Check these answers" under each group of questions to see which are right, the correct answer, and the words from the passage that prove it. At the end you get an estimated band for the part.
Practise the other parts
- Reading Passage 1 practice tests
- Reading Passage 2 practice tests
- Full reading practice tests: all the parts together under exam conditions.