Test 2 Reading
Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic
Test 2 — Reading
Three passages, 40 questions. In the real exam the Reading test takes 60 minutes — about 20 minutes per passage — and there is no extra time to transfer your answers.
Passage 1 — Questions 1–13
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13.
Britain's Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the mid-1700s and by the 1830s and 1840s had spread to many other parts of the world, including the United States. In Britain, it was a period when a largely rural, agrarian* society was transformed into an industrialised, urban one. Goods that had once been crafted by hand started to be produced in mass quantities by machines in factories, thanks to the invention of steam power and the introduction of new machines and manufacturing techniques in textiles, iron-making and other industries.
The foundations of the Industrial Revolution date back to the early 1700s, when the English inventor Thomas Newcomen designed the first modern steam engine. Called the 'atmospheric steam engine', Newcomen's invention was originally used to power machines that pumped water out of mines. In the 1760s, the Scottish engineer James Watt started to adapt one of Newcomen's models, and succeeded in making it far more efficient. Watt later worked with the English manufacturer Matthew Boulton to invent a new steam engine driven by both the forward and backward strokes of the piston, while the gear mechanism it was connected to produced rotary motion. It was a key innovation that would allow steam power to spread across British industries.
The demand for coal, which was a relatively cheap energy source, grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, as it was needed to run not only the factories used to produce manufactured goods, but also steam-powered transportation. In the early 1800s, the English engineer Richard Trevithick built a steam-powered locomotive, and by 1830 goods and passengers were being transported between the industrial centres of Manchester and Liverpool. In addition, steam-powered boats and ships were widely used to carry goods along Britain's canals as well as across the Atlantic.
Britain had produced textiles like wool, linen and cotton, for hundreds of years, but prior to the Industrial Revolution, the British textile business was a true 'cottage industry', with the work performed in small workshops or even homes by individual spinners, weavers and dyers. Starting in the mid-1700s, innovations like the spinning jenny and the power loom made weaving cloth and spinning yarn and thread much easier. With these machines, relatively little labour was required to produce cloth, and the new, mechanised textile factories that opened around the country were quickly able to meet customer demand for cloth both at home and abroad.
* agrarian: relating to the land, especially the use of land for farming
The British iron industry also underwent major change as it adopted new innovations. Chief among the new techniques was the smelting of iron ore with coke (a material made by heating coal) instead of the traditional charcoal. This method was cheaper and produced metals that were of a higher quality, enabling Britain's iron and steel production to expand in response to demand created by the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15) and the expansion of the railways from the 1830s.
The latter part of the Industrial Revolution also saw key advances in communication methods, as people increasingly saw the need to communicate efficiently over long distances. In 1837, British inventors William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial telegraphy system. In the 1830s and 1840s, Samuel Morse and other inventors worked on their own versions in the United States. Cooke and Wheatstone's system was soon used for railway signalling in the UK. As the speed of the new locomotives increased, it was essential to have a fast and effective means of avoiding collisions.
The impact of the Industrial Revolution on people's lives was immense. Although many people in Britain had begun moving to the cities from rural areas before the Industrial Revolution, this accelerated dramatically with industrialisation, as the rise of large factories turned smaller towns into major cities in just a few decades. This rapid urbanisation brought significant challenges, as overcrowded cities suffered from pollution and inadequate sanitation.
Although industrialisation increased the country's economic output overall and improved the standard of living for the middle and upper classes, many poor people continued to struggle. Factory workers had to work long hours in dangerous conditions for extremely low wages. These conditions along with the rapid pace of change fuelled opposition to industrialisation. A group of British workers who became known as 'Luddites' were British weavers and textile workers who objected to the increased use of mechanised looms and knitting frames. Many had spent years learning their craft, and they feared that unskilled machine operators were robbing them of their livelihood. A few desperate weavers began breaking into factories and smashing textile machines. They called themselves Luddites after Ned Ludd, a young apprentice who was rumoured to have wrecked a textile machine in 1779.
The first major instances of machine breaking took place in 1811 in the city of Nottingham, and the practice soon spread across the country. Machine-breaking Luddites attacked and burned factories, and in some cases they even exchanged gunfire with company guards and soldiers. The workers wanted employers to stop installing new machinery, but the British government responded to the uprisings by making machine-breaking punishable by death. The unrest finally reached its peak in April 1812, when a few Luddites were shot during an attack on a mill near Huddersfield. In the days that followed, other Luddites were arrested, and dozens were hanged or transported to Australia. By 1813, the Luddite resistance had all but vanished.
Questions 1–7
Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Britain's Industrial Revolution
Steam power
Newcomen's steam engine was used in mines to remove water.
In Watt and Boulton's steam engine, the movement of the 1 was linked to a gear system.
The correct answer is 'piston': The second paragraph says that the steam engine was 'driven by the . . . strokes (movement) of the piston' and then says, 'the gear mechanism it (the piston) was connected (linked) to produced rotary motion'. This means that when the piston moved, this affected the gear mechanism. 'Strokes' is incorrect as this refers to a type of movement (the action of the piston), not to part of an engine.A greater supply of 2 was required to power steam engines.
