Samm cou Reading . Els Van GeyteHarperCollins Publishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith London Wé 88. First edition 2011 Reprint 109876543210 © HarperCollins Publishers 2011 ISBN 978-0-00-742927-9 Collins ® is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers Limited. www.collinselt.com A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset in India by Aptara Printed in Italy by LEGO SpA, Lavis (Trento) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the Publisher. This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which itis published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. ‘About the author Els Van Geyte has been teaching at the English for International Students Unit at the University of Birmingham (UK! for over 10 years, preparing her students for the IELTS exam and for the linguistic demands of their academic courses. ‘Author's acknowledgements | would like to mention Tasia Vassitatou, whose editorial skills and diplomatic feedback have been ‘much appreciated. Thank you also to Howard Middle, who managed this project, to Celia and Catherine at HarperCollins, and to my first readers: Liz, Emma, John ‘and Becky, | would like to dedicate this book to John and Becky McCarthy, whose continual support has been invaluable. HarperCollins would lke to acknowledge the following contributors for material used inthis publication courtesy of nisynication com: Spouses to receive mare upon death of partner / Lauren Thomson / ‘The Times; Sil heading home Tor Christmas? /Anna Shephard / ‘The Times; Grandparents seek contact with grandeidren ater famiy separaton/ Rosemary Bennett /The Times testes sleepovers /Sarah Ebner /The Times: Clueless parents flthe first ad test / Alexandra Frean/ The Times; Increasing obesity pushes diabetes drug bil to €600m/ Sam ister The Times; Rising Schoo ees mean ts best to save now / Clare Francis / The Times; Education: Slvng the special needs schels crisis Zoe Brennan / ‘The Times: Student anger and university delight greet unlimited fees / Greg Hust and Joanna Sugden / The Times: Misery or parents as nursery ees ae set to rie by 15% Rosemary Bennett / The Times's the scary tea shop: one dunk and youre ut Alan Hamiton/The Times; Envrowise shows way to profit irom envionment care / Michelle Henery /The Times; Underwater archaeology: alien enronment can sink he experts / Lewis Smith The Times: Tow-surtng- why are the ides turning onus? John-Paul Flint / The Times; Hot rocks harnessed in Corll / Ben Marow / The Times; Poor NHS communication leaves elderly at risk of superbugs / David Rose /The Times; Body language Speaks volumes / Carl Lewis /The Times: Monkey friendly tunes Shed new light on evolutionary role of music / Mark Henderson / ‘The Times; Scot leads wayin language at ouch of button / Kenny Kemp The Times: Scientist iscovers animal language / Jonathan Leake / The Times: mater than we think Jonathan Leake and Georgia Warren The Times The Kids experiment /Sam Liste / ‘The Times: Scientist say dolphin shouldbe treated es non- human persons/ Jonathan Leake / The Sunday Times: Me Jane Met the reat queen ofthe jungle / Jo Harve / The Sunda Times Air travel hit os vlan hurls up new ash clue / Jonathan Leake / ‘The Times; leeland’s Eyoallajkul volcano oars back int life wth new eruption /Hannah Devin / The Times; year abroad can ‘make all the diference in job markt Janne Sugden The Times: How to fast-track yourself into ajob/ David Malcolm /The Sundoy ‘Times: Good Unversity Guide 2010: Keep the faith a degree i til a passer totter job prospects Alexandra Frean/The Tims: Sted generation has al the cing - but no ake / Ben Machell/ The Times; One in sixyoung Britons jobless as unemployment its ‘d-yar high / Tom Bawden and Marcus Leroux/ The Times Why its best to marry in your twenties / Andrew G. Marchal, iam Plowman, uy MacDanald/ The Times: Cammunity spirit adds value to your home / Emma Wells/ The Times Prince of Wales backs Street Pride campaign to protect publ spaces /Vlerie Eliot / The Times; Thats the community spirit / Lucy Denyr/ The Times: You wot my vte? Here's what | wantin return / Siobhan Maguire / The Times; Wl you tov your neighbours? / Robert Bulard/ The Times high culture too pricey’? Not tall /Rehard Morison /The Times; Cut-ou-and- keep guide to saving the arts / Bryan Appleyard / The Times: Why watching TV won turn your baby into a genus / Helen Rumbelow / The Times this a carbuncle ee belare me?/ Tom Dyckhott/ The Times; The diferent ways the wort counts / Alex Belios/The Times; Cyclists uring over ‘worse than useless bicycle lanes Cian Ginty/ The Times; Lite and large a etal combination: The growing popularity of "Chelsea ractors"?