IELTS General Training Reading Practice Test 2
Library services and rules, new starter information for a care group, and a longer article on why recycling symbols confuse everyone.
Free, no sign-up. Written in the Cambridge style — same structure, same mark split, same trap patterns — with original passages. Answer a passage, mark it, and read why each wrong option was tempting. The full answer key is on its own page — open it after you finish, not before.
Northgate Library — Services and Rules
Passage 1 of 3 · 13 marks
BORROWING. Adult members may borrow up to twelve items at a time, of which no more than four may be DVDs. Books are lent for three weeks and DVDs for one week. Items may be renewed twice online or by telephone, but a third renewal must be made in person. Anything reserved by another member cannot be renewed at all, and the system will refuse the request without explanation.
FINES AND CHARGES. Overdue books accrue a charge of ten pence per day to a maximum of five pounds per item. There is no charge for children's items. A replacement card costs two pounds. Members owing more than ten pounds cannot borrow further items until the balance is cleared, though they may continue to use the computers and the reading room.
COMPUTERS AND PRINTING. Twelve public computers are available and may be booked up to two days ahead. Sessions last one hour and may be extended if nobody is waiting. Printing costs ten pence a page in black and white and fifty pence in colour, paid at the desk rather than at the machine. Members must bring their own headphones; the library does not lend them.
STUDY ROOMS. Two study rooms seat six people each and are intended for group work. They are booked in two-hour blocks and cannot be booked by a single person during term time. A room left empty for more than fifteen minutes after the start of a booking is released to anyone waiting. Food is not permitted in either room, although covered drinks are allowed.
EVENTS AND CLASSES. The Tuesday reading group meets fortnightly and is free. A basic computer skills course runs for six weeks in the autumn and costs eight pounds for the whole course. The children's story hour on Saturday mornings requires no booking, but space is limited and entry is on arrival. All events are cancelled if the library closes at short notice, and members are notified by text if they have supplied a mobile number.
OPENING HOURS. The library opens at 9am Monday to Saturday and closes at 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday and at 5pm on other days. It is closed all day on Sunday. During the summer holidays the Saturday closing time moves to 4pm. Returns may be made at any time using the outdoor drop box, which is emptied each morning before opening.
“An adult member may borrow twelve DVDs at the same time.”
“A third renewal cannot be made by telephone.”
“Members who owe more than ten pounds may still use the reading room.”
“Printing is paid for at the machine.”
“The library intends to increase the number of public computers.”
Which section contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A–F. You may use any letter once only.
what happens to a booked space that nobody uses
how members are informed about an unexpected closure
how to return items when the building is shut
the cost of replacing a lost membership card
an item members are expected to provide themselves
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.
No more than 3 words from the passage
How far in advance can a computer be booked?
What is the largest overdue charge that can be applied to one item?
At what time does the library close on Saturdays during the summer holidays?
Marks all 40 questions at once and converts the total on the official table. Unanswered questions count as wrong, as they do on test day.
About this test
How many questions are in IELTS General Training Reading Practice Test 2?
40, across three passages, split 13 + 13 + 14 exactly as the real Academic Reading paper is. You have 60 minutes for all three with no extra transfer time.
Do I need an account to take this test?
No. Read the passages, answer, and get each passage marked without signing in. A free account adds saved history and per-question-type band tracking.
Where are the answers?
On a separate page — the answer key for this test lists every correct answer, the exact line of the passage that proves it, and the trap behind each wrong option.
Is this a Cambridge IELTS test?
It is written in the Cambridge style, not taken from a Cambridge volume: the same three-passage structure, the same 13 + 13 + 14 mark split, the same passage lengths and register, and question types drawn from the same eleven with the same trap patterns. Original texts built to that specification — nobody can legally hand you a scanned past paper.