You have 60 minutes for 40 Academic Reading questions. What is the BEST first step when starting a new passage?

• Read every word carefully from the beginning
• Answer Question 1 immediately before reading the passage
• Spend about 90 seconds orienting — skim structure and note question types
• Translate the entire passage into your first language

A matching-headings option mentions a detail from paragraph C, but the paragraph mainly discusses a broader trend. What should you do?

• Choose it because the exact words appear in the paragraph
• Reject it — headings must capture the main idea, not a single detail
• Skip the question permanently
• Pick the shortest heading available

Statement: 'The experiment was funded by the government.' The passage discusses the experiment but never mentions who funded it. What is the correct answer?

• True
• False
• Not Given
• Yes

Statement: 'All participants completed the full programme.' The passage says 'Most participants completed the full programme.' What is the correct answer?

• True — most means the same as all
• False — 'all' contradicts 'most'
• Not Given — the passage is unclear
• True — numbers are approximate in IELTS

You have spent more than 2 minutes on one Reading question in your first pass. What is the BEST strategy?

• Keep working until perfect — never move on
• Mark it, move on, and return in the second pass if time allows
• Copy a random answer from the previous question
• Stop the test and ask for extra time