ielts-simon.com IELTS Reading Test Sample IELTS Reading: difficult paragraph headings Sometimes it's difficult to decide between two paragraph headings. Look at this example from Cambridge IELTS 6. Paragraph: It was once assumed that improvements in telecommunications would lead to more dispersal in the population as people were no longer forced into cities. However, the ISTP team's research demonstrates that the population and job density of cities rose or remained constant in the 1980s after decades of decline. The explanation for this seems to be that it is valuable to place people working in related fields together. 'The new world will largely depend on human creativity, and creativity flourishes where people come together face-to-face.' Which paragraph heading would you choose and why? 1. The impact of telecommunications on population distribution 2. The benefits of working together in cities Feel free to discuss this question in the "comments" area below this lesson. I'll give you my answer and explanation tomorrow. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (17) Monday, March 22, 2010 IELTS Reading: true, false, not given Read the following passage from a text about linguistics. Before the twentieth century, the term "philology" was commonly used to refer to the science of language, which was then predominantly historical in focus. However, this focus has shifted and the term "philology" is now generally used for the "study of a language's grammar, history and literary tradition", especially in the United States. The term "linguistics" is now the usual academic term in English for the scientific study of language. Linguistics concerns itself with describing and explaining the nature of human language. Relevant to this are the questions of what is universal to language, how language can vary, and how human beings come to know languages. Humans achieve competence in whatever language is spoken around them when growing up, with apparently little need for explicit conscious instruction. Linguists assume that the ability to acquire and use language is an innate, biologically-based potential of human beings, similar to the ability to walk. It is generally agreed that there are no strong genetic differences underlying the differences between languages: an individual will acquire whatever language(s) he or she is exposed to as a child, regardless of parentage or ethnic origin. According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given? 1. Up until the 1900s, the science of language was usually referred to as 'philology'. 2. In order to learn a language, children need a significant amount of instruction. 3. Research has shown that humans have an inbuilt capacity for language learning. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (9) Monday, March 15, 2010 IELTS Reading: 'paragraph' questions There are 2 types of questions that ask you about paragraphs: 1. Paragraph headings -match the sub-headings with the paragraphs. 2. Specific information -which paragraph contains the following information? Try an example: IELTS Reading: Which paragraph? • For 'paragraph headings' questions, you need to find the main idea of each paragraph. I usually recommend starting with the shortest paragraph first. • For 'specific information' questions, remember that one paragraph can contain more than one piece of information (e.g. "paragraph A" could be the answer for questions 1 and 2). Some paragraphs may not contain any information, so it doesn't help to start with the shortest one. Both types of question are easier if you do the other question sections first (gap-fill, true/false/not given etc.). You will then be more familiar with the text, and you might even remember where some of the 'paragraph' answers are. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (13) Monday, March 08, 2010 IELTS Reading: fill the gaps Read the following text about pedestrian zones in cities. A large number of European towns and cities have made part of their centres car-free since the early 1960s. These are often accompanied by car parks on the edge of the pedestrianised zone, and, in the larger cases, park and ride schemes. Central Copenhagen is one of the largest and oldest examples: the auto-free zone is centred on Strøget, a pedestrian shopping street, which is in fact not a single street but a series of interconnected avenues which create a very large auto-free zone, although it is crossed in places by streets with vehicular traffic. Most of these zones allow delivery trucks to service the businesses located there during the early morning, and streetcleaanin vehicles will usually go through these streets after most shops have closed for the night. In North America, where a more commonly used term is pedestrian mall, such areas are still in their infancy. Few cities have pedestrian zones, but some have pedestrianised single streets. Many pedestrian streets are surfaced with cobblestones, or pavement bricks, which discourage any kind of wheeled traffic, including wheelchairs. They are rarely completely free of motor vehicles. Fill the gaps below with NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS from the text: 1. In some cases, people are encouraged to park ________ of the town or city centre. 2. The only vehicles permitted in most pedestrian zones are those used for ________ or ________ cleaning. 3. Certain types of road surface can be used to ________ traffic. