Do IELTS Reading questions come in order?
Some do, some do not, and the official test format tells you which. When a question type is in order, the answer to question 1 comes before the answer to question 2 in the passage, which comes before the answer to question 3, and so on. That is all "in order" means. It says nothing about spacing: two answers can sit in the same sentence, and a whole paragraph can have no answers at all.
The order also applies inside one task only. A passage often carries two or three tasks, say questions 1–6 and 7–13. Each task starts its own order from the top of the passage. Finding the answer to question 6 near the end tells you nothing about where question 7 is.
Which IELTS Reading question types are in order
IELTS Reading question types and order
| Question type | In passage order? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Yes (stated by ielts.org) | Use found answers to box in the next one |
| Short-answer questions | Yes (stated) | Box in, as above |
| Sentence completion (Academic) | Yes (stated) | Box in, as above |
| Matching sentence endings | The sentence beginnings are (stated) | Box in by beginning; the endings list is mixed |
| Summary, note, table, flow-chart completion | Not necessarily (stated); usually one part of the text | Find the zone, then search it in any direction |
| Diagram label completion | Not necessarily (stated); usually one part of the text | Find the described section, then search it |
| True/False/Not Given, Yes/No/Not Given | Not stated by ielts.org; in practice they usually follow the text | Box in, but do not panic if one seems out of place |
| Matching information, matching features | Not stated; assume they are scattered | Do them after an ordered task on the same passage |
| Matching headings | Each question names its paragraph | Order is not the problem here: the headings are |
"Stated" means the ielts.org Reading format pages say so. The last three rows are BandLadder advice: the format pages do not describe an order for those types.
The format pages simply do not mention order for True/False/Not Given or Yes/No/Not Given. In all of BandLadder's own sets of both types the statements follow the passage, so the box-in method below works. Keep it a strong habit, not a law, and see how True/False/Not Given works.
How to use the order: box in the hard question
The order is not a fact to remember; it is a search tool. If you have found the answers to questions 1 and 3, the answer to question 2 lies between them. You do not need to reread the passage. You need to reread one stretch of it, and usually that stretch is a single paragraph.
The box-in method for ordered tasks
- 1
Answer the easy ones. Go through the task once. Answer anything you find quickly, and mark where in the passage each answer was.
- 2
Skip, do not stall. If a question resists you for more than a minute, leave it. Its neighbours will locate it for you.
- 3
Draw the box. For each skipped question, the box runs from the previous answer's position to the next answer's position.
- 4
Read the box closely. Read only that stretch, sentence by sentence, looking for a paraphrase of the question rather than its exact words.
- 5
Check the edges. If question 1 is skipped, the box starts at the top of the passage; if the last is skipped, it ends at the bottom.
The task (sentence completion, ONE WORD ONLY): 1. Owners stay beside the ____ while their item is mended. 2. Many appliances are now glued instead of being ____ together. 3. New helpers may be told to begin with lamps and ____. 4. Models that keep failing are put on a ____ list.
A Repair evenings began as monthly gatherings in village halls, where neighbours with practical skills helped others fix broken household items. Visitors bring a toaster, a lamp or a torn coat and sit beside the volunteerQ1 while the work is done. The aim is less to save money than to keep useful objects out of landfill. B The model has a weakness that its founders did not foresee. Many modern appliances are glued rather than screwed togetherQ2, so opening the case can break it. A kettle that could once be mended in ten minutes may now be impossible to repair without destroying it. C To cope, several groups now keep shelves of tools and manuals for common models. Some ask new helpers to start with lamps and bicyclesQ3, which mostly use standard fittings and are therefore easier to take apart safely. D Volunteers also record what comes in. Every item is logged on a card, and any model that cannot be fixed on three separate evenings is added to a warning listQ4 rather than attempted again.
- → Q1 is quick: "stay beside" = sit beside, answer volunteer in paragraph A. Q3 is quick too: bicycles in paragraph C.
- → Suppose Q2 stalls you. The box runs from the Q1 answer in A to the Q3 answer in C, so only the rest of A and paragraph B are left. Read B closely: screwed.
- → Q4 comes after Q3, so the box is the rest of C and paragraph D: warning.
Notice what the box did for Q2. Without it, "appliances" could send you scanning all four paragraphs. With it, you read the end of one paragraph and one short paragraph, about 70 words. Over 40 questions in 60 minutes, that saving adds up fast. To see this move made live on BandLadder questions, Solve Along solves sets step by step. For the reading habits that order makes safe, see how to read faster in IELTS Reading.
