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IELTS General Training Reading: the 60-minute game plan for Band 7+ — per-section time budgets and the five mark-losers.
By the IELTS Training editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-10-04Free account to read
You have 60 minutes, 40 questions, and — unlike Listening — no extra time to transfer your answers. Every lost minute is lost forever. And here's the twist immigration candidates miss: General Training Reading converts more strictly than Academic. Band 7 needs 34–35 correct answers out of 40 (Academic needs only 30–32). Six wrong answers and you're at Band 6.5.
Why does that matter for Canada? Reading 7.0 = CLB 8, Reading 8.0 = CLB 9. Under Express Entry, each first-language ability at CLB 9 is worth up to 31 CRS points. Reading is where a surprising number of CLB 9 attempts die.
The 3 sections, and how to budget the hour
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- Written for Canada immigration goals. Every guide is original work by the IELTS Training editorial team, built around the CLB 7 → CLB 9 climb that Express Entry rewards — not generic test prep.
- Built from public sources. CLB and CRS figures come from publicly published IRCC criteria and plain-language IELTS band descriptors. Immigration rules change — always verify against official IRCC sources before making decisions.
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