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (11) Monday, March 01, 2010 IELTS Reading: true, false, not given Read the following text about photosynthesis in plants. Although some of the steps in photosynthesis are still not completely understood, the overall photosynthetic equation has been known since the 1800s. Jan van Helmont began the research of the process in the mid-1600s when he carefully measured the mass of the soil used by a plant and the mass of the plant as it grew. After noticing that the soil mass changed very little, he hypothesised that the mass of the growing plant must come from the water, the only substance he added to the potted plant. His hypothesis was partially accurate—much of the gained mass also comes from carbon dioxide as well as water. In 1796, Jean Senebier, a Swiss pastor, botanist, and naturalist, demonstrated that green plants consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen under the influence of light. Soon afterwards, Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure showed that the increase in mass of the plant as it grows could not be due only to uptake of CO2, but also to the incorporation of water. According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given? 1. We now fully understand the process of photosynthesis. 2. Van Helmont's hypothesis did not take into account that plants consume carbon dioxide. 3. De Saussure demonstrated that both carbon dioxide and water contribute to an increase in mass in plants as they grow. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (10) Monday, February 22, 2010 IELTS Reading: sentence completion Read the following text about universities. Religion was central to the curriculum of early European universities. However, its role became less significant during the 19th century, and by the end of the 1800s, the German university model, based on more liberal values, had spread around the world. Universities concentrated on science in the 19th and 20th centuries, and became increasingly accessible to the masses. In Britain, the move from industrial revolution to modernity saw the arrival of new civic universities with an emphasis on science and engineering. The funding and organisation of universities vary widely between different countries around the world. In some countries, universities are predominantly funded by the state, while in others, funding may come from donors or from fees which students attending the university must pay. Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage. 1. The German university model, which became popular in the 19th century, promoted ______. 2. Over the last 200 years, a university education has become ______ the general public. 3. Depending on the country, universities may be funded by the state, by donors, or by fee-paying ______. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (5) Monday, February 15, 2010 IELTS Reading: true, false, not given Read the following text about sharks, then answer the questions below. Contrary to the common wisdom that sharks are instinct-driven "eating machines", recent studies have indicated that many species possess powerful problem-solving skills, social skills and curiosity. The brain-to body-mass ratios of sharks are similar to those of mammals and birds, and migration patterns in sharks may be even more complex than in birds, with many sharks covering entire ocean basins. However, shark behaviour has only begun to be formally studied, so there is much more to learn. A popular myth is that sharks are immune to disease and cancer; however, this remains to be proven. The evidence that sharks are at least resistant to cancer and disease is mostly anecdotal and there have been few, if any, scientific or statistical studies that show sharks to have heightened immunity to disease. According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given? Share and compare your answers in the "comments" area. I'll give you the correct answers tomorrow. 1. Research shows that sharks are more intelligent than most people think. 2. Relative to their body size, sharks have bigger brains than birds. 3. There is no real evidence proving that sharks are resistant to diseases. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (9) Monday, February 08, 2010 IELTS Reading: paragraph headings Today I'm attaching a 'paragraph headings' question. The best technique for these questions is to do the shortest paragraphs first. Do long paragraphs last when you have fewer headings to choose from. Here's the question: Download paragraph headings question Please leave your answers in the "comments" area. Try to explain your answers. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (10) Monday, February 01, 2010 IELTS Reading: advice Here is a list of advice and techniques for IELTS reading: 1. Don't read the whole text; you haven't got enough time. 2. Look at the title, sub-headings or first few lines to see what the text is about. 3. Then go straight to the questions. 4. 'Paragraph' questions are much easier if you do them last. Do other sections first. 5. The answers to most types of question (multiple choice, gap-fill, T,F,NG) should be in the correct order in the text, so you don't need to go back to the beginning to start looking for the next answer. 6. Read all instructions carefully. Sometimes the answers are "in paragraphs B and C", for example, and students waste time looking through every paragraph. 7. Vocabulary is the key to a high score. 8. There are usually words in the questions that are similar to words you need to find in the text. For example, if the text contains the word "global", the question might use the word "international". If you find the similar words, you have probably found the answer. 