/ Ben Webster The Times; Breting: Tous tx/ Clin Gleeson The Times; Chinese cme in search ot history culture an luxury shopping / Dominic Walsh / The Times: Tourists shun travel agents to book erect / Jeremy Skidmore /The Times: Worlds shortest fight can ferry pups to School in ess than minute Melanie Rei/ The Times: Pickup a Pieass for ess than £1,000 / Mark Bridge The Tis; Mine rescue on verge af breakthrough / Martin Fletcher / The Times: Nicked ty the mii obo in the sky / Era Sith /The Times; Soaring CTV cameras are costly, te and politically matnated / Lindsay Mentosh/The TimesContents iio fo Introduction 1 Family matters Family and " 12 relationships Healthcare Health and fitness Getting an Education education Water Nature and the environment Non-verbal clues Language and communication Scientists at work Science and technology The job market Employment and finances Twenty-somethings Youth Community spirit People and places On the move Holidays and travel Cultural Culture and differences modern society Practice test Answer key ease) Matching headings Completing tables and diagrams Answering short-answer questions Matching sentence endings Answering multiple-choice questions Completing sentences and diagram labels Completing notes, summaries and flow charts Identifying information; Answering true/false/not given questions Matching information Identifying writers’ views or claims; Answering yes/no/not given questions Matching features 16 26 34 42 50 60 68 78 86 4 102 114Introduction Who is this book for? Reading for IELTS will prepare you for the IELTS Academic Reading test whether you are taking the test for the first time, or re-sitting the test. It has been written for learners with band score 5-5.5 who are trying to achieve band score 6 or higher. The structured approach and comprehensive answer key have been designed so that you can use the materials to study on your own. However, the book can also be used as a supplementary reading skills course for IELTS preparation classes. The book provides enough material for approximately 50 hours of classroom activity. Content Reading for IELTS is divided into 12 units. Each unit focuses on a topic area that you are likely to meet in the IELTS exam. This helps you to build up a bank of vocabulary and ideas related to a variety of the topics. As in the IELTS test, the texts are taken from authentic sources. These may contain narratives, logical arguments, descriptions or discussions. Some of texts contain visuals. Units 1-11 cover the types of question that you will see in the IELTS test. Each unit focuses on a particular type of question, for example, matching questions, short-answer questions, completion questions, multiple choice, questions asking you to identify information or identify writers’ views or claims. The exercises in the unit are relevant to the test. The aims listed at the start of each unit specify the key skills, techniques and language covered in the unit. You work towards Unit 12, which provides a final practice IELTS Reading test. Additionally, the book provides examination strategies telling you what to expect and how best to succeed in the test. Exam information is presented in clear, easy-to-read chunks. ‘Exam tips’ in each unit highlight essential exam techniques and can be rapidly reviewed at a glance. Unit structure Each of the first 11 units is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 introduces vocabulary related to the topic, often in the context of short texts. There are a range of exercises to help you to understand and use the vocabulary. The focus is on strategies and activities that are useful in the context of reading skills, for example working out the meaning of unknown words through the meaning of word components, or by examining word forms. The vocabulary is presented using Collins COBUILD dictionary definitions. Part 2 provides information and practice on the task types you will come across in the IELTS Reading test. An explanation on each task type is followed by exercises of increasing difficulty. These exercises give you the opportunity to practise the skills that are needed to complete the task, and they help you to develop strategies for completing these tasks in the test. For example, in the unit about completing notes, and summaries, you develop strategies such as predicting what words may be missing by using your knowledge of grammar. You can then use this strategy when sitting the test. Part 3 provides exam practice which focuses on the task that you practised in the unit. There is a text with questions. The number of questions is similar to the number in the actual test for the particular task type. You can use this as a way of assessing your readiness for the actual exam.Answer key ‘A comprehensive answer key is provided for all sections of the book including suggested answers. Notes are also given on why certain answers are correct or incorrect. Using the book for self-study If you are new to IELTS, we recommend that you work systematically through the 12 units in order to benefit from its progressive structure. If you are a more experienced learner, you can use the aims listed at the start of each unit to select the most useful exercises. Each unit contains between three and four hours of study material. Having access to someone who can provide informed feedback on reading practice exercises is an advantage. However, you can still learn a lot working alone or with a study partner willing to give and receive peer feedback. Ideally, you should begin each unit by working through the Part 1 vocabulary exercises. Try to answer the questions without looking at a dictionary in order to develop the skill of inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words from context. This is important because dictionaries cannot be used during the actual exam. Avoid writing the