Part 1 Academic Reading 1

Contents Introduction How to Use This Book v Part 1 Academic Reading 1 Unit 1 About the Academic Reading Test 1 Unit 2 The Skills You Need 7 Unit 3 Multiple-choice Questions 14 Unit 4 True/False/Not Given Questions 21 Unit 5 Yes/No/Not Given Questions 26 Unit 6 Short Answer Questions 31 Unit 7 Sentence Completion Questions 36 Unit 8 Diagram/Flow Chart Completion Questions 41 Unit 9 Table/Note Completion Questions 46 Unit 10 Summary Completion Questions 51 Unit 11 Matching Headings Questions 56 Unit 12 Matching Features Questions 63 Unit 13 Matching Sentence Endings Questions 70 Unit 14 Academic Reading Practice Tests 76 IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test 1 77 IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test 2 88 IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test 3 99 IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test 4 110 Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1 121 Unit 1 About Academic Writing Task 1 121 Unit 2 Task Achievement 127 Unit 3 Coherence and Cohesion 144 Unit 4 Lexical Resource 164 Unit 5 Grammatical Range and Accuracy 190 Unit 6 Practice Questions 210

iv Part 3 Academic Writing Task 2 228 Unit 1 About Task 2 228 Unit 2 Analysing the Task 230 Unit 3 Brainstorming Ideas 234 Unit 4 Planning the Essay 238 Unit 5 Writing the Essay 242 Unit 6 Lexical Resource 251 Unit 7 Grammatical Range and Accuracy 254 Unit 8 Editing 259 Unit 9 Common Problems 262 Unit 10 Practice Tests 263 Appendix 1 268 Answer Key 268 Appendix 2 318 Reading Answer Sheet 318 Academic Writing Task 1 Self-study Checklist 319 Editing Checklist for Task 2 320 Acknowledgments 321

Unit 2 Task Achievement Tip To get a good mark, you need to make the report interesting. Look at the data. Someone has collected this data for a reason, and it tells us something interesting. You need to explain why the data is important and interesting. Example The following tables describe bill-paying habits and attitudes to unpaid bills, by age group. Table 1 Proportion of people who are worried about their unpaid bills, by age group. Under 30 74% 30 45 66% 45 60 33% Over 60 20% Worried Table 2 Proportion of people who usually pay their bills on time, by age group. No Under 30 65% 30 45 58% 45 60 30% Over 60 15% This data comes from a survey. A researcher asked the questions Are you worried about your unpaid bills? and Do you pay your bills on time? They asked thousands of people, and then put the results into these tables.

128 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic Activity 2.1 Imagine that you are the researcher who did this survey. Who paid you to do it? Why do they need the information? Match the client (1 4) with the reason (a d). Client Need 1 A bank paid you a to find out about their customers, who are people over 60. 2 You were paid by a government department that regulates the bank system b to find out about their customers, who are people aged 30 to 45. 3 A private pension fund paid you c to find out whether citizens are suffering financial stress. 4 A mortgage company paid you d to find out about their customers for a new advertising campaign. Your job now is to show the survey results to the bank, pension fund, government department, etc. They don t have time to look at every number in the tables they just need the general idea. However, it is a technical report, so you need to prove that what you say is true by giving accurate details. When people read data reports, they usually just skim-read the first sentences. Then they might read more, if it is interesting. That is why you should start with an overview or executive summary that summarises the most important information. STEP 1. What is the main message you get from the data in the table? Activity 2.2 Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. 1. The majority of people under 30 are worried about their unpaid bills. 2. More than half of people aged 30 45 are worried about their unpaid bills. 3. The majority of people who are under 45 years old are worried about their unpaid bills. 4. The majority of people aged over 45 aren t worried about their unpaid bills. 5. The majority of people aged 30 45 and 45 60 pay their bills on time. 6. The majority of people aged 45 60 and over 60 pay their bills on time. 7. The older someone is, the more likely they are to pay their bills on time. 8. There seems to be a change in behaviour and attitude around age 45. 9. Most people aged 45 60 and over 60 don t have unpaid bills.