9. You must get to the end and answer every question. If you don't finish, you might miss some easy points. 10. Some questions are difficult because their aim is to separate band 8 and band 9. Don't waste time on difficult questions. Miss them, finish the exam, and return to them at the end. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (4) Monday, January 25, 2010 IELTS Reading: vocabulary and techniques Today I worked through an IELTS Reading passage with one of my classes (Cambridge 5, page 62-65). There were 2 main lessons to learn: 1. 'Paragraph' questions are easier when you do them last. 2. Vocabulary is the key to getting a good score. You can review today's key vocabulary by matching the similar phrases below: 1) a cross-section of socio-economic status 2) positive outcomes 3) supplied support and training 4) insufficient funding 5) scored highly in listening and speaking 6) bore little or no relationship to A) too little money was invested B) had nothing to do with C) a variety of poor and wealthy families D) the results were phenomenal E) guidance was provided F) were more advanced in language development Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (5) Monday, January 18, 2010 IELTS Reading: multiple choice The technique for answering multiple choice questions is really the same as the technique for true, false not given questions: look for similar words in the question and in the passage (paraphrasing), then study that part of the passage carefully. Try the following example. Read the text then answer the questions. The ethos of the aristocracy, as exemplified in the English public schools, greatly influenced Pierre de Coubertin. The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important part of education, an attitude summed up in the saying 'mens sana in corpore sano', a sound mind in a sound body. In this ethos, a gentleman was one who became an all-rounder, not the best at one specific thing. There was also a prevailing concept of fairness, in which practising or training was considered tantamount to cheating. 1. De Coubertin agreed with the idea that: A) sport is an activity for gentlemen. B) schooling should promote both physical and mental health. C) sport is the most important part of a child's education. 2. In De Coubertin's view: A) it is easier to be good at many sports, rather than the best at one sport. B) training is necessary if you want to be an all-rounder. C) training gives the athlete an unfair advantage. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (5) Monday, January 11, 2010 IELTS Reading: true, false, not given Look at the following extract from a text about a psychology experiment: In the year 1971, Zimbardo accepted a tenured position as professor of psychology at Stanford University. There he conducted the Stanford prison study, in which 21 normal college students were randomly assigned to be "prisoners" or "guards" in a mock prison located in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford. The two week planned study into the psychological impact of prison life ended only after 6 days due to emotional trauma being experienced by the participants. According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given? 1. The participants in the study were all psychology students. 2. The study aimed to investigate the mental and behavioural effects of life in prison. Please share your answers in the "comments" section below. Can you explain and prove your answers? I'll add the correct answers tomorrow. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (8) Monday, January 04, 2010 IELTS Reading: true, false, not given Look at the following extract from a text about diaries: Many diaries of notable figures have been published and form an important element of autobiographical literature. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) is the earliest diarist who is well-known today; his diaries, preserved in Magdalene College, Cambridge, were first transcribed and published in 1825. Pepys was amongst the first who took the diary beyond mere business transaction notation, into the realm of the personal. According to the text, are the following statements true, false, or not given? 1. Samuel Pepys is more famous today than he was during his own lifetime. 2. Pepys kept a diary for purely business reasons. Please share your answers in the "comments" section below. Can you explain and prove your answers? I'll add the correct answers tomorrow. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (9) Monday, December 28, 2009 IELTS Reading: key vocabulary Below I've made a table of key vocabulary from a reading test in Cambridge IELTS Book 1 (page 40-43). The reading passage is about 'right and left-handedness in humans'. There are some useful words that you should look up in a dictionary (e.g. prejudiced, a stroke, asymmetry, systematic). Are you keeping a notebook of new vocabulary? If not, start now. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (2) Monday, December 21, 2009 Do some IELTS Reading practice This term we've looked at a reading test and some key vocabulary every week. But it's also a good idea to do some general reading, especially if you can find articles that are similar to the texts used in the IELTS exam. Two good places to find articles are The Economist and National Geographic. I recommend printing one article that looks interesting every day. Try to spend just 30 minutes every day reading something from one of these sites. Make a note of a few new words or phrases. Gradually your reading should improve. Easy. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (2) Monday, December 14, 2009 IELTS Reading: answers Last week I attached an IELTS Reading test. I also looked at this test with my students in class, and they worked together to agree on the answers. My students will be pleased to know that they got all of the answers right. In fact, I don't need to give you the answers because Mona wrote them all in her comment below last week's lesson. She has even given us a perfect list of keywords that helped us to get the answers. So here's the link to last week's lesson with answers and keywords below it. Thanks again Mona! Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (2) Monday, December 07, 2009 IELTS Reading: practice test Today I'm attaching an IELTS Reading test. It's only one passage, so you would have 20 minutes to do it in a real exam. Feel free to share your answers (and any examples of paraphrasing between the questions and the text) by using the "comments" option. I'll reveal the correct answers next Monday. The topic of this test is 'Investigating Children's Language'. We saw last week that 'language' is a really popular IELTS topic. Download Reading Test The first question section asks 'Which paragraph contains the following information?' I recommend doing this section last. By doing the other sections first, you will become familiar with the text. This should make the 'Which paragraph contains..?' section easier. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (4) Monday, November 30, 2009 IELTS Reading: key vocabulary In one of my classes today, we looked at another difficult reading question. The title was "Obtaining Linguistic Data" (Cambridge IELTS 4, page 74-77). Looking at the title of the text, you should be able to guess that it is about language research; 'linguistic' means 'related to the study of language', and 'data' is used when we're talking about statistics. In other words, this must be a text about academics doing language research. It's not about children or students learning languages. The word 'corpus' (plural = corpora) also appears in this text. It means 'a collection of written or spoken texts, or a body of written work'. We've seen this word before in another IELTS Reading test. Here are the key words that helped us to find the answers: Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (0) Monday, November 23, 2009 IELTS Reading: keywords In one of my classes today, we looked at a difficult reading passage about why children and young animals play (Cambridge IELTS Book 4, page 50-53). There were 3 question sections: 1. 'Which paragraph contains' section: Always do these questions last. Do the other question sections first to become familiar with the text. 2. 'Which ideas are mentioned' section: Remember, you are looking for ideas that are 'mentioned in the text', not ideas that are 'true'. 3. 'Match the names' section: This is a perfect task for 'scanning'. Scan quickly to find and underline the names. For all of the questions, finding keywords was the most important technique: Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (5) Monday, November 16, 2009 IELTS Reading: answers Here are the answers to last week's IELTS Reading homework: 1. iii 2. iv 3. viii 4. ix 5. v 6. i 7. ii 8. False 9. True 10. Not Given 11. True 12. True 13. Not Given If you did the homework, check your answers and try to learn from any mistakes. If you didn't do the homework, here's another possibility: go through the text and highlight key words that give the answers above. Try to understand why these answers are correct. If you have any questions, just leave a comment below. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (2) Monday, November 09, 2009 IELTS Reading: practice test Today I'm attaching an IELTS Reading test for my students who wanted some extra homework. It's one passage only, so you'd have about 20 minutes in the exam. The question sections are 'paragraph headings' and 'true, false, not given'. Remember the techniques we've used: 1. Do the T, F, NG section first. These questions will be in the correct order in the text. Look for keywords in the text that are similar to words in the questions. 2. Do the paragraph headings section last; it should be easier when you are already familiar with the text. Start with the shorter paragraphs or paragraphs that you have already studied for the T, F, NG section. I recommend printing the test as it's not easy to read on the screen. Feel free to use the "comments" option to share your answers. I'll reveal the correct answers next week. Download Academic Reading Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (4) Monday, November 02, 2009 IELTS Reading: answers Here are the answers from last week's reading task: 1. FALSE: Most Britons think the Government wants to raise cash rather than change our behaviour. 2. NOT GIVEN: The year 2050 is mentioned. However, we only know that the Government will reduce carbon emissions by this date. It doesn't say anything about higher green taxes being introduced. 3. TRUE: It will be difficult to change people's dependence on cars = attempts in the future to curb car use... will prove deeply unpopular. (curb means reduce) 4. NOT GIVEN: The Prince of Wales says businesses should be more sustainable. He doesn't say that most businesses are not sustainable. 