answers to vocabulary exercises directly into the book so that you can try the exercises again once you have completed the unit. Take time to work through the Part 2 exercises from beginning to end. It is important to study the notes about each of the task types so that you know the how to approach the different task types in the test. Doing this will also help you develop more general skills for reading. The strategies covered should be thoroughly mastered so that during the actual exam you are fully prepared for each section and can focus on reading and answering the questions. In the IELTS test itself, there is a time limit and you usually have to work fast, but while studying Part 2 of each unit in this book, take your time and learn as much as you can about the different task types. Reading is a skill that can only be improved through extensive practice. The IELTS reading test can cover almost any topic considered to be within the grasp of a well-educated person. Therefore, you should aim to become well-informed about a wide variety of subjects, not just those covered in the book. Regularly reading English language materials on subjects such as science, business and education, can help with this, too, In Part 3 you are given the opportunity to put the strategies that you have learnt in Part 2 into practice. Work through the exercises at a reasonable speed. Again, check the answers carefully and learn from the notes provided in the Answer key. Also, remember to read the question carefully and complete the task in the exact way you have been asked. Do not assume that you know a particular task because you have practised similar ones in the past. There may be slight variations in the tasks in the actual IELTS test. Unit 12 is a complete practice reading test. This unit should be done under exam conditions. Remember that the total allocated time is 60 minutes; there is no extra time to transfer answers. Please bear this in mind when doing Unit 12.The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Test IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, Cambridge ESOL Examinations and IDP Education, Australia There are two versions of the test: * Academic * General Training Academic is for students wishing to study at undergraduate or postgraduate levels in an English-medium environment. General Training is for people who wish to migrate to an English-speaking country. This book is primarily for students taking the Academic version. The Test There are four modules: Listening 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes for transferring answers to the answer sheet NB: the audio is heard only once. ‘Approx. 10 questions per section Section 1: two speakers discuss a social situation Section 2: one speaker talks about a non-academic topic Section 3: up to four speakers discuss an educational project Section 4: one speaker gives a talk of general academic interest Reading 60 minutes 3 texts, taken from authentic sources, on general, academic topics. They may contain diagrams, charts, etc. 40 questions: may include multiple choice, sentence completion, completing a diagram, graph or chart, choosing headings, yes/no, true/false questions, classification and matching exercises. Task 1: 20 minutes: description of a table, chart, graph or diagram (150 words minimum) Task 2: 40 minutes: an essay in response to an argument or problem (250 words minimum) 11-14 minutes ‘A three-part face-to-face oral interview with an examiner. The interview is recorded. Part 1: introductions and general questions (4-5 mins) Part 2: individual long turn (3~4 mins) - the candidate is given a task, has one minute to prepare, then talks for 1-2 minutes, with some questions from the examiner. Part 3: two-way discussion (4-5 minsl: the examiner asks further questions on the topic from Part 2, and gives the candidate the opportunity to discuss more abstract issues or ideas. Timetabling Listening, Reading and Writing must be taken on the same day, and in the order listed above. Speaking can be taken up to 7 days before or after the other modules. Scoring _Each section is given a band score. The average of the four scores produces the Overall Band Score. You do not pass or fail IELTS; you receive a score. IELTS and the Common European Framework of Reference The CEFR shows the level of the learner and is used for many English as a Foreign Language examinations. The table below shows the approximate CEFR level and the equivalent IELTS Overall Band Score: Serer Care Proficient user 9 (Advanced) 7-8 Independent user 5-65 Untermeiate - Upper Intermediate] “5This table contains the general descriptors for the band scores 1-9 IELTS Band Eee 9 Expert user Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding, 8 Very good user Has fully operational command of the language, with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well 7 Gooduser Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning. & Competent user Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. 5 Modest user Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic ‘communication in own field. 4 Limited user Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language. 3 Extremely limited _Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. user Frequent breakdowns in communication occur. 