Practise everyday and workplace reading
In the full IELTS General Training Reading test, 40 questions are spread across three sections in 60 minutes. The texts progress from everyday information, through workplace material, to a longer general-interest text. Official General Training Reading format
This page contains three original community notices and one original workplace memo, followed by eight questions. It gives you focused practice with practical information. It is not a complete test, does not include a Section 3-length passage, and cannot produce an IELTS band score.
Part 1: community notices
These notices and organisations are fictional. Read notices A–C, then answer Questions 1–4.
Notice A · Westbank cycle check
Bring your bicycle to the community courtyard on Saturday between 09:00 and 12:00 for a free safety check. No appointment is needed. A mechanic will inspect brakes, tyres and lights and explain any recommended repairs. Repairs are not carried out during these sessions; the mechanic can tell you where to arrange them. Checks take about fifteen minutes, but there may be a queue. Please bring your own bicycle lock if you plan to visit the café afterwards.
Notice B · Willow Lane walking group
Our monthly Sunday walk follows a different route each time. The next walk lasts about two hours and ends at the old mill. Reserve a place by Friday so that the leader knows how many people to expect. There is no charge. Bring drinking water and wear suitable shoes; refreshments are not provided. If severe weather makes the route unsafe, registered walkers will receive a message on Saturday evening. The leader will not use the route unless it has been checked.
Notice C · Hillside camping-kit library
Borrow tents, sleeping mats and cooking equipment for up to seven days. First-time borrowers must attend a short introduction before collecting equipment. The introduction explains how to put up the tents and pack the equipment safely. Book an introduction online; it is included in the annual membership fee. Items must be returned clean and dry. Do not leave returned equipment outside the building: bring it to the desk during opening hours so a volunteer can check it.
Questions 1–4: matching information
Which notice contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A, B or C. You may use any letter more than once.
- You must book your attendance at a free activity in advance.
- A service identifies problems but does not fix them during the visit.
- Bad weather can trigger a message to people who have reserved a place.
- New users must receive instruction before taking items away.
Optional hint: compare the complete conditions
Look for a detail that makes the statement distinctive. A booking requirement alone appears in more than one notice. For Question 1, you must also check the price of the activity.
Part 2: workplace memo
Read the original memo below, then answer Questions 5–8.
To all staff: using the new meeting rooms
A. From Monday, staff at Elm House will book meeting rooms through the shared calendar. Enter the organiser’s name and the expected number of participants. Bookings can be made up to four weeks in advance. The calendar shows the maximum capacity of each room; choose a larger room if your group would exceed the stated limit.
B. If visitors from outside the company will attend, send their names to reception before the end of the previous working day. Reception will prepare visitor badges. The organiser must meet visitors in the lobby and accompany them to the meeting room. Visitors should not be asked to find the room on their own.
C. Each room has a display screen and a small supply of stationery. Request additional equipment from the support team at least two working days before the meeting. A microphone is available for Room 3 only. If you need one, include it in your equipment request; adding a note to the room calendar does not reserve it.
D. At the end of the meeting, return the chairs to their marked positions and remove any food containers. Leave the screen connected so the next group can use it without setting it up again. Report damaged equipment through the maintenance form rather than by leaving a note in the room. Cancel unused bookings promptly to make the space available to other staff.
Questions 5–8: note completion
Complete the notes with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the memo for each answer.
- Advance booking window: up to __________ weeks.
- The organiser meets external visitors in the __________.
- Room 3 has a __________ that must be requested separately.
- Report damage using the __________.
Check that each answer fits the sentence already printed. For example, Question 5 already supplies the word “weeks”.
Answers with the evidence
1. Reveal answer and explanation
B. Notice B asks walkers to reserve a place by Friday and says there is no charge. Notice A is also free, but needs no appointment. Notice C requires an introduction booking, but it is part of a paid annual membership. Both conditions in the question must fit.
2. Reveal answer and explanation
A. The mechanic checks the bicycle and recommends repairs, but the notice explicitly says repairs are not carried out in these sessions. An inspection and a repair are different services.
3. Reveal answer and explanation
B. Registered walkers receive a Saturday-evening message if severe weather makes the route unsafe. The statement describes a possibility, not a promise that every walk will change.
4. Reveal answer and explanation
C. First-time borrowers must attend an introduction before collecting equipment. “New users” paraphrases “first-time borrowers”, and receiving instruction refers to the introduction.
5. Reveal answer and explanation
four (or 4). Paragraph A gives a booking window of four weeks. The word “weeks” is already in the question, so do not repeat it. The two working days in paragraph C concern equipment requests, not room bookings.
6. Reveal answer and explanation
lobby. Paragraph B states where the organiser meets external visitors. Reception prepares their badges, but the lobby is the specified meeting location. Copy the place that answers this particular question.
7. Reveal answer and explanation
microphone. Paragraph C limits this equipment to Room 3 and explains that a separate equipment request is necessary. A room-calendar note is not a reservation for it.
8. Reveal answer and explanation
maintenance form. Paragraph D names the reporting method. These two words fit the limit. A note left in the room is explicitly rejected, and the calendar serves a different purpose.
Count your correct responses out of eight if you find that helpful. Keep the result attached to this exercise; do not multiply it into a full-test score or convert it to a band. See the Reading score guide for the difference.
Go beyond checking the letters
Review task 1: collect the limits
Find one example each of a deadline, a requirement, a restriction and a prohibition in the notices or memo. Write the exact phrase, then rewrite it in simpler English.
Reveal possible examples
- Deadline: “Reserve a place by Friday” means booking must happen no later than Friday.
- Requirement: First-time borrowers “must attend a short introduction” means they cannot skip it before collection.
- Restriction: “Room 3 only” limits where the microphone is available.
- Prohibition: “Do not leave returned equipment outside” means the equipment must be handed in rather than left outdoors.
These are examples, so other well-supported choices can also work. Notice how a small word such as “only” changes what a reader is allowed to assume.
Review task 2: explain a tempting wrong answer
Why would “reception” be a tempting but incorrect answer to Question 6? Explain the different jobs of reception and the lobby before rereading the answer key. This trains you to distinguish related details instead of selecting the first familiar word.
Choose your next practice
- If matching details was difficult, try Repairing more than objects for more evidence-location practice.
- If completion answers were difficult, use Seeds for next season to work on exact words and limits.
- If the text felt too dense, begin with the scaffolded beginner reading lesson.
- For full-length preparation, follow the official sample-test link on the IELTS General Training Reading page. You still need practice with a longer, more complex general-interest text.
Test-format facts checked against the official IELTS General Training Reading format on 15 October 2026. All notices, the workplace memo, questions and explanations are original fictional learning material. This page does not reproduce an official test.