Where Reading time really goes (and how to get it back)
The habits that quietly use up your 60 minutes in Reading, and the fixes that free up time for the final passage.
By IELTSora teaching team · Updated · 2 min read
Common time drains
Most learners don't run out of time because they read slowly; they run out because of a few habits:
- Reading the whole passage carefully before the questions.
- Rereading a paragraph several times for one answer.
- Doing question types in the order printed, even when one type is much harder.
- Checking every answer again at the end of each passage.
The fixes
- Skim for two minutes, then go to the questions.
- Set a two-minute limit per question: guess, mark and move on.
- Do question types you're strong at first.
- Write the finishing time for each passage at the top of the page: for example 10:17, 10:37, 11:00.
Measure yourself
After a timed practice test, look at your results by question type. The type with the lowest accuracy is usually also the one that took longest. Study that type first.
Speed comes from reading more
Test techniques save minutes, but the biggest long-term gain comes from reading more English outside the test. Twenty minutes a day of articles on IELTS-style topics such as science, history, the environment and society makes you faster at recognising vocabulary and paraphrase. Choose texts slightly above your level, and don't stop for every new word: guess from context and keep going. After a month, timed passages will feel noticeably shorter.