2 Intermittent user No real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English. Non user Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words. 0 Did notattempt ——_—No assessable information provided. the test Marking The Listening and Reading papers have 40 items, each worth one mark if correctly answered. Here are some examples of how marks are translated into band scores: Listening: 16 out of 40 correct answers: band score 5 23 out of 40 correct answers: band score 6 30 out of 40 correct answers: band score 7 Reading 15 out of 40 correct answers: band score 5. 23 out of 40 correct answers: band score 6 30 out of 40 correct answers: band score 7 Writing and Speaking are marked according to performance descriptors. Writing: examiners award a band score for each of four areas with equal weighting: Task achievement (Task 1) Task response (Task 2) Coherence and cohesion * Lexical resource and grammatical range and accuracy ‘Speaking: examiners award a band score for each of four areas with equal weighting: Fluency and coherence * Lexical resource * Grammatical range * Accuracy and pronunciation For full details of how the examination is scored and marked, go to: www.ielts.org1 Family matters CTR lee cL Aims: Skim-reading | Understanding the structure of a paragraph UCI i Ru Re ee an TC ICT ay Part 1: Vocabulary 1 Whatis the difference in meaning between the words in the groups 1-8? Use a dictionary tohelp you. 1 friend / mate / flatmate 2 sister /sister-in-law 3 brother / sister / sibling 4 boyfriend / husband / partner colleague / business partner acquaintance / stranger aunt / great-aunt half-sister / step-sister ean 2 Collocations are words that are often found together. Complete the sentences 1-4 with the words a-f. Note how they collocate with the words in italics. a abilities © apart e non-identical b adulthood d lifelong f older 1. Twins have an) _____bond that other siblings may envy: they share their own language, play their own games from early childhood, share bedrooms and birthday parties. 2. James and his brother Frank are____ twins, and they don't look alike at all. 3. A few years ago we sent out a questionnaire to pairs of twins asking about their psychic . and one identical twin in five reported some kind of telepathy. 19 for IELTSunit 4 Surprisingly, the ‘twin effect’ can become stronger as twins grow —____ and move . Often the older one will be dominant until they reach 3 Underline the words related to the topic of family in the passage. Do not use a dictionary. Do Exercise 4 before you check your answers. Widows and widowers whose spouses pass away without making a will are set to receive a bigger inheritance payout from next month. If a person dies without making a will, the amount left automatically to his or her spouse or civil partner is changing from £125,000 to £250,000 where there are children. Experts have welcomed the change, which takes effect on February 1, but emphasise that it is still important to make a will, particularly if you are unmarried or separated but not divorced. However, people should not be misled into thinking that these changes mean that they do not need to make a will It still remains the case that unmarried couples are not entitled to receive anything on the death of their other half if he or she has not made a will. Modern family life is becoming ever more complicated, with second marriages and children from more than one relationship. A willis the only way to ensure that those you love or are obliged to care for are adequately provided for. After the spouse has received his or her legal share, the rest of the estate is shared by children or grandchildren. If there are none, surviving parents will get a share. If there are none of these, any brothers and sisters, who shared the same two parents as the deceased will receive a share, If your family circumstances have changed, it is important that you make or update a will to ensure that your money and possessions are distributed according to your wishes. For example, you may be separated and your ex-partner now lives with someone else. If you are married or enter into a registered civil partnership, this will invalidate any previous will you have made. 4 Match the words and phrases 1-12 from the passage in Exercise 3 with the definitions a-l. The words and phrases relating to the topic of death have been shaded. widow 1 a a husband or wife, considered in relation to their partner (formal) 2 widower b a former member of an established couple 3. spouse cto have stopped living together as a couple 4 will d somebody's wife, husband or partner 5 inheritance ea person who has recently died 6 ex-partner f woman whose husband has died and who has not married again 7 (be] separated money or property which you receive from somebody who has died 8 (bel divorced h_ aman whose wife has died and who has not married again 9 other half i a document in which a person declares what should be done with their {informat) money and property after they die 10 estate j tobe legally separated from a husband or wife because the marriage has ended 11 deceased [noun] —_k_ to prove that an argument, conclusion, or result is wrong or cause it to be wrong 12 invalidate all the money