IELTS Reading Grading Report

 

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Candidate Name: Putter

Test: Academic Reading Test 1

Date: 28 June 2025

Overall Performance

Total Score: 17 / 40

Estimated Band Score: 5.0

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Detailed Answer Grading

The candidate's answers have been cross-checked against the official answer key.

Question No.	Candidate's Answer	Correct Answer	Result
Passage 1		Score: 9/13
1	lettuces	lettuces	✓
2	different varieties	1,000 kg	✗
3	consumption	(food) consumption	✓
4	gases	pesticides	✗
5	journeys	journeys	✓
6	producers	producers	✓
7	sold locally	flavour / flavor	✗
8	TRUE	TRUE	✓
9	NOT GIVEN	NOT GIVEN	✓
10	FALSE	FALSE	✓
11	TRUE	TRUE	✓
12	FALSE	FALSE	✓
13	FALSE	NOT GIVEN	✗
Passage 2		Score: 6/13
14	A	B	✗
15	F	A	✗
16	C	C	✓
17	G	D	✗
18	E	B	✗
19	B	B	✓
20	C	C	✓
21	A	C	✗
22	fire prevention	fire	✗
23	nutrients	nutrients	✓
24	increase	cavities	✗
25	hawthorn	hawthorn	✓
26	rare	rare	✓
Passage 3		Score: 2/14
27	A	C	✗
28	E	F	✗
29	C	A	✗
30	B	E	✗
31	D	B	✗
32	(blank)	sustainability	✗
33	(blank)	fuel	✗
34	(blank)	explosions	✗
35	(blank)	bankrupt	✗
36	C	C	✓
37	A	D	✗
38	B	B	✓
39	B	D	✗
40	C	A	✗

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Critical Review of Performance

The candidate achieved a raw score of 17, which corresponds to an IELTS Band Score of 5.0. This is below the target of Band 6.0 (which typically requires a score of 23-26). The analysis reveals several key areas for improvement.

Time Management: There is a significant drop in performance across the passages:

Passage 1: 9/13 (69%) - A respectable start.

Passage 2: 6/13 (46%) - A noticeable decline.

Passage 3: 2/14 (14%) - A very sharp drop.

This pattern strongly suggests the candidate is running out of time. Leaving four questions (32-35) completely blank in the final passage is a clear indicator of this. Each blank answer is a lost opportunity.

Answering Precision: In question 22, the candidate wrote "fire prevention" when the correct answer was just "fire". IELTS instructions often state "NO MORE THAN X WORDS," and adding extra, incorrect information will cause the answer to be marked wrong.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): The performance on MCQ-style questions was particularly weak. For example, in Passage 2 (Questions 14-21), the candidate only answered 3 out of 8 correctly. This indicates a difficulty in understanding paraphrased language and distinguishing between the correct answer and the 'distractors' designed to mislead you.

Distinguishing FALSE vs. NOT GIVEN: The error in question 13 (answering FALSE when the answer was NOT GIVEN) is a common challenge. This shows a need to refine the strategy for this question type. A 'False' answer means the text contradicts the statement, whereas 'Not Given' means there is no information to prove or disprove it.

Reading for Detail: Errors in questions like #2 ("different varieties" instead of "1,000 kg") and #4 ("gases" instead of "pesticides") suggest that while the candidate can locate the general area of the text, they are struggling to extract the precise information required by the question.

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How to Get At Least a Band Score of 6: Tips & Tricks

To increase your score from 17 to the 23+ needed for a Band 6.0, focus on these strategies based on your performance.

1. Master Your Time: The 20-20-20 Rule

Problem: You lost most of your marks in Passage 3, likely due to poor time management.

Trick: Be strict with your time. Allot a maximum of 20 minutes per passage. When 20 minutes are up for Passage 1, move to Passage 2, no matter what. It is better to answer most questions in all three sections than to perfect one and fail the last.

Tip: NEVER leave an answer blank. If time is running out on a section, make an educated guess for the remaining multiple-choice questions. You have a 25% chance of being right, which is better than the 0% chance of a blank answer.

2. Skim First, then Scan for Keywords

Problem: You are missing specific details (e.g., "1,000 kg").

Trick: Don't read the whole passage from start to finish immediately.

Step 1 (Skim): Spend 2-3 minutes quickly reading the title, subheadings, and the first sentence of each paragraph to understand the main idea.

Step 2 (Scan): Read a question, identify keywords (names, numbers, places, nouns), and then scan the text specifically for those words or their synonyms. Once you find the keyword, read the surrounding sentences carefully to find the answer.

3. Become a Paraphrase Detective

Problem: You struggled with Multiple Choice Questions because the options are paraphrases, not direct copies, of the text.

Trick: For every practice question you do, once you find the correct answer, force yourself to highlight the section in the text that proves it. Then, compare the words in the question/option to the words in the text. Notice how the idea is rephrased. This builds your ability to recognize synonyms and paraphrasing, which is the single most important skill for a Band 6.0+.

4. Solidify Your True / False / Not Given Strategy

Problem: You confused FALSE with NOT GIVEN.

Trick: Use this simple mental checklist:

Find the part of the text the statement refers to.

Does the text directly agree with the statement? -> TRUE

Does the text directly contradict the statement (e.g., says the opposite)? -> FALSE

Can you find any information about the statement at all? If you can't prove it true or false because the topic isn't mentioned, or that specific detail isn't there -> NOT GIVEN

5. Read the Instructions & Be Precise

Problem: You added an extra word in Q22 ("fire prevention").

Trick: Before answering any set of questions, circle the word limit (e.g., "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS"). When you write your answer, check that you have not exceeded it. Copy the words from the passage exactly as needed. Do not add your own interpretation unless the question requires it.