What decision does the task require?
Evidence state, paragraph matching, category matching or exact words from the passage?
Example: “Which paragraph mentions…” signals Matching Information.IELTS Academic Reading · Transfer Practice
Choose the method before you choose the answer.
These guided sets mix several Reading formats inside short passages. Your job is to identify the task, select the right reading method and support the final decision with exact evidence.
Before you answer
Use the 3-part transfer check
Do not treat the options as a guessing game. Name the task, locate the evidence and explain why the best option fits more precisely than its closest competitor.
Where is the complete evidence window?
Use an anchor to stop scanning, then read enough context to capture the whole claim.
Example: a number helps you arrive; the surrounding sentence tells you what it measures.Why does this answer fit best?
State the evidence, the paraphrase and the exact problem with the strongest distractor.
Example: “smaller effect” contradicts “fell equally”; shared vocabulary does not rescue the distractor.Guided exercise
3 passages · 12 mixed decisions
Answer one task at a time. Feedback reveals the task format, the evidence span and the reading skill to strengthen next.
Mixed practice
Mixed IELTS Reading question-type bank
Identify the task format first, then answer from textual evidence. This bank trains transfer between formats; it does not replace the focused lesson for each one.
Sets
3
short original passages
Tasks
12
mixed IELTS formats
Goal
format + evidence
not only a final answer
Set 1 · 4 questions · 7 minutes
Mixed set 1: Campus water stations
Read the short passage, identify the IELTS Reading task format and choose the option supported by the text.
Campus water stations
Paragraph A
A university in southern England installed refillable water stations after a waste audit showed that students bought more than 18,000 single-use bottles in one month. The first stations were placed near the library and sports centre because those buildings had the highest foot traffic.
Paragraph B
The project reduced bottle sales in the sports centre cafe, but the effect in the library was smaller than expected. Interviews suggested that students often arrived at the library with drinks already purchased from shops outside the campus.
Paragraph C
In the second term, the sustainability team added signs showing the nearest refill point and asked lecturers to mention the scheme during orientation. They also delayed plans for new stations in lecture halls until usage data from the first two sites could be reviewed.
Set 1 · Question 1Task type to identify
Which two buildings received the first water stations?
Set 1 · Question 2Task type to identify
Bottle sales fell equally in the sports centre cafe and the library.
Set 1 · Question 3Task type to identify
Which paragraph mentions postponing an expansion of the project?
Set 1 · Question 4Task type to identify
The university used ___ from the first two sites before expanding.
Set 2 · 4 questions · 8 minutes
Mixed set 2: Audio guides in small museums
Read the short passage, identify the IELTS Reading task format and choose the option supported by the text.
Audio guides in small museums
Paragraph A
Small museums often struggle to provide guided tours throughout the day. To solve this problem, the Harford Museum tested audio guides that visitors could borrow at the entrance. The devices included short recordings by curators, local historians and volunteers.
Paragraph B
Some staff feared that audio guides would make the museum feel less personal. The director disagreed. She argued that recorded voices could make the visit more personal if they included stories from people connected to the exhibits rather than a single formal narration.
Paragraph C
Visitor surveys were encouraging: families spent longer in the textile room and international visitors said the slower recordings helped them understand technical vocabulary. However, the devices were less useful in crowded rooms because background noise made the instructions difficult to hear.
Set 2 · Question 1Task type to identify
The museum director believes audio guides can make visits feel more personal.
Set 2 · Question 2Task type to identify
Match each group with the benefit mentioned: families, international visitors, staff.
Set 2 · Question 3Task type to identify
Why were the devices less useful in crowded rooms?
Set 2 · Question 4Task type to identify
Choose the best heading for Paragraph B.
Set 3 · 4 questions · 8 minutes
Mixed set 3: Rooftop gardens and food projects
Read the short passage, identify the IELTS Reading task format and choose the option supported by the text.
Rooftop gardens and food projects
Paragraph A
Rooftop food projects convert unused building space into small growing areas. Lightweight containers are placed above waterproof membranes, and sensors monitor soil moisture so that volunteers know when irrigation is needed.
Paragraph B
The gardens rarely produce enough vegetables to supply an entire neighbourhood. Their main value is educational: residents learn about seasonal food, composting and water use. Engineers warn, however, that older roofs must be inspected before containers are installed.
Paragraph C
A typical project begins with a structural survey, followed by membrane repairs if leaks are found. After containers are arranged, volunteers add compost and seedlings. The final stage is a maintenance rota, which prevents irrigation and harvesting from depending on one enthusiastic person.
Set 3 · Question 1Task type to identify
Label the rooftop system: waterproof membranes, containers, sensors.
Set 3 · Question 2Task type to identify
The main value of rooftop gardens is ___.
Set 3 · Question 3Task type to identify
Structural survey → membrane repairs → arrange containers → add compost and seedlings → maintenance rota
Set 3 · Question 4Task type to identify