and property somebody leaves behind them when they die Family and relationships 9Part 2: Practice exercises @ Exam information: Matching headings This task tests whether you understand the organisation of texts and can identify the main idea or topic in each section of a text. You will be given a numbered list with headings, as well as a text divided into sections. The headings will be in the form of short statements which summarise the information ina section. You will need to read the text sections and decide which of the headings best fits that section. Exam tip: You have limited time to take the IELTS exam, so read only what you need | to know in order to do the task. It is a good idea to read the first sentence of a short paragraph only. In longer paragraphs, read the first and last sentence. This technique is called ‘skim-reading’. 1 Skim-read the text below. Then write one sentence saying what it is about. Do not look back at the text, but use your own words. If you're in your thirties or forties and still going back to the family home for every big family celebration, any problems that have developed with your parents over the years are likely to be mentioned. You can easily end up remembering childhood problems and start behaving like an angry child, but you should try to resist this. Parents, meanwt should remember that they are no longer in charge of their children’s lives. Parents need to enjoy their children for who they are now, as adults, rather than behaving like they did when they had more control over them. 2 The content of a paragraph is linked to its structure. The questions 1-9 will help you to understand the content and structure of the paragraphs a-c. Paragraph a Almost half of all grandparents lose all contact with their grandchildren after a separation or divorce, according to a new report. It found that forty-two per cent never see their grandchildren again after the break-up. Even more - sixty-seven per cent - are prevented from providing any sort of childcare or taking their grandchildren on outings, ‘even when they had done so regularly in the past. 1 Which sentence is the topic sentence, the one that summarises the main ideals] in the paragraph? Does the paragraph as a whole become more specific or more general? 3. The second sentence mentions ‘the break-up’. What does this refer to, and why is ‘the’ used, and not ‘a’? 10 — Reading for IELTSunits Paragraph b The value of grandparents to children should not be underestimated. The report shows the need for the government to address the importance of grandparents in future policy and legislation. It also demonstrates the need to amend the Children Act 1989 to remove the obstacle that requires the biological family to ask permission prior to making an application to the court for contact. Especially when a family is going through difficulties, it is important that the children can turn to someone who is not directly involved and is calm and relaxed, and that person is often a grandparent. 4 The paragraph says ‘The value of grandparents to children should not be underestimated’. Is this the same as saying that the value of grandparents to children is very important? Which sentence expresses a similar idea to the first sentence, but with more detail? Which sentence is the topic sentence? Paragraph c To have a society that is family-friendly, anti-discrimination laws will need to be introduced. Parenting would become a school subject, staircases would be rebuilt so that buggies and prams could access any building and advertising for sweets and non-educational toys would be forbidden. Companies would be forced to only employ people who can travel to work in less than forty minutes and there would also be a thirty-five-hour working week and more holidays. In a world like this, there would be less divorce and crime, but we would be earning and producing less. 7 Identify the introduction, the main body, and the conclusion of this paragraph Which of these three parts gives you the most important information? 9 The first sentence mentions a society that is ‘family-friendly’. You may know words like ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘child-friendly’ and ‘eco-friendly’. What does ‘friendly’ mean in this context? Which paragraph a-c in Exercise 2... 1 states cause and effect? _ 2 develops an argument? _ 3 gives information/a description? __ Family and relationships = 1112 Write short headings for the passages 1-3. 1 Nicholson defines the traditional family as ‘the unit of parents with children who live together’. The bond between husband and wife is seen as particularly important, and the family feels itself to be separate from other kin. This family group is often referred tos the nuclear family. 2 Traditional families have disadvantages: * Because both partners now tend to work, they have tremendous time pressures, making it difficult to carry out satisfactory and rewarding childcare. * Children who are the victims of abuse by parents have relatively little opportunity to turn to other relatives for help. * Traditional families place a heavy burden of expectation on the partners, and, with work and childcare commitments, it may be difficult for them to provide the love and companionship each partner expects. However, traditional families do have some advantages: * Their small size tends to encourage intimacy between family members, and, when the relationships work, they can be rewarding and long-lasting. * Traditional families can be economically successful because they are not usually expected to share their resources with others. 