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 129 STEP 2. Write one or two sentences about the main message this is your overview. It is best to give the overview at the beginning of your report. That way, the examiner is sure to notice it. You should NOT copy the task prompt as your overview. For example: DO NOT write The tables describe bill-paying habits and attitudes to unpaid bills, by age group. This is a waste of time. It is not your own language, so the examiner will ignore it. It doesn t show how well you can use English, because you have copied it. It also doesn t show how well you have analysed the data because it doesn t say anything about the results of the study. DO write: This survey of bill-paying habits and attitudes to unpaid bills shows that as people get older, particularly after age 45, they become better at paying their bills on time and become less worried about their unpaid bills. Tip Do NOT use your own ideas to explain the data. For example, Older people have more money, so that s why they can pay their bills on time. This may be true, but the information is not in the graph, so don t write it. STEP 3. Now you need to give details to prove that your main idea is correct. You need to quote some real survey results. We made three main statements in the overview. We ll describe them one by one, with a paragraph for each one. Activity 2.3 Match the overview statement (a, b, c) with the paragraph (D, E, F) that supports it. a b c The survey results show that as people get older, particularly after age 45, they become better at paying their bills on time. The survey results show that as people get older, particularly after age 45, they become less worried about their unpaid bills. There seems to be a relationship between these things. Paragraph D Overall, there seems to be a connection between not paying bills on time and being worried about unpaid bills. Where there is one, you also see the other. Paragraph E Most people aged under 45 (65 per cent of under 30s and 58 per cent of 30- to 45-year-olds) don t pay their bills on time. Meanwhile, most people over 45 do pay their bills on time, with 30 per cent of 45- to 60-year-olds and only 15 per cent of the over-60s not paying. It seems that bill-paying behaviour splits the population into two groups: under 45 and over 45. Paragraph F This is the same with worrying about unpaid bills. In the two younger age groups, most people are worried about them: 74 per cent of the under 30s and 66 per cent of the 30 45s. In contrast, only 33 per cent of 45- to 60-year-olds and 15 per cent of over- 60-year-olds are concerned about unpaid bills.

130 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic Now, let s put the answer all together. The survey results show that as people get older, particularly after age 45, they become better at paying their bills on time and become less worried about their unpaid bills. There seems to be a relationship between these things. Most people aged under 45 (65 per cent of under 30s and 58 per cent of 30- to 45-year-olds) don t pay their bills on time. Meanwhile, most people over 45 do pay their bills on time, with 30 per cent of 45- to 60-year-olds and only 15 per cent of the over-60s not paying. It seems that bill paying behaviour splits the population into two groups: under 45 and over 45. This is the same with worrying about unpaid bills. In the two younger age groups, most people are worried about them: 74 per cent of the under 30s and 66 per cent of the 30 45s. In contrast, only 33 per cent of 45- to 60-year-olds and 15 per cent of over-60-year-olds are concerned about unpaid bills. Overall, there seems to be a connection between not paying bills on time and being worried about unpaid bills. Where there is one, you also see the other. TIP In this example, there are probably other ways to explain the data, but you don t have that information. For example, people have more money as they get older, so they can pay their bills on time. This is why you should use Academic English expressions like there may be / it seems / there could be / there appears to be. STEP 4. Check your work. Look back at the Task 1 instructions. Have you followed them? Yes, described the main trends and differences and made comparisons. Have you written an overview (a short description of the main message)? Yes, the first sentence. Have you written about all the main points the trends, differences or stages? Have you supported this with data? Yes. Every statement includes some numbers to explain it. Have you described the data accurately? Pay attention to any labels or headings. For example, does this table show number of people, or percentage of people? (Percentage of people.) Check that you have quoted numbers accurately. Yes. Tip A good Task 1 should give a clear message. Imagine you are a bank director who requested this report. Does it give you a clear idea for action? Yes. You would probably start advertising to people aged around 45, because this seems to be a pivotal age.

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 131 Activity 2.4 The following graphs show exports from the UK, USA and China in one year. 1 2 USA UK China USA UK China China USA UK 3 4 20% 30% 45% 45% 50% 30% 25% 15% 40% Local Regional International China UK USA Which diagram (1 4) shows: A. a big gap that shrinks over time? B. a gradual increase that suddenly increases more quickly? C. two things that show a similar growth for most of the period? D. something that starts out highest, but becomes the lowest? E. something that starts out highest, but becomes middle-ranked? F. two things that show a similar growth for a part of the period? G. two countries with the same share of something?

132 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic Activity 2.5 Match the graph (1 4) to the overview. A. The USA had the highest proportion of regional exports, but the lowest proportion of international exports. China and the UK had similar proportions of international exports, but different proportions of the other categories. B. Exports rose steadily in every country, but increased sharply in the USA and the UK, and gradually in China. The UK showed the greatest increase overall. C. The USA showed a reasonably steady decline in exports over the period, while the UK s exports fluctuated, but showed an overall slight increase. China showed dramatic fluctuations in exports, but there was no overall increase or decrease over the period. D. Exports showed an increasing trend, with some fluctuations, in every country over the period. However, in the future the most dramatic increase is predicted for China. It will go from the lowest of the three countries shown, to the highest. Example activity This activity is an example of how to do the following activities 2.6 2.8. The following graph shows the population growth in developing countries and industrialised countries, with a prediction to 2050. Billions 10 Billions 10 8 8 Population 6 4 3 2 1 0 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 Year 6 4 3 2 1 0 Industrialised nations Developing nations