The correct answer is 'coal'. In the third paragraph, we are told that 'The demand (requirement) for coal . . . grew rapidly', as it was needed to run steam-powered transportation. 'Energy' is incorrect as this is too general – we are not told that the demand for all types of energy increased.Textile industry
Before the Industrial Revolution, spinners and weavers worked at home and in 3 .
The correct answer is 'workshops': The fourth paragraph says that before the Industrial Revolution, textile production was carried out 'in small workshops or even homes'. 'Cottage' is incorrect as a cottage is a type of home (and a singular noun would be incorrect here). 'Factories' is incorrect as these replaced the use of workshops and homes.Not as much 4 was needed to produce cloth once the spinning jenny and power loom were invented.
The correct answer is 'labour' or 'labor': The fourth paragraph says that the introduction of new machines (the spinning jenny and power loom) meant that 'relatively little labour was required (needed) to produce cloth'. 'Time' is incorrect as this word does not appear in the text.Iron industry
Smelting of iron ore with coke resulted in material that was better 5 .
The correct answer is 'quality': According to the fifth paragraph, 'This method . . .' (smelting of iron ore with coke) 'produced metals that were of a higher quality'. 'Steel' is incorrect as it was the metals in general that were improved, not just the steel.Demand for iron increased with the growth of the 6 .
The correct answer is 'railway' or 'railways': The text in the fifth paragraph refers to the expansion (growth) of Britain's iron and steel industry 'in response to demand created by . . . the expansion (growth) of the railways'. 'Production' is incorrect as increase in production did not create increased demand – increased demand created the increase in production.Communications
Cooke and Wheatstone patented the first telegraphy system. The telegraphy system was used to prevent locomotives colliding.
Urbanisation
Small towns turned into cities very quickly.
The new cities were dirty, crowded and lacked sufficient 7 .
The correct answer is 'sanitation': The end of the seventh paragraph describes problems resulting from rapid urbanisation, including pollution, overcrowding and 'inadequate sanitation'. 'Pollution' is incorrect as the item already says that the new cities were 'dirty' or polluted and the gap requires something that is lacking or missing.Questions 8–13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
TRUE — if the statement agrees with the information · FALSE — if the statement contradicts the information · NOT GIVEN — if there is no information on this
8 Britain's canal network grew rapidly so that more goods could be transported around the country.
9 Costs in the iron industry rose when the technique of smelting iron ore with coke was introduced.
10 Samuel Morse's communication system was more reliable than that developed by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone.
11 The economic benefits of industrialisation were limited to certain sectors of society.
12 Some skilled weavers believed that the introduction of the new textile machines would lead to job losses.
13 There was some sympathy among local people for the Luddites who were arrested near Huddersfield.
Passage 2 — Questions 14–26
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26.
Athletes and stress
A It isn't easy being a professional athlete. Not only are the physical demands greater than most people could handle, athletes also face intense psychological pressure during competition. This is something that British tennis player Emma Raducanu wrote about on social media following her withdrawal from the 2021 Wimbledon tournament. Though the young player had been doing well in the tournament, she began having difficulty regulating her breathing and heart rate during a match, which she later attributed to 'the accumulation of the excitement and the buzz'.
B For athletes, some level of performance stress is almost unavoidable. But there are many different factors that dictate just how people's minds and bodies respond to stressful events. Typically, stress is the result of an exchange between two factors: demands and resources. An athlete may feel stressed about an event if they feel the demands on them are greater than they can handle. These demands include the high level of physical and mental effort required to succeed, and also the athlete's concerns about the difficulty of the event, their chance of succeeding, and any potential dangers such as injury. Resources, on the other hand, are a person's ability to cope with these demands. These include factors such as the competitor's degree of confidence, how much they believe they can control the situation's outcome, and whether they're looking forward to the event or not.
C Each new demand or change in circumstances affects whether a person responds positively or negatively to stress. Typically, the more resources a person feels they have in handling the situation, the more positive their stress response. This positive stress response is called a challenge state. But should the person feel there are too many demands placed on them, the more likely they are to experience a negative stress response — known as a threat state. Research shows that the challenge states lead to good performance, while threat states lead to poorer performance. So, in Emma Raducanu's case, a much larger audience, higher expectations and facing a more skilful opponent, may all have led her to feel there were greater demands being placed on her at Wimbledon — but she didn't have the resources to tackle them. This led to her experiencing a threat response.
D Our challenge and threat responses essentially influence how our body responds to stressful situations, as both affect the production of adrenaline and cortisol — also known as 'stress hormones'. During a challenge state, adrenaline increases the amount of blood pumped from the heart and expands the blood vessels, which allows more energy to be delivered to the muscles and brain. This increase of blood and decrease of pressure in the blood vessels has been consistently related to superior sport performance in everything from cricket batting, to golf putting and football penalty taking. But during a threat state, cortisol inhibits the positive effect of adrenaline, resulting in tighter blood vessels, higher blood pressure, slower psychological responses, and a faster heart rate. In short, a threat state makes people more anxious — they make worse decisions and perform more poorly. In tennis players, cortisol has been associated with more unsuccessful serves and greater anxiety.
