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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 8

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This reading practice simulates one part of the IELTS General Reading test. You should spend about twenty minutes on it. Read the passage and answer questions 15-26.

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A The recognition of the wealth and diversity of England’s coastal archaeology has been one of the most important developments of recent years. Some elements of this enormous resource have long been known. The so-called ‘submerged forests’ off the coasts of England, sometimes with clear ...
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Questions 15-19
The reading passage has nine paragraphs labelled A-I.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-I in boxes 15-19 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

15. An account of the difficulties of managing the coast

16. Reference to a time when Britain was connected to mainland Europe

17. An account of some of the industries that took part on the coast of Britain

18. Highlights of some of the contemporary natural problems which affect Britain’s coast

19. Reference to sailing vessels and marine sites leading to coastline building

The answer is I. Paragraph I discusses the challenges associated with managing archaeological remains in the coastal zone. It mentions the complexity of managing the resource because of the scale and variety of the remains, natural and human threats, and many organizations involved. The text specifically states, "the complexity of the problem of managing that resource is also being realized. The problem arises not only from the scale and variety of the archaeological remains, but also from two other sources: the very varied natural and human threats to the resource, and the complex web of organizations with authority over, or interests in, the coastal zone."

Associated Text:
the complexity of the problem of managing that resource is also being realized. The problem arises not only from the scale and variety of the archaeological remains, but also from two other sources: the very varied natural and human threats to the resource, and the complex web of organizations with authority over, or interests in, the coastal zone.

The answer is C. Paragraph C refers to the historical connection between Britain and mainland Europe. It describes how rising sea levels caused "the loss of the land bridge between England and France, which finally made Britain an island." This directly references a time when Britain was connected to continental Europe by land.

Associated Text:
The encroachment of the sea, the loss of huge areas of land now under the North Sea and the English Channel, and especially the loss of the land bridge between England and France, which finally made Britain an island

The answer is H. Paragraph H provides details about industries that existed along the British coast. It mentions fishing, salt production, and the exploitation of mineral resources as industrial activities, stating, "Fishing and salt production are among the better documented activities... Other industries were also located along the coast, either because the raw materials outcropped there or for ease of working and transport..."

Associated Text:
Fishing and salt production are among the better documented activities... Other industries were also located along the coast, either because the raw materials outcropped there or for ease of working and transport: mineral resources such as sand, gravel, stone, coal, ironstone, and alum were all exploited.

The answer is B. Paragraph B discusses recent natural problems, focusing specifically on concerns over climate change and its impact on the British coast. It states, "In the 1980s and 1990s, scientific research into climate change and its environmental impact spilled over into a much broader public debate... The prospect of rising sea levels over the next century, and their impact on current coastal environments, has been a particular focus for concern."

Associated Text:
In the 1980s and 1990s, scientific research into climate change and its environmental impact spilled over into a much broader public debate as awareness of these issues grew; the prospect of rising sea levels over the next century, and their impact on current coastal environments, has been a particular focus for concern.

The answer is G. Paragraph G introduces the need for landing places or sites to dock boats, mentioning wharves, quays, and harbors. It states, "Boats need landing places, yet our knowledge on this area is also quite limited... many ports and harbors, as well as smaller facilities such as quays, wharves, and jetties, were built." This links sailing vessels to the construction of coastal sites.

Associated Text:
Boats need landing places, yet our knowledge on this area is also quite limited. In many cases, the natural shores and beaches would have sufficed, leaving little or no archaeological trace, but especially in later periods, many ports and harbors, as well as smaller facilities such as quays, wharves, and jetties, were built.

Questions 20-24
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 20-24 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE   if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE   if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN   if there is no information on this.

20. The coastline of Britain has been studied seriously since the 1700s.

21. Until recent years the coast around Britain has remained relatively stable.

22. Coastal archaeological evidence may not be well protected.

23. It is difficult to understand how many people lived close to the sea.

24. The use of boats had not been recorded for a thousand years.

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph A explains that serious and systematic study of the British coastline only began in the early 1980s, despite some antiquarian interest in earlier centuries. The relevant sentence is: "serious and systematic attention has been given to the archaeological potential of the coast only since the early 1980s." Therefore, the assertion that the coastline has been studied seriously since the 1700s is incorrect.