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 133 What are the main features? Now write the overview. Main features 1. Both populations increase slowly at first. 2. The increase in developing countries is much faster than in industrialised countries, especially after 1950. 3. After 2000, the population of industrialised countries stops growing. Overview The populations of developing countries and industrialised countries increased at about the same, steady rate until around 1950, when the population in developing countries skyrocketed. In 2000, while that rapid growth was still happening, the population in industrialised countries began to plateau. These contrasting trends are predicted to continue until 2050. Activity 2.6 The following tables show the average age of students at a college, and how happy the students were with their courses. What are the main features? Now write the overview. How happy students were with their courses Certificate Diploma very happy 73% 5% happy 16% 12% unhappy 10% 42% very unhappy 1% 41%

134 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic [continued from previous page] Average age of students Certificate Diploma 15 to 25 79% 17% 25 to 35 18% 62% 35 to 45 1% 20% 45 and over 2% 1% Activity 2.7 The following diagrams show changes to a museum. What are the main features? Now write the overview. Staff area Storage area Permanent exhibition space Visiting exhibition space Entrance 2010 Toilets Staff area Entrance Visiting exhibition space Permanent exhibition space Shop 2012 Storage area Toilets

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 135 Activity 2.8 The following diagram shows the paper manufacturing cycle. What are the main features? Now write the overview. Forests Woodchips Paper Customers Waste paper Pulp and paper factory recycled paper new paper Activity 2.9: Spot the errors These overviews have incorrect facts. Can you find them? 1. The following chart shows the population of a certain town from 1861 to 2002. 160 140 120 Population (thousands) 100 80 60 40 20 0 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1926 1936 Year 1946 1961 1971 1981 1991 2002

136 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic [continued from previous page] The population fell and then increased over the period. At the start of the period, in 1861, the population was 110 people, and after decreasing to nearly half, the population only exceeded the 1861 level in 2002, when there were around 130 residents in the town. 2. The following graph shows the number of widgets, by type (A N), that were produced by a company in one year. 100 000 Widgets produced 90 000 80 000 70 000 60 000 50 000 40 000 30 000 20 000 10 000 0 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N The graph clearly shows that, after some early fluctuation, the production of widgets levelled out towards the end of the year. 3. The following graph shows the average monthly rainfall in two major cities. 70 Monthly rainfall (mm) in major cities London Berlin 60 50 40 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec The monthly rainfall averages show similar patterns in the dry months (January to April), but different patterns in the rest of the year. Each city has two main peaks at different times and the highest monthly rainfall happens in London, in June.

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 137 4. The following graph shows the percentage of people who recycle their rubbish, in five countries, over 12 years. % 35 1992 2004 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 UK USA Japan Singapore Germany Between 1992 and 2004, there was a dramatic increase in the proportion of UK residents who recycle. Presenting the data After the overview, you need to write some more paragraphs to give the detail that proves your statements. For example, if your overview said men worked longer hours than women, you need to give data to support that statement. Do not list every single number. You need to organise the data and select the most important data.

138 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic Activity 2.10 Look at the answer and fill the gaps. The following diagrams show international student enrolments at a university from 1975 to 2009. Students home region 1975 2009 Asia 20% 65% 3500 3000 International student numbers Europe 20% 20% Africa 15% 10% North America 15% 10% South America 30% 0% 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 1975 80 85 90 95 2000 05 09 There were stages of growth: a period of slow growth between and ; a period of faster growth between and ; and a period of rapid increase between and. It seems the increase came mainly from higher numbers of students (up from per cent in 1975 to per cent in 2009). Proportions of students from other regions stayed roughly the same, or fell slightly, except for students from. These students accounted for per cent of all international students in 1975, but by 2009 there were no students from this region.

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 139 Activity 2.11 Look at this answer. What s wrong? The following tables show the average age of students at a college, and how happy the students were with their courses. How happy students were with their courses Certificate Diploma very happy 73% 5% happy 16% 12% unhappy 10% 42% very unhappy 1% 41% Average age of students Certificate Diploma 15 to 25 79% 17% 25 to 35 18% 62% 35 to 45 1% 20% 45 and over 2% 1% The tables show the average age of students at a college, and how happy the students were with their courses. There are certificate students and diploma students. Certificate students were very happy with their course (73 per cent) or happy with their course (16 per cent) or unhappy with their course (10 per cent). Not many of them were very unhappy with their course (only 1 per cent). Diploma students were very unhappy with their course (41 per cent), unhappy with their course (42 per cent) or happy with their course (12 per cent) or very happy with their course (5 per cent). Certificate students were 15 to 25 years old (79 per cent) or 25 to 35 years old (18 per cent). Not many of them were 35 to 45 years of age (1 per cent) or over 45 (2 per cent). On the other hand, 17 per cent of diploma students were 15 to 25 years old, and 62 per cent were aged 25 to 35, while 20 per cent were 35 to 45 years old and only 1 per cent were aged 45 and over.

