How I Scored 9 in IELTS Reading: 3 Steps and Key Question Types

Updated 2026/10/16

Use the computer-delivered test to raise your Reading and Writing scores fast

In this post I share how I scored 9 in IELTS Reading: how I prepared and the tips I used on test day.

I’ve also put together 👉🏻 8 IELTS mock test websites, where you can try the computer-delivered format to see if it suits you and get a feel for what IELTS tests. I strongly recommend taking the computer-delivered IELTS, especially for Reading and Writing. There’s also 👉🏻 17 free IELTS self-study resources, which include past papers, so you don’t have to pay for a prep school. They work best used together.

On the computer test, the questions and the passage sit side by side, which makes it easier to spot the words that have been paraphrased. IELTS doesn’t use a huge vocabulary, and if you practice enough questions you start to see how the examiners think, which makes a high score easier. For Writing, the computer test lets you reorder text at any time and even copy and paste, which saves a lot of time compared with writing by hand. If you type fast, I strongly recommend it: you can write more in less time and restructure your essay quickly.

For Writing in particular, being able to reorder text and copy and paste saves a lot of time compared with handwriting. Fast typists can quickly write longer answers and adjust the structure.

What to focus on when preparing for IELTS Reading

Reading comes down to a feel for the language, and above all the ability to spot paraphrasing (synonym substitution) in the questions. Practicing question techniques sharpens your instinct for vocabulary and question types in a short time. Once you understand what the question writer is after, it’s easy to find the paragraph a question refers to. IELTS questions usually follow the order of the passage, so the matching sentence isn’t hard to find.

My own takeaway: about 80% of Reading questions are built on synonym substitution, so it matters a lot. Keep it in mind as you work through questions and pick out the synonyms. Since so many questions hinge on paraphrasing, learn synonyms along with each new word. The skill helps beyond Reading, too: in Writing it keeps you from repeating the same word.

What question patterns tell you about where to focus

1. Watch for synonym substitution while you practice. You’ll learn faster.
2. Use the questions to locate paragraphs. Check first what each question asks about, such as wh- questions, names or verbs, so you don’t spend too long reading the whole passage.
3. Make these techniques second nature as you practice and review. Sort questions by type, find the types you’re weakest at, and practice those specifically.
4. When reviewing mistakes, don’t just copy the question down and redo it. Ask what the question was testing (for example, synonym substitution). That’s when you read closely, and only the paragraph the question covered, not the whole passage.

How to approach questions, and the Reading question types

Here’s my approach. Try it next time you practice with past papers or mock tests.

Step 1: Circle keywords so you can locate the answer. Keywords can be names, figures (percentages), negative words (never, hardly), years and so on.

Step 2: Answer the questions as you read (the questions usually follow the order of the text). There is NO need to read the whole passage first.

Step 3: For harder questions, such as paragraph main ideas and T/F/NG, read through the questions once, then go back to the matching part of the text for the answer.

True, False, and Not Given questions

The tricky part: even if an inference sounds perfectly reasonable, you can’t answer T or F unless the passage states it clearly. Also be careful with a statement that closely matches the passage but has a different subject or condition.

• True: the passage says something very close to the statement (synonym substitution)
• False: the passage says the opposite, often with an antonym
• Not Given: the passage doesn’t mention it, or the relationship doesn’t exist

Statements with absolute words such as Must, Always or All are “usually” False.

According to the official IELTS IDP site (in Chinese):

“False” means the statement contradicts the passage, or the writer’s view or position is clearly different from the statement, that is, the writer expresses a view or takes a position opposite to it.

“Not Given” means the statement is neither confirmed nor contradicted by the passage, or the writer’s view or position on it is not stated and does not conflict with it.

Headings

This is probably the hardest question type. The key is finding the topic sentence, which usually appears in the first two or last two sentences of a paragraph.

How do you find the topic sentence?

Look for keywords. I usually pick out keywords in the options, then look for them, or their synonyms, in the passage.

If Headings comes up as the first section, you can skip it at first and do the later question types, because Headings tests your understanding of whole paragraphs and takes more time.

If a word from one of the options appears in a paragraph, watch out: it may be a trap. Headings rarely reuse words that appear in the paragraph.