E That said, anxiety is also a common experience for athletes when they're under pressure. Anxiety can increase heart rate and perspiration, cause heart palpitations, muscle tremors and shortness of breath, as well as headaches, nausea, stomach pain, weakness and a desire to escape in more extreme cases. Anxiety can also reduce concentration and self-control and cause overthinking. The intensity with which a person experiences anxiety depends on the demands and resources they have. Anxiety may also manifest itself in the form of excitement or nervousness depending on the stress response. Negative stress responses can be damaging to both physical and mental health — and repeated episodes of anxiety coupled with negative responses can increase risk of heart disease and depression.
F But there are many ways athletes can ensure they respond positively under pressure. Positive stress responses can be promoted through the language that they and others — such as coaches or parents — use. Psychologists can also help athletes change how they see their physiological responses — such as helping them see a higher heart rate as excitement, rather than nerves. Developing psychological skills, such as visualisation, can also help decrease physiological responses to threat. Visualisation may involve the athlete recreating a mental picture of a time when they performed well, or picturing themselves doing well in the future. This can help create a feeling of control over the stressful event. Recreating competitive pressure during training can also help athletes learn how to deal with stress. An example of this might be scoring athletes against their peers to create a sense of competition. This would increase the demands which players experience compared to a normal training session, while still allowing them to practise coping with stress.
Questions 14–18
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A–F. Which paragraph contains the following information?
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14 reference to two chemical compounds which impact on performance —
The correct answer is D: In this paragraph, the writer explains how the hormones adrenaline and cortisole affect the heart and circulatory system, which in turn may have positive or negative effects on sporting performance.15 examples of strategies for minimising the effects of stress —
The correct answer is F: This paragraph explains that using language, developing psychological skills and creating a sense of competition when training are all examples of strategies that can minimise the effects of stress.16 how a sportsperson accounted for their own experience of stress —
The correct answer is A: Raducanu said that her physical problems during the tournament were due to 'the accumulation (increase) of the excitement and the buzz'.17 study results indicating links between stress responses and performance —
The correct answer is C: The writer refers to research (studies) which show that 'the challenge states (positive stress responses) lead to good performance, while threat states (negative stress responses) lead to poorer performance'.18 mention of people who can influence how athletes perceive their stress responses —
The correct answer is F: This paragraph describes how coaches, parents and psychologists can influence 'how they (athletes) see (perceive) their physiological responses'.Questions 19–22
Complete the sentences below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Performance stress involves many demands on the athlete, for example, coping with the possible risk of 19 .
The correct answer is 'injury': Paragraph B refers to the demands on athletes, which include 'any potential (possible) dangers such as injury'. 'Failure' is incorrect as the risk of failure is not referred to in the text.Cortisol can cause tennis players to produce fewer good 20 .
The correct answer is 'serves': At the end of Paragraph D, the writer says that 'In tennis players, cortisol has been associated with more unsuccessful serves'. 'Decisions' is incorrect as although cortisol is associated with a threat state, in which people make worse decisions, this is a general statement rather than a statement about tennis players in particular.Psychologists can help athletes to view their physiological responses as the effect of a positive feeling such as 21 .
The correct answer is 'excitement': According to Paragraph F, 'Psychologists can also help athletes change how they see their physiological responses – such as helping them see a higher heart rate as excitement (a positive feeling)'. 'Nerves' is incorrect as this is not a positive feeling.22 is an example of a psychological technique which can reduce an athlete's stress responses.
The correct answer is 'visualisation' or 'visualization': In Paragraph F, the writer describes various techniques which can 'help decrease physiological responses to threat', including visualisation. 'Recreating competitive pressure during training' is incorrect as the answer must be one word only. 'Pressure' is incorrect as on its own it does not provide enough information. IELTS 19 Academic, Test 2 answer key with extra explanations, ReadingQuestions 23 and 24 — Choose TWO letters, A–E.
23 & 24 Which TWO facts about Emma Raducanu's withdrawal from the Wimbledon tournament are mentioned in the text?
- A is incorrect as we are not told exactly when she withdrew from the tournament.
- Right — B is correct: Paragraph A describes the symptoms Raducanu experienced during the tournament – 'she began having difficulty regulating her breathing and heart rate'. D is correct: When writing about her withdrawal from the Wimbledon Tournament on social media, Raducanu referred to 'the physical demands of the tournament' and 'the intense psychological pressure'.
- C is incorrect as we are told she had difficulty regulating her breathing and heart rate, but we are not told she had taken measures to do this.
- Right — B is correct: Paragraph A describes the symptoms Raducanu experienced during the tournament – 'she began having difficulty regulating her breathing and heart rate'. D is correct: When writing about her withdrawal from the Wimbledon Tournament on social media, Raducanu referred to 'the physical demands of the tournament' and 'the intense psychological pressure'.