140 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic Activity 2.12 Look at this answer. What s wrong? The following tables describe bill-paying habits and attitudes to debt, by age group. Worried about unpaid bills Pay bills on time Under 30 74% 30 45 66% 45 60 33% Over 60 20% Under 30 35% 30 45 42% 45 60 70% Over 60 85% The survey results show that as people get older, particularly after age 45, they become better at paying their bills on time and become less worried about their unpaid bills. There seems to be a relationship between these things. Few people aged under 45 (only 35 per cent of under-30s and 42 per cent of 30- to 45-year-olds) don t pay their bills on time. Meanwhile, 70 per cent of 45- to 60-year-olds pay their bills on time. It seems that bill-paying behaviour splits the population into two groups: under 45 and over 45. This is the same with worrying about unpaid bills. In the two younger age groups, most people are worried about them: 75 per cent of the under-30s and 66 per cent of the 30 45s. In contrast, only 33 per cent of 45- to 60-year-olds are concerned about unpaid bills. Overall, there seems to be a connection between not paying bills on time and being worried about unpaid bills. Where there is one, you also see the other. Checking When you have finished writing your Task 1 answer, remember to check it. These are the important points to look for to get a good mark for task achievement: Task Achievement Does it have an overview of main patterns? Does it have the most important details? Does it have any irrelevant information (for example, personal experience or opinions)? Does it quote numbers and other data accurately? Do not include these.

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 141 Activity 2.13 Check this example answer using the checklist. The following tables compare the total value of exports and the amount of CO 2 produced per person for five countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. CO 2 produced per person (2010) United States 6.09 Germany 3.04 France 1.63 China.67 Japan.44 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tons per person 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 GDP (in trillions) $15 $14 $13 $12 $11 $10 $9 $8 $7 $6 $5 $4 $3 $2 $1 $0 $14.62 trillion $5.74 trillion $5.39 trillion $3.30 trillion $2.55 trillion USA China Germany Japan France

142 IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing Academic [continued from previous page] Sample answer: The data shows that the country with the largest GDP (the USA) also had the highest perperson CO 2 production. However, Japan and China, the countries with the second-largest GDPs, had the lowest per-person CO 2 production. Throughout the period (2000 to 2010), the USA had the highest GDP, rising steadily from $10 trillion to $14.62 trillion over the period, with only one small dip around 2009. This country also had the highest CO 2 production per person in 2010. In contrast, Japan s GDP fluctuated around $5 trillion, with no major growth over the period, and although Japan s GDP was around 30 to 50 per cent of the USA s, its CO 2 production was less than 10 per cent of the USA s. The GDPs of Germany and France remained fairly constant over the period, only increasing by about $1 trillion, to $3.30 trillion and $2.55 trillion, respectively. Although their GDPs were similar, Germany s CO 2 production was double that of France. China s GDP was the same as France s until 2005, when it began to increase rapidly. By 2010, China s GDP was $5.74 trillion, although it still only produced 0.67 tonnes of CO 2 per person. Task achievement Yes/no Example Does it give an overview of main patterns? Does it talk about the most important details? Does it have any irrelevant information (for example, personal experience or opinions)? Does it quote numbers and other data accurately? Tip Another good way to check your answer is to ask a friend to read it and recreate the original diagram.

Part 2 Academic Writing Task 1: Unit 2 Task Achievement 143 Activity 2.14 Draw the diagram that this answer is talking about. 1.5 CO 2 380 Temperature anomaly (deg C) 1 0.5 0 360 340 320 0.5 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year The graph shows that CO 2 levels increased steadily between 1960 and 2005, while average global temperatures also rose, but not as steeply and with some fluctuation. Despite a slow start at the beginning of the period, by the middle of the period, the temperature anomaly was rising fairly quickly, increasing by nearly 5 C in 20 years. In 1960, CO 2 levels were at around 310 ppmv, but they increased steadily by around 15 ppmv per decade. Halfway through the period, in 1980, they had reached 340 ppmv and by the end of the period, in 2005, they had risen to around 380 ppmv. Meanwhile, the increase in average global temperature also increased between 1960 and 2005, though not so smoothly. For almost the first 20 years (1960 to 1978) there was no net increase, and the temperature difference remained under 0, with troughs of nearly 2 C in 1965 and 1976 and a small peak, at nearly 1 C, in 1971. From around 1978, the average temperature anomaly began to increase, with small peaks in 1982 (at 1 C), 1989 (at 2 C) and 2000 (at 4 C). At the end of the period, the average temperature difference was 0.5 C. When you use the practice answers at the back of this book, remember to check them with the checklist, and then ask a friend to recreate the diagram. You can check all your answers to the activities in this unit in the Answer Key in Appendix 1.