Which IELTS Reading questions are not in order
Matching information and matching features scatter their answers across the passage, and summary-type tasks can jump around within one part. For these, swap the box for a map: know what each paragraph is about, then go straight to the right one. The cheapest way to get that map is to do an ordered task on the same passage first, because it walks you through the text from top to bottom.
Which paragraph, A–D, contains the following information? 5 a record used to decide whether an item is worth trying againD 6 the original purpose of repair eveningsA 7 a reason why some items can no longer be mendedB
- → The answers run D, A, B: no order, as expected for matching information.
- → After questions 1–4 you already know the map: A = how it started, B = the glued-appliance problem, C = tools and training, D = recording what comes in. Each answer takes seconds.
- → Paragraph C is not used. Matching information often leaves a paragraph out, or uses one twice.
✗ Summary gap 21 was in paragraph F, so gap 22 must come after it.
✓ Gaps 21–24 usually come from one part of the text, but not necessarily in order. Find the zone, then search both ways.
ielts.org says summary-type answers "may not come in the same order as in the text".
✗ Question 7 must be after question 6's answer, near the end of the passage.
✓ Question 7 begins a new task, so its order starts again from the top.
Order holds within a task, not across tasks on the same passage.
Your turn: use the order
Decide where to look, or what the order tells you. Answers are below each question.
- Academic sentence completion, questions 8–10. You found question 8 in paragraph C and question 10 in paragraph E. Where is the answer to question 9?
- A. Anywhere in the passage
- B. Between the question 8 answer in C and the question 10 answer in E
- C. In paragraph D only
- D. Before paragraph C
Show answer
Between the question 8 answer in C and the question 10 answer in E
The box runs from answer to answer, so it may include the rest of C, all of D and the start of E: not D only.
- For which of these tasks can you not box in a skipped question?
- A. Multiple choice
- B. Short-answer questions
- C. Matching features
Show answer
Matching features
Matching features has no stated order; multiple choice and short-answer questions follow the text.
- A summary completion has gaps 20–23. You found gap 21 in paragraph F. What do you know about gap 22?
- A. It comes after the gap 21 answer
- B. It is probably near the gap 21 answer, before or after it
- C. It is in a different paragraph
Show answer
It is probably near the gap 21 answer, before or after it
Summary answers usually come from one part of the text but may not be in order.
- Questions 1–6 are True/False/Not Given and question 6 is answered in the last paragraph. Questions 7–10 are multiple choice. Where should you start looking for question 7?
- A. After the question 6 answer
- B. From the beginning of the passage
Show answer
From the beginning of the passage
A new task starts its own order; its first answer can be anywhere, so begin at the top.
- You sit General Training. A task asks you to complete sentences 15–18 with words from the text. Can you rely on the answers being in order?
- A. Yes, sentence completion is always in order
- B. No, treat it as one zone that may be out of order
Show answer
No, treat it as one zone that may be out of order
The General Training format page groups sentence completion with summary and note tasks, whose answers may not be in order.
BandLadder questions
Practise it now
Use the method on original BandLadder questions. Attempt them free and see your score.
Questions
FAQ
Do IELTS Reading questions come in order?+
Some types do. ielts.org states that multiple choice, short-answer questions and Academic sentence completion follow the order of the text, and so do the sentence beginnings in Academic matching sentence endings. Summary, note, table, flow-chart and diagram answers may not.
Which IELTS Reading questions are not in order?+
Summary, note, table, flow-chart and diagram label completion may not be in order, though their answers usually come from one part of the text. Matching information and matching features have no stated order, so assume their answers are scattered.
Are True/False/Not Given questions in order?+
The ielts.org format pages do not say. In practice the statements usually follow the passage, so boxing in a skipped statement between its neighbours works well, but treat it as a strong habit rather than a rule.
Are matching headings in order?+
Each question names the paragraph it asks about, so you never search for where to look. The difficulty is choosing between similar headings, not finding the place.
Should I answer IELTS Reading questions in the order they appear?+
You may answer them in any order. BandLadder advice is to do an ordered task before a scattered one on the same passage, because the first gives you a paragraph map for the second.
How many questions are in IELTS Reading?+
There are 40 questions in 60 minutes, across three sections, in both Academic and General Training. Each correct answer earns one mark.
Sources
- ielts.org, IELTS Academic: Reading test format (question types 1–11): https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-academic-test/ielts-academic-format-reading
- ielts.org, IELTS General Training: Reading test format (question types 1–8): https://ielts.org/take-a-test/test-types/ielts-general-training-test/ielts-general-training-format-reading
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