- E is incorrect as there is no reference in the text to how people reacted to the social media posts.
Questions 25 and 26 — Choose TWO letters, A–E.
25 & 26 Which TWO facts about anxiety are mentioned in Paragraph E of the text?
- Right — A is correct: According to Paragraph E, 'The intensity with which a person experiences anxiety (how severe the anxiety is) depends on the demands and resources they have.' E is correct: The final sentence in Paragraph E describes how 'repeated episodes of anxiety . . . can increase risk of heart disease and depression'.
- B is incorrect as most of this paragraph is about how athletes can manage pressure and anxiety. There is nothing about how anxiety develops or how long this takes.
- C is incorrect as there is no information in this paragraph about the symptoms of stress or which is most common.
- D is incorrect as the focus of the paragraph is on dealing with stress, and there is nothing about who is most likely to suffer from it. IELTS 19 Academic, Test 2 answer key with extra explanations, Reading Reading Passage 3 Questions 27–40
- Right — A is correct: According to Paragraph E, 'The intensity with which a person experiences anxiety (how severe the anxiety is) depends on the demands and resources they have.' E is correct: The final sentence in Paragraph E describes how 'repeated episodes of anxiety . . . can increase risk of heart disease and depression'.
Passage 3 — Questions 27–40
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40.
An inquiry into the existence of the gifted child
Let us start by looking at a modern 'genius', Maryam Mirzakhani, who died at the early age of 40. She was the only woman to win the Fields Medal — the mathematical equivalent of a Nobel prize. It would be easy to assume that someone as special as Mirzakhani must have been one of those 'gifted' children, those who have an extraordinary ability in a specific sphere of activity or knowledge. But look closer and a different story emerges. Mirzakhani was born in Tehran, Iran. She went to a highly selective girls' school but maths wasn't her interest – reading was. She loved novels and would read anything she could lay her hands on. As for maths, she did rather poorly at it for the first couple of years in her middle school, but became interested when her elder brother told her about what he'd learned. He shared a famous maths problem from a magazine that fascinated her — and she was hooked.
In adult life it is clear that she was curious, excited by what she did and also resolute in the face of setbacks. One of her comments sums it up. 'Of course, the most rewarding part is the “Aha” moment, the excitement of discovery and enjoyment of understanding something new … But most of the time, doing mathematics for me is like being on a long hike with no trail and no end in sight.' That trail took her to the heights of original research into mathematics.
Is her background unusual? Apparently not, Most Nobel prize winners were unexceptional d in childhood. Einstein was slow to talk as a baby. He failed the general part of the entry test to Zurich Polytechnic — though they let him in because of high physics and maths scores. He struggled at work initially, but he kept plugging away and eventually rewrote the laws of Newtonian mechanics with his theory of relativity.
There has been a considerable amount of research on high performance over the last century that suggests it goes way beyond tested intelligence. On top of that, research is clear that brains are flexible, new neural pathways can be created, and IQ isn't fixed. For example, just because you can read stories with hundreds of pages at the age of five doesn't mean you will still be ahead of your contemporaries in your teens.
While the jury is out on giftedness being innate and other factors potentially making the difference, what is certain is that the behaviours associated with high levels of performance are replicable and most can be taught — even traits such as curiosity.
According to my colleague Prof Deborah Eyre, with whom I've collaborated on the book Great Minds and How to Grow Them, the latest neuroscience and psychological research suggests most individuals can reach levels of performance associated in school with the gifted and talented. However, they must be taught the right attitudes and approaches to their learning and develop the attributes of high performers — curiosity, persistence and hard work, for example — an approach Eyre calls 'high performance learning'. Critically, they need the right support in developing those approaches at home as well as at school.
Prof Anders Ericsson, an eminent education psychologist at Florida State University, US, is the co-author of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. After research going back to 1980 into diverse achievements, from music lo memory to sport, he doesn't think unique and innate talents are at the heart of performance. Deliberate practice, that stretches you every step of the way, and around 10,000 hours of it, is what produces the goods. It's not a magic number — the highest performers move on to doing a whole lot more, of course. Ericsson's memory research is particularly interesting because random students, trained in memory techniques for the study, went on to outperform others thought to have innately superior memories — those who you might call gifted.
But it is perhaps the work of Benjamin Bloom, another distinguished American educationist working in the 1980s, that gives the most pause for thought. Bloom's team looked at a group of extraordinarily high achieving people in disciplines as varied as ballet, swimming, piano, tennis, maths, sculpture and neurology. He found a pattern of parents encouraging and supporting their children, often in areas they enjoyed themselves. Bloom's outstanding people had worked very hard and consistently at something they had become hooked on when at a young age, and their parents all emerged as having strong work ethics themselves.