3 Having someone else's child stay overnight is quite a responsibility. Some children begin having sleepovers with friends during the early school years, others still haven't started by age 11. It is important not to start too early: just because they say they want to have a sleepover at someone else's house, doesn't mean it's a good idea. When there is a sleepover at your house, be prepared with some strategies to get the children to stop talking and calm down. Agree lights out time in advance and have some calmer activities before bedtime. The following passage has five sections, a-e. Choose the correct heading for sections ae from the list of numbered headings i-ix. Follow these steps; they will help you do the exercise. * In this task, there are more headings than sections, so read the sections first. lif there were the same number of sections as headings, it would be a good idea to read the headings first.] * For each section of the passage, read the beginning and the end. Some of the sentences are long so there is no need to read the whole sentence. Underline some key words. + Read the headings next. If they are long, underline some key words. * You may now already be able to match some of the headings to the sections. * Look at the remaining sections in more detail to help you match them to the headings. Reading for IELTSunit List of headings iNew families: beneficial or harmful? The government reaction The first criticisms of ‘family’ The typical western family viii The ‘happy family’ model Political families ix The function of families v__ The disappearance of the traditional model Families: then and now Section a The family has often been regarded as the cornerstone of society. In premodern and modern societies alike it has been seen as the most basic unit of social organization and one which carries out vital tasks, such as socializing children. Section b Until the 1960s few sociologists questioned the importance or the benefits of family life. Most sociologists assumed that family life was evolving as modernity progressed, and that the changes involved made the family better suited to meeting the needs of society and of family members. A particular type of family, the nuclear family (based around a two-generation household of parents and their children}, was seen as well adapted to the demands of modern societies. Section c From the 1960s, an increasing number of critical thinkers began to question the assumption that the family was necessarily a beneficial institution. Feminists, Marxists and critical psychologists began to highlight what they saw as some of the negative effects and the ‘dark side’ of family life. In the following decades the family was not just under attack from academic writers. Social changes also seemed to be undermining traditional families. Rising divorce rates, cohabitation before marriage, increasing numbers of single-parent families and single- person households, and other trends all suggested that individuals were basing their lives less and less around conventional families. Sectiond ‘Some have seen these changes as a symptom of greater individualism within modern societies. They have welcomed what appears to be an increasing range of choice for individuals. People no longer have to base their lives around what may be outmoded and, for many, unsuitable conventional family structures. Others, however, have complained about the changes and worried about their effect on society. Such changes are seen as both a symptom and a cause of instability and insecurity in people's lives and in society as a whole. This view has been held by traditionalists who want a return to the ideal of the nuclear family. For them, many of society's problems are a result of increased family instability. Sectione Alongside these developments in society and sociology, family life has become a topic of political debate. Politicians have become somewhat more willing to comment on families. ‘Sometimes they have devised policies to try to deal with perceived problems surrounding the family. In short, the family has come to be seen as more problematic than it was in the past. The controversies that have come to surround families and households are the ‘subject of this chapter. Sectiona = _____ Section d Sectionb = —___ Section e Section c Family and relationships 1314 Part 3: Exam practice READING PASSAGE This reading passage has 5 sections, A-E. Choose the correct heading for sections A-E from the list of numbered headings below. Write the correct number i-viii next to sections A-E. List of Headings i ii iii iv v vi vii viii The science of marriage The importance of honest communication The power of thought The likelihood of marrying again Technological advances The benefits of avoiding arguments The real predictor for a lasting marriage The consequences of early dissatisfaction Section A Section B Section C Section D Section E Reading for IELTSunit} Section A Marriage is a