Academic and General Training at a glance
| Academic | General Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Texts | 3 long passages from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, one with a detailed argument | Section 1: several short everyday texts; Section 2: two workplace texts; Section 3: one longer general-interest text |
| Total length | about 2,150–2,750 words | about 2,150–2,400 words |
| Difficulty | Rises from Passage 1 to 3 | Rises from Section 1 to 3; Section 3 is close to an Academic passage |
| Band 8.5 / Band 9 | 37 / 39 correct | 39 / 40 correct |
| Question types | The same eleven types | The same eleven types |
General Training’s stricter conversion means Sections 1–2 must be close to perfect. A single careless slip on a timetable question costs as much as a hard inference in Section 3.
The 60-minute plan
| Checkpoint | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Passage or Section 1 done | minute 17 | minute 15–17 |
| Passage or Section 2 done | minute 37 | minute 35–37 |
| Passage or Section 3 | 23 minutes for about 14 questions | 23–25 minutes |
| Final check | the last minute: no blanks | the last minute: no blanks |
That is about 85–90 seconds per question, including skimming. Use the 90-second rule: if you haven’t found an answer in about 90 seconds, enter your best guess, flag it and move on. A mark in Passage 3 is worth exactly as much as a mark in Passage 1, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer.
A routine for each passage
- Look at the question types first (30 seconds). Note which tasks follow text order and which cover the whole passage.
- Skim the passage in 2–3 minutes. Read the title, the first sentence or two of each paragraph and the last paragraph, and write a 3–5-word map for each paragraph in the notes tool.
- Do the tasks in this order: matching headings first if there are any, because skimming for them builds your map; then tasks that follow text order; then matching information last, because it requires scanning the whole passage.
- Scan for an anchor (a name, number, date, capitalised term or rare word), then read the two or three sentences around it closely.
- Enter the answer at once, spelled correctly, and flag it if you are unsure.
Every question type: method and trap
| Question type | In text order? | Fastest reliable method | Main trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| True / False / Not Given | Yes | Find the sentence, compare the claim word by word, especially qualifiers | Choosing FALSE when the text simply doesn’t say |
| Yes / No / Not Given | Yes | Ask whose view it is: the writer’s own, or one the writer reports | Taking a reported view as the writer’s |
| Matching headings | Paragraphs in order; list random | Read the paragraph, state its main idea in five words, then choose | A heading that matches one sentence or shares a keyword |
| Matching information | No | Identify the kind of information (a reason, an example, a comparison) and scan for it | Doing it first and running out of time |
| Matching features | No | Scan for each name, then match the paraphrased claim | Attributing a claim to the person who is only quoted nearby |
| Matching sentence endings | Yes | Grammar eliminates some endings; meaning in the text decides | An ending that is true in the text but not for this beginning |
| Multiple choice | Usually | Locate first, then test every option against the text | Right words, wrong meaning; extreme or out-of-scope options |
| Sentence completion | Yes | Predict the word class; copy the words from the text | Exceeding the word limit; ungrammatical result |
| Summary, note, table and flow-chart completion | Usually | Find where the summary starts, then follow the text sentence by sentence |
True, False or Not Given: the decision test
- TRUE: the text says the same thing in other words.
- FALSE: the text says the opposite, or something that cannot also be true.
- NOT GIVEN: the text says nothing either way, or covers the topic without answering the specific claim.
Qualifiers decide most items. Some versus all, usually versus always, the first versus one of the first, rose versus doubled, and linked to versus caused by can each change the answer. Never use outside knowledge: a statement can be true in the real world and still be NOT GIVEN.
Completion answers
- Copy exactly from the text. On computer, highlight the words and copy and paste them into the answer box, then check the word limit.
- A number in figures counts as one word, and so does a hyphenated word.
- The completed sentence must be grammatical. If the gap follows a, the answer is singular and starts with a consonant sound.
- In word-box summaries, the options are usually synonyms of text words, so check the meaning, not the matching vocabulary.
Version-specific tactics
Academic. Passage 3 is usually the most abstract and most often includes Yes/No/Not Given, because it presents an argument. Separate what the writer claims from what critics, some researchers or the traditional view hold. Use a glossary if one is given; don’t stop to decode a technical word that no question depends on.
General Training Section 1. Several short texts (adverts, notices, timetables). Questions often ask which text mentions something, so scan each text for the precise condition: free for under-12s is not free for children.
General Training Section 2. Workplace texts: policies, contracts, job descriptions, training information. Read conditions, exceptions and deadlines precisely (within 5 working days, unless approved by a manager).
General Training Section 3. Treat it like an Academic passage and protect its 23–25 minutes.
Common traps
Practice method
- Weeks 1–2: one question type per session, untimed, then check every miss against the exact sentence in the text.
- Weeks 3–5: one full passage in 20 minutes, three times a week, logging each miss as location, meaning, qualifier or pace.
- Weeks 6–8: full 60-minute tests with the checkpoints, at least one a week.
Quick recap
- Pace yourself at 17–20–23 minutes (General Training: 15–20–25) and apply the 90-second rule.
- Skim for a map, do headings first, order-based tasks next, and matching information last.
- TRUE = same meaning, FALSE = contradicted, NOT GIVEN = not answered by the text.
- Copy completion answers exactly, within the limit, and make the sentence grammatical.
- General Training needs 39/40 for 8.5, so Sections 1–2 must be close to perfect.