Eyre says we know how high performers learn. From that she has developed a high performing learning approach. She is working on this with a group of schools, both in Britain and abroad. Some spin-off research, which looked in detail at 24 of the 3,000 children being studied who were succeeding despite difficult circumstances, found something remarkable. Half were getting free school meals because of poverty, more than half were living with a single parent, and four in five were living in disadvantaged areas. Interviews uncovered strong evidence of an adult or adults in the child's life who valued and supported education, either in the immediate or extended family or in the child's wider community. Children talked about the need to work hard at school, to listen in class and keep trying.
Let us end with Einstein, the epitome of a genius. He clearly had curiosity, character and determination. He struggled against rejection in early life but was undeterred. Did he think he was a genius or even gifted? He once wrote: 'It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. Most people say it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.'
Questions 27–32
Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A–K, below.
A appeal · B determined · C intrigued · D single · E achievement · F devoted · G involved · H unique · I innovative · J satisfaction · K intent
Maryam Mirzakhani
Maryam Mirzakhani is regarded as 27 in the field of mathematics because she was the only female holder of the prestigious Fields Medal — a record that she retained at the time of her death. However, maths held little 28 for her as a child and in fact her performance was below average until she was 29 by a difficult puzzle that one of her siblings showed her. Later, as a professional mathematician, she had an inquiring mind and proved herself to be 30 when things did not go smoothly. She said she got the greatest 31 from making ground-breaking discoveries and in fact she was responsible for some extremely 32 mathematical studies.
The correct answer is H: Maryam Mirzakhani is described as 'special' and was 'the only woman to win the Fields Medal'. She was therefore unique.The correct answer is A: We are told that when Mirzakhani was at school, 'maths wasn't her interest'. This means that it did not appeal to her.The correct answer is C: Although Mirzakhani did not do well in maths at school, she became 'fascinated' and 'hooked (attracted or addicted to the subject)' when her brother showed her a maths problem, meaning that she was intrigued by the problem.The correct answer is B: The text says that in adult life, Mirzakhani was 'resolute (determined) in the face of setbacks'.The correct answer is J: Mirzakhani is quoted as saying, 'the most rewarding part is . . . the excitement of discovery and enjoyment of understanding something new,' meaning that this is what gave her the greatest satisfaction.The correct answer is I: At the end of the second paragraph, the writer says that Mirzakhani reached 'the heights of original research into mathematics'. The phrase 'original research' tells us that her studies were innovative.Questions 33–37
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
YES — if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer · NO — if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer · NOT GIVEN — if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
33 Many people who ended up winning prestigious intellectual prizes only reached an average standard when young. —
The correct answer is YES: In the third paragraph, the writer says that Mirzakhani's background is not unusual, and that 'Most Nobel prize winners were unexceptional (average) in childhood (when young).' This means that their achievements as children were average.34 Einstein's failures as a young man were due to his lack of confidence. —
The correct answer is NOT GIVEN: We are told that Einstein failed a test at school and struggled initially at work, but there is no explanation of why this may have happened.35 It is difficult to reach agreement on whether some children are actually born gifted. —
The correct answer is YES: The fifth paragraph begins with the phrase, 'While the jury is out . . .' This is an idiom which means people cannot agree about something. In this case, people cannot agree about whether 'giftedness is innate', that is, whether it is something we're born with, rather than something we learn during our lifetime.36 Einstein was upset by the public's view of his life's work. —
The correct answer is NOT GIVEN: In the final paragraph, we're told that Einstein 'struggled against rejection in early life', but we are not told about the public's view of his life's work, or about his reaction to the public's view. IELTS 19 Academic, Test 2 answer key with extra explanations, Reading37 Einstein put his success down to the speed at which he dealt with scientific questions. —
The correct answer is NO: In his comment in the final paragraph 'It's not that I'm so smart (intelligent), it's just that I stay with problems longer', Einstein suggests that he takes more time than other people in trying to solve a problem, and that this is the reason for his success, rather than being 'smart'.Questions 38–40 — Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
38 What does Eyre believe is needed for children to equal 'gifted' standards?
- A is incorrect as although Eyre describes what children need to be taught, she does not refer to discipline imposed by teachers in the classroom.
- B is incorrect as there is no reference to children working together in the classroom.
- Right — In the sixth paragraph, we are told that Eyre believes that to reach high levels of performance, schoolchildren 'must be taught the right attitudes and approaches to their learning and develop the attributes of high performers – curiosity, persistence and hard work, for example'. Schoolchildren must therefore be encouraged to be curious – to have a spirit of inquiry.
- D is incorrect as although high standards are referred to, there is no reference to competition between students.
39 What is the result of Ericsson's research?
- A is incorrect as Ericsson's research found that students supposed to have good memories were outperformed by those who had received training in memory skills.
- Right — In the seventh paragraph, we are told that Ericsson 'doesn't think unique and innate talents (being born with a special gift) are at the heart of performance'.
- C is incorrect as although Ericsson's research included sport-related disciplines, we are not told he recommended anything about the relation between physical exercise and general performance.
- D is incorrect as although Ericsson claims that 10,000 hours of practice 'is what produces the goods', he also says that 'a whole lot more' is done by 'the highest (best) performers'.