much-researched topic, and the way married couples communicate in particular has been the subject of many studies. These days, research into marriage often involves hours of recordings, followed by a thorough analysis of data with the help of modern software applications. Section B One such study analysed five years’ worth of data, obtained from 750 participating couples. At the start of the study, participants who felt they were in a harmonious relationship reported having happy marriages. In other words, low levels of conflict corresponded to a perceived higher degree of happiness. At the end of the five- year period, however, many of these couples had separated or had started divorce proceedings. The outcome of this study suggests that keeping the peace rather than talking about problems and working through them can have harmful effects ona relationship. Section C In a more recent, larger scale study, people were observed over a fifteen-year period. The researchers recorded the timings of marriages, divorces and remarriages and discovered patterns that helped them estimate how likely divorce was. If participants admitted the possibility of divorce to themselves during the first year of the study, the probability of it actually happening was ten times greater than for those couples who had not thought about it at all. Clearly, once the idea of divorce is in somebody's mind, they are more likely to act on it. Section D Yet another piece of research confirms that the way men and women feel at the beginning of their marriage makes a difference to its eventual outcome. Those who feel disappointed, perhaps because marriage itself is different from their expectations, or because their lifestyle is not what they had envisaged, are more likely to divorce. Section E Having said that, relationships are complex and their development is the result of many different influences. The end of a marriage is unlikely to be brought, about by one particular factor, and is more probably the result of a combination of small incidents that add up over time. It is also worth bearing in mind that in most countries it is the minority of marriages that fail. No one can truthfully claim that their marriage is happy or perfect all the time, but the fact remains that most married people stay together for life. The secret of a happy marriage, it seems, lies where most people have always thought it does: in the effort made on a daily basis by both partners to treat each other with consideration and courtesy, and to cheerfully accept each other's faults as well as their good qualities. Family and relationships 1516 2 Healthcare 1 el ee CL Re Coen ET] Aims: Working out the meanings of words | Scanning a text for inforn Ser Re Lee eMC ee nc Part 1: Vocabulary Match the pictures 1-6 above with the words a-f. a abandage cream e syrup b capsules __ d aplaster__._—sf_tablets__ Match the words 1-6 to the definitions a-f. acuff___ a an instrument that a doctor uses to listen to your heart and breathing 2 apap b asmall device that helps you to breathe more easily if you have asthma or a bad cold. You put it in your n and breathe in deeply, and it sends a small amount of a drug into your lungs. 3 astethoscope_____c_a small tube with a thin hollow needle at the end, used for injecting drugs or for taking blood from someone's body 4 asyringe d_ an instrument for measuring temperature 5 athermometer ean injection of something into your blood to prevent illness f adevice used f measuring blood pressui Reading for IELTS3 4 5 Unit 2 Exam tip: When you come across a word you don’t know in a text, look at the context. It will often express the same idea in other words or give clues as to the meaning. Work out the meaning of the words in italics 1-3 by studying their context in the passage below. Many parents would not know what to choke) do if their child fell and banged their a tohitwith alot of force head, (1) choked on a small toy or scalded b_ tobe unable to breathe because themselves on a hot iron, research shows. something is blocking the air The British Red Cross organisation, which passage to your lungs (2) commissioned the survey, is so alarmed € to have health problems by the findings that it has created a 2 commission cheap and easy computer-based training programme for parents called ‘learn first to order or authorize the production aid fast’. The charity's first aid specialist of something said that learning basic rescue and b to like something recovery techniques could be the most © to make a decision based on facts important thing any parent did. About one 3 unit million children under fifteen are admitted to accident and emergency (3) units every year after accidents in the home. a a department b a large number of something © amedical test For each of the words in italics 1-4 in the passage below, find a synonym or antonym in the same sentence. Accidents are the main reason for deaths in children aged more than twelve months, accounting for nearly 400 (1) fatalities a year. Falls are the most common accident, accounting for forty-three per cent of accidental injury to children at home. Burns are common, too, with ten children under five getting burnt or (2} scalded every day. “Some people appear to be reassured by owning a first aid (3) kit