Associated Text:
serious and systematic attention has been given to the archaeological potential of the coast only since the early 1980s.

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph C indicates the coastline has been continuously changing over a long period due to natural processes. It mentions "The dominant process affecting the physical form of England in the post-glacial period has been rising in the altitude of sea level relative to the land..." and Paragraph D emphasizes the great rise in sea level leading to considerable changes, refuting the idea that the coast was relatively stable until recently.

Associated Text:
The dominant process affecting the physical form of England in the post-glacial period has been rising in the altitude of sea level relative to the land, as the glaciers melted, and the landmass readjusted. So great has been the rise in sea level and the consequent regression of the coast that much of the archaeological evidence is now within the coastal zone.

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph D explains that coastal archaeological evidence is often well preserved. Specifically, it says, "its physical environment means that preservation is often excellent, for example in the case of the Neolithic structure excavated at the Stumble in Essex." This directly contradicts the statement that coastal archaeological evidence may not be well protected.

Associated Text:
its physical environment means that preservation is often excellent, for example in the case of the Neolithic structure excavated at the Stumble in Essex.

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph E describes how little is known about the extent to which people lived close to the sea in the past. The passage states, "We are not yet in a position to make even preliminary estimates of answers to such fundamental questions as ... what percentage of the population at any time lived within reach of the sea." This shows the difficulty of understanding population distributions near the coast.

Associated Text:
We are not yet in a position to make even preliminary estimates of answers to such fundamental questions as the extent to which the sea and the coast affected human life in the past, what percentage of the population at any time lived within reach of the sea

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph F addresses a gap in the historical record of boat usage, stating, "after this there is a gap in the record of a millennium, which cannot yet be explained before boats reappear, but it built using a very different technology." This confirms that boat usage was not documented for a thousand years.

Associated Text:
after this there is a gap in the record of a millennium, which cannot yet be explained before boats reappear, but it built using a very different technology.

Questions 25-26
Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 25-26 on your answer sheet.

Research into the manufacturing of will give us a better idea of the technological outlook of the time.

The wake from large has caused further damage to the seashore.

The answer is boats. Paragraph F explains that research into the production and use of boats will contribute to the understanding of technological attitudes and changes in the past. It states, "Boats were some of the most complex artifacts produced by pre-modem societies, and further research on their production and use make an important contribution to our understanding of past attitudes to technology and technological change." Therefore, the manufacturing of boats is directly tied to technological insights.

Associated Text:
Boats were some of the most complex artifacts produced by pre-modem societies, and further research on their production and use make an important contribution to our understanding of past attitudes to technology and technological change.

The answer is ferries. Paragraph I highlights that the wake from large ferries has increased the damage to the seashore, stating, "The larger size of ferries has also caused an increase in the damage caused by their wake to fragile deposits in the intertidal zone." This directly identifies ferries as the cause of further coastal damage.

Associated Text:
The larger size of ferries has also caused an increase in the damage caused by their wake to fragile deposits in the intertidal zone.

Answer Sheet
1
N/A
2
N/A
3
N/A
4
N/A
5
N/A
6
N/A
7
N/A
8
N/A
9
N/A
10
N/A
11
N/A
12
N/A
13
N/A
14
N/A
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
N/A
28
N/A
29
N/A
30
N/A
31
N/A
32
N/A
33
N/A
34
N/A
35
N/A
36
N/A
37
N/A
38
N/A
39
N/A
40
N/A
Score Summary
0 / 1
Multiple Choice
Matching Sentence Endings
Note Completion
Table Completion
Flow Chart Completion
Summary Completion
Multiple Selection
Short Answer
Matching Headings
Matching Features
Matching Information
Identifying Information
Identifying Viewer Claims
Sentence Completion
Diagram Labelling
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Tips to improve your reading speed
To get a high score on the IELTS reading section, you need to have a fast reading speed. To have a fast reading speed, you need to improve your vocabulary and practice dissecting sentences. One strategy to dissect a sentence is to look for the subject and verb of the sentence. Finding the subject and verb will help you better understand the main idea of said sentence. Keep in mind, a common feature of a IELTS reading passage is to join strings of ideas to form long compound sentences. This produces large chunks that students have a hard time absorbing. Do not get overwhelmed by its length, just look for the subject and verb, the rest of the ideas will flow.