40 In the penultimate paragraph, it is stated the key to some deprived children's success is
- A is incorrect as although there is a reference to free school meals in the text, there is nothing about children's home diets.
- B is incorrect as although 'adults in the child's life' are mentioned, there is no suggestion that having support from more than one parent is key to success.
- C is incorrect as the paragraph focuses on deprived children, but funding is not mentioned. IELTS 19 Academic, Test 2 answer key with extra explanations, Reading TEST 2, WRITING TASK 1 This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 4.0 score. It is a picture of the floor plan that can help us find something we can not find. Started walking through the car park and passes lifeboat, followed by passing lifeboat and followed by passing castle (disused). Near castle (disused) there public beach. In side the west coast there, fishing boats, and marina (private yachts) and there is the east passenger ferries. In the middle of the beach the may be fish and livestock and the depath of this beach is porth harbour (in 2000) public beach. There is also a hotel and the middle of the beach there are hotels. And the main road we can get to many places first place showers and toilets. We can find many places if we have seen the floor plan. It is a guideline if we are on the way. 138 words Here is the examiner's comment: This response is on the correct topic, but it does not present the information required. The question asks for a comparison between how the harbour looked in 2000 and how it looks today. This response is mainly a description of the plan in 2000, with only a brief description of the hotel, beach, showers and toilets from the 'today' plan. They candidate does cover most of the features from the first plan, so the score is not lower. However, to improve this score, the candidate should summarise the main differences between the two diagrams in an overview. Some of the required information is included, but it is not arranged clearly and the ideas are difficult to follow. Some basic cohesive devices are used [that / and / there is], but there is repetition of [and] and a general absence of referencing. Vocabulary is limited and much of it is taken straight from the question. A wider variety would be needed for a higher score. Similarly, the grammatical range is narrow, often inaccurate and repetitive [There is / there are / we can]. However, the writer uses [if] twice in the last line. Overall though, grammatical errors are frequent and they do cause difficulty in understanding. To achieve a higher score, the main features of the updated plan need to be presented, and an overview, which summarises the main changes. This response is also less than 150 words long, so there is room to add more resource overall. An example overview The changes to the harbour between 2000 and now focus on improvements that are targeted towards attracting visitors or tourists to the harbour, and include a new hotel with a private beach, more capacity for the passenger ferries and expanded facilities for them. IELTS 19 Academic, Sample Writing answers TEST 2, WRITING TASK 1 This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 6.0 score. The two maps illustrates how Porth Harbour changed from 2000 to nowadays. As it is clear from the plans, the Porth Harbous is different today, and this differences are due to significant improvements. The main improvement was the construction of a new hotel where there was a disused castle. In addiction the public beach became a private one. The plans aloo show the presence of new cafés and shops near the lifeboat where in 2000 there was nothing. Today, in Porth Horbour the number of showers and toilets doubled and Marina changed sport with the fishing boats access. The number of passanger ferries accesses doubled too, in fact today there are two passanger ferries accesses while in 2000 there was only one. On the other hand no changes about car parks that remain two and about the only life boat access that is still present today Overall, there are many differences between the two plans, with only few features that are still the same. 164 words Here is the examiner's comment: This response presents the key information from the task. The candidate describes the changes between the harbour in 2000 and the harbour today starting in the bottom right-hand corner and moving systematically clockwise. There is an overview, but it is quite generic, and says the differences are [significant improvements]. Ideas are arranged well and there are some nice linking expressions [Today / On the other hand / Overall] but some errors [this differences / these differences / aloo / also] and quite a lot of repetition. Vocabulary is used appropriately, with a few good examples [doubled / features], but the range is restricted and there is inaccuracy [addiction / addition / passanger / passenger]. Grammatical structures include multi-clause sentences and some accuracy, but the range is limited and there are errors. However, they do not reduce communication. To achieve a higher score, the candidate should present an overview which summarises the main stages. They should also demonstrate a greater level of accuracy with vocabulary and grammatical structures. An example overview The changes to the harbour between 2000 and now focus on improvements that are targeted towards attracting visitors or tourists to the harbour, and include a new hotel with a private beach, more capacity for the passenger ferries and expanded facilities. IELTS 19 Academic, Sample Writing answers TEST 4, WRITING TASK 1 This model has been prepared by an examiner as an example of a very good answer. The plans illustrate the layout of Porth Harbour in two distinct years: 2000 and the present day. Overall, the transformation of Porth Harbour during this period highlights a significant shift towards increased development and modernization, while enhancing its appeal to visitors. One of the most striking transformations is the conversion of the former castle into a boutique hotel, which in turn necessitated construction of a lane connecting the hotel to the main road. Furthermore, the public beach has been converted into a private area, increasing exclusivity for the hotel guests. The jetty has been expanded, allowing for the accommodation of a greater number of vessels and significantly enhancing maritime activities. Notably, the positions of the private yachts and fishing boats have been swapped, optimizing space and accessibility for both types of users. Moreover, cafés and shops, along with additional showers and toilets, have been introduced to better serve both residents and tourists. While many aspects of the harbour have evolved, a few features remain unchanged, including the two car parks, the main thoroughfares, and the public beach located off the map to the north. 