5. TRUE: One of the leading countries = at the forefront. The key words in question 1 are "rather than". Questions 2 and 4 try to trick you by mentioning key words but not giving the exact information in the question. Questions 3 and 5 use synonyms/paraphrasing to say the same thing as the text. Here is a copy of the text with answers highlighted: Download Reading Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (0) Monday, October 26, 2009 IELTS Reading: some homework! Today I'm attaching some extra IELTS Reading homework. I've made a quick exercise to practise True, False, Not Given questions. Open the attached file and do the exercise. I haven't given you the answers, so maybe you can put your own answers as "comments" below this lesson. When a few people have commented, I'll reveal what the correct answers should be. Download Reading, T,F,NG Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (8) Monday, October 19, 2009 IELTS Reading: vocabulary Today we looked at another example of a paragraph headings question (Cambridge IELTS 1, page 60-63). The normal advice is to do paragraph headings questions last. Do other questions first so that you are familiar with the text; then the paragraph questions should be easier. Remember, IELTS Reading is really a vocabulary test. The more vocabulary you know, the better you'll do. Today's test contained difficult words like "corpus" (a collection of written or spoken texts) and "lexicographical" (related to writing dictionaries). Here are some more words that you could look up using dictionary.com: • incorporate (they are incorporating spoken English into their data) • verbal /non-verbal (a verbal warning, non-verbal communication) • portrayal (the portrayal of feelings) • convey (to convey feelings, convey a message) • an initiative (a Government initiative) Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (2) Monday, October 12, 2009 IELTS Reading: paragraph headings Today we looked at a paragraph headings question (Cambridge IELTS 6, page 40-43). Students found that the most useful technique was to do the shortest paragraphs first. We found that the short paragraphs were easier to study and allowed us to eliminate some of the headings before we did the longer paragraphs. For each heading we found keywords that matched words in the text (it didn't help to read only the first sentence of each paragraph). Here is some of the key vocabulary from this test: Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (0) Sunday, October 11, 2009 Students' Questions: reading scores As you know, the Reading Test contains 40 questions. Many students ask me how many correct answers they need to get a band score of 7. According to official IELTS guidelines: • Band 6 is about 23 out of 40 • Band 7 is about 30 • Band 8 is about 35 However, the score needed for each band can change depending on the difficulty of each test. If you have a really difficult test, the score needed for band 7 might be 28 or 29. If the test is easier, you might need to score 31 or 32 to get a 7. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading, Questions/Advice | Permalink | Comments (0) Monday, October 05, 2009 IELTS Reading: more keywords This afternoon, we looked at another section of a Reading Test from Cambridge IELTS Book 4 (page 46-49). I think everyone in the class agreed that this paper was a bit easier than the one we did last week. We practised finding words in the text that matched keywords in each question. Numbers and dates were easy to find in the text, but some of the key vocabulary was more difficult. For example, nobody in the class knew that a "chronic" illness means a "long-term" illness. The words "disillusioned" and "sceptical" also caused problems. Try looking them up on dictionary.com. Here is the key vocabulary from today's reading practice: Remember, the more vocabulary you know, the better you will do in the IELTS Reading Test. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (0) Monday, September 28, 2009 IELTS Reading: finding keywords As I mentioned last week, vocabulary is the key to doing well in IELTS Reading. There are usually words in the questions that are similar to the information you need to find in the text. For example, if the text contains the word "global", the question might use the word "international". Today, I looked at a test from Cambridge IELTS Book 4 with my students (page 88-91). The table below shows the phrases used in some of the questions and the similar vocabulary that we found in the text. Remember, when you match keywords in the question and the text, there is a good chance that you have found where the answer is. The next step is to study that area of the text carefully in order to find what the answer is. Posted by Simon in IELTS Reading | Permalink | Comments (0) Tuesday, September 22, 2009 IELTS Academic Reading: Basic Information The Reading Test is immediately after the Listening Test at 10.40am. You do not get a break. There are 3 sections in the Reading Test. Each section has 13 or 14 questions, making 40 questions in total. The test lasts 60 minutes, and in that time you must write your answers on an answer sheet. Here are some of the problems students have with IELTS Reading: • Time is the biggest problem. Many students don't manage to finish the test. • The texts are long and contain some difficult vocabulary. • Students find "paragraph headings" questions difficult. • Students find "true/false/not given" questions difficult. IELTS Reading is really a test of your vocabulary. If your knowledge of English words and phrases is good, you will do well. There are techniques that can help you to work faster and cope with the difficult question types. However, the best way to improve your IELTS Reading score is by doing a lot of reading and vocabulary work.