Keep in mind, having a slow reading speed makes skimming or scanning a reading passage more difficult. The process of quickly skimming through a reading passage for specific keywords or main ideas is a requirement for you to employ successful reading strategies to improve your IELTS reading score. In other words, skimming and scanning are critical skills to ensure you complete all questions in the allotted time frame.
IELTS Reading Strategies
Once you can read and comprehend a passage with a rate of, at least, 220 words per minute, you'll be ready to start implementing our strategies. All too often, students spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time answering the questions. Here is a step by step guide for tackling the reading section.

  1. Step 1: Read questions first

    One of the most common mistakes that candidates make when approaching the reading exam is reading every single word of the passages. Although you can practice for the exam by reading for pleasure, "reading blindly" (reading without any sense of what the questions will ask) will not do you any favors in the exam. Instead, it will hurt your chances for effectively managing your time and getting the best score.

    The main reason to read the questions first is because the type of question may determine what you read in the passage or how you read it. For example, some question types will call for the "skimming" technique, while others may call for the "scanning" technique.

    It is important to answer a set of questions that are of the same question type. You'll need to determine which question type you want to tackle first. A good strategy would be to start with the easier question type and move on to more difficult question types later. The Easiest question types are the ones where you spend less time reading. For example, the Matching Heading question type is an easier one because you only need to find the heading that best describes the main idea of a paragraph. An example of a difficult question type would be Identifying Information. For this question type, you'll need to read each paragraph to find out if each statement is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN according to the passage.

    Here is a table that lists the difficulty levels for each question type. Use this table as a reference when choosing which question type you want to tackle first.

    Difficulty level Question Type
    Easy Sentence Completion
    Short answer
    Medium Matching Features
    Multiple choice
    Matching Headings
    Summary, Table, Flow-Chart Completion
    Difficult Matching Sentence Endings
    Matching Information
    Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
    Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

  2. Step 2: Read for an objective

    After you've read the questions for the passage, you will be able to read for an objective. What does this mean? For example, if you come across a question that includes the year "1896", you can make a note of when this year comes up in the text, using it to answer the question later on. There are two reading techniques that will help you stay on track with reading for an objective. The first one, skimming, is best defined as reading fast in order to get the "gist", or general idea, or a passage. With this technique, you are not stopping for any unfamiliar words or looking for specific details. The second technique, scanning, is best defined as reading for specific information. With this technique, you are not reading for the overall gist, but rather, specific information. Notice how each of these techniques has a specific objective in mind. This will help you find information more quickly.

  3. Step 3: Take notes

    As you're reading for an objective, you should also be making notes on the margins of the passage, placing stars next to key information, or underlining things that you believe will help you answer the various questions. This will make it easier for you to check back when you are asked certain things in the questions. Choose whichever note-taking system is right for you - just make sure you do it!

  4. Step 4: Answer wisely

    After you've read the questions, read the passage, and have taken any appropriate notes, you you should have located the part of the text where you where you need to read carefully. Then just read carefully and think critically to determine the correct answer.

IELTS Reading Question Types

The IELTS reading test contains many different question types:

Matching HeadingsIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Headings
Matching InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Information
Matching FeaturesIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Features
Summary CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Summary Completion
Identifying InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Information
Identifying Writer's claimsIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Writer's claims
Multiple ChoiceIELTS Reading Lesson: Multiple Choice
Short AnswerIELTS Reading Lesson: Short Answer
Match Sentence EndingIELTS Reading Lesson: Match Sentence Ending
Sentence CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Sentence Completion
Table CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Table Completion
 
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