184 words Here are comments from another examiner: Task Response: 9 The response effectively summarizes and analyzes the changes in Porth Harbour, clearly detailing the key developments between 2000 and the present day. It adequately addresses all aspects of the task, providing a comprehensive overview of the transformation. Coherence and Cohesion: 9 The essay is well-organized, with a clear introduction that sets the stage for the discussion. Each paragraph logically flows into the next, and the use of cohesive devices is effective in guiding the reader through the various changes. Transitions between sentences and ideas are smooth. Lexical Resource: 9 The vocabulary used is varied and precise, employing terms such as "transformation," "exclusivity," "accommodation," and "enhancing." This demonstrates a strong command of language, and the word choices enhance the clarity and sophistication of the writing. Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 9 The grammatical structures are varied, with a mix of complex and simple sentences. The writing displays a high level of grammatical accuracy, with no noticeable errors. This contributes to the overall professionalism of the response. Additional Suggestions for Improvement: While this version is already quite strong, enhancing it with a few specific numerical details or examples could provide additional depth. For instance, if applicable, mentioning how many boats the jetty can now accommodate or the number of new cafes and shops could further enrich the response. Overall, this is an excellent and polished response, likely achieving a band score in the 8.5-9.0 range. IELTS 19 Academic, Sample Writing answers TEST 2, WRITING TASK 2 I This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 4.0 score. The working week should be four days long, and the weekend three days long. The works days should be more then four and the holidays more than three day. I am this statement to disagree. I believe that the worked are five days and two days holidays it good idea. Firstally, Every person are working on monday to friday. Weekend is two day break it is good. because every person need to more money and good life style then every person going to work the get more salary and modern life style. Mostly people weekend enjoyed are different. different style like went to clubs. They are waste of money. Some people take a Rest and go to dinner party. It's good idea for enjoy. It's save the money. Secondly, I think five days working it is good everyone because every person busy in the life. mostly aged people o nweekend free on weekend they are think lots of things in mind they are taking dieseses, like stress and diprashion. I think two days break good idea for every one. My personal experencise E.g. my father is employ the wis work on five days then two days break. He wis good health. Then he wis reteaed last year then he is pravite job only two days and left of days in house He is always worried many things. He is disprashion and stressed all time because they are lots of free time. In conclusion, I am totatly disagree, this topic sentence. Although long weekend it is not good idea and long working day is not good because long weekend more peaple waste of money and time and long working day more stressed then I think five day working and two day break it good idea for every one. Every one need to brak and rest it is two day good. 309 words Here is the examiner's comment: This response is clearly on the correct topic and is an attempt to address the question related to the working week. However, there is some confusion at the start. The candidate seems to have added a 'title' or opening statement that rephrases the question. Headings or titles are not necessary for Task 2 and this is an example where it causes a lack of clarity. However, ignoring the first line, the candidate sets out their position in the second paragraph, that five working days and two weekend days is the right combination. The third paragraph is not clear, but the arguments support a two-day weekend. The penultimate paragraph gives better evidence in support of a five-day working week (too much time off can lead to worry and depression). The conclusion introduces the idea of the [long working day], but this is not required in the question and is less relevant. Coherence is impacted by the inclusion of the 'title'. There is some ability to use linking expressions [Firstally / Secondly / In conclusion], but overall sentences are not linked together well and there is noticeable repetition [person / money / days]. Vocabulary is sufficient for the task but there is inaccuracy in spelling [diprashion / depression / experencise / experience / reteaed / retired]. Similarly, the range of grammatical structures is very limited. There are no examples of complete correct sentences within this response, and this does make it difficult to read. This is an example of a low-level response, largely due to the language ability of the candidate. They are able to make some relevant points about the topic, but the significant errors in vocabulary and grammar mean that the response is difficult to read. IELTS 19 Academic, Sample Writing answers TEST 2, WRITING TASK 2 This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score. The bast majority of people tend to say that the amount of days when you work should be shortened, so that a weekend will last for 3 days. However, it is a really controversial issue. On the one hand, it could be beneficial if people relax more during the week. There is no doubt that the more free time you have, the better you feel, the more energy you have and consequently it is possible to work harder. Moreover, lots of people nowadays suffer from the deprivation of sleep, so if the weekend is longer, there is no problem to get enough rest and sleep at least 8 hours per day. On the other hand, having longer weekends may result in decreasing the motivation to work. People simply will not have enough time to fulfil all the tasks needed which might worsen the quality of work. Furthermore, companies will lose huge sums of money since the working week is short and factories, shopping malls, offices do not work. A friend of mine owned a small clothes shop and he made and experiment 2 years ago. He allowed his empoyees to work part-time so that they spent less hours at the shop. It did not work well and he decided to shorten the working week. The company lost so much money that he had to quit his business. To sum up, though working for four days per week may be beneficial for people's health, it may result in terrible consequences. 249 words Here is the examiner's comment: This is a strong response to the task. It presents both the positives and negatives of having a longer weekend. The benefits focus on the ability of workers to relax more effectively and catch up on sleep. However, the disadvantages include the decrease in worker motivation, the lack of time to complete tasks, the reduction in quality of work and ultimately, the loss of money by the businesses. The candidate also gives an example from their own knowledge. The conclusion does not clearly state whether the writer agrees or disagrees but presents both sides. A clearer statement on the candidate's position would strengthen this response. Ideas are presented logically, with the benefits first and the challenges second. A range of linking expressions are used [On the one hand / Moreover / To sum up] and there is some good use of referencing [they / it]. Paragraphing helps to organise and categorise the ideas, although the final paragraph is just one sentence and could be extended. Vocabulary is well managed, with a good range of higher-level items, including collocation [controversial issue / get enough rest / quit his business]. There are some errors [bast / vast / empoyees / employees] which may be typing mistakes but still detract from a higher score. Grammatical structures are also generally well presented, with a range of complex structures, including conditionals [if], modals [might worsen / may result] and multi- clause sentences. A few errors do remain. Overall, this is a strong response. To achieve a higher score, the candidate should provide a more robust conclusion and state their opinion more clearly. IELTS 19 Academic, Sample Writing answers TEST 4, WRITING TASK 2 This model has been prepared by an examiner as an example of a very good answer. In contemporary society, the notion of redefining the traditional workweek has garnered considerable attention. Proponents argue that a shorter working week, complemented by an extended weekend, offers profound benefits for both employees and employers. I am in complete agreement with this viewpoint, as it can significantly boost productivity and enhance mental well-being. Foremost among the advantages of a truncated working week is the potential for heightened productivity. Extensive research suggests that excessive work hours do not correlate with increased output; rather, they often lead to fatigue and decreased efficiency. A well-documented example is the Swedish experiment with a four-day workweek, which resulted in improved productivity and heightened job satisfaction. By dedicating fewer days to work, employees conserve energy and sustain concentration, ultimately enhancing their performance and contributing to organizational success. Moreover, the mental health benefits of a longer weekend are compelling. The stress and anxiety associated with prolonged working hours can detrimentally affect one's overall well-being. Allocating additional personal time affords individuals the opportunity to rest, engage in family activities, and pursue hobbies, thereby fostering mental rejuvenation. The successful implementation of a four-day workweek by New Zealand's Perpetual Guardian serves as a testament to this, with employees reporting reduced stress levels and a more balanced personal and professional life. These findings underscore the importance of rest in maintaining mental health and sustaining a motivated workforce. In conclusion, transitioning to a shorter working week with a longer weekend holds numerous advantages, such as optimized productivity and enhanced mental health. By affording workers more leisure time to recuperate and pursue personal interests, companies can cultivate a more dedicated and healthier workforce. As such, redefining the conventional workweek stands as a strategic initiative in advancing workplace satisfaction and efficiency. 286 words Here are comments from another examiner: Task Response: 9 The response thoroughly addresses the prompt, clearly articulating the argument in favor of a shorter working week and providing well-developed points with specific examples. The argument is coherent and relevant, showcasing a clear understanding of the topic. Coherence and Cohesion: 9 The essay is logically structured, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs that explore individual themes, and a concise conclusion. Each paragraph flows naturally into the next, with effective use of cohesive devices that guide the reader smoothly through the argument. Lexical Resource: 9 The vocabulary is varied and sophisticated, utilizing terms such as "heightened productivity," "detrimentally," and "rejuvenation." These choices enhance the clarity and depth of the writing. The essay effectively employs differing vocabulary to convey nuanced ideas. Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 9 The grammatical structures are varied and complex, demonstrating a strong command of English. There are no noticeable grammatical errors, and the syntax is consistently clear and effective. Final Comments: This is an excellent response that effectively argues for the benefits of a shorter working week. It combines strong evidence, cohesive structure, and advanced vocabulary to present a compelling case. No significant changes are necessary, but ensuring that all examples are directly relevant to the argument can further solidify the overall impact. This essay is likely to achieve a band score in the 8.5-9.0 range. IELTS 19 Academic, Sample Writing answers
- Right — Eyre has found 'evidence of an adult or adults in the child's life who valued and supported education' and says that this is a feature of high performance from children 'who were succeeding despite difficult circumstances'.
Your result
- Not ready yet. You are unlikely to get an acceptable score under examination conditions. Spend a lot of time improving your English before you take IELTS.
- Almost there. You may get an acceptable score under examination conditions, but we recommend more practice or lessons before you take IELTS.
- On track. You are likely to get an acceptable score under examination conditions — but remember that different institutions find different scores acceptable.
These bands are Cambridge's own, printed under the answer key for this test — they differ slightly from test to test. The score above counts your first attempt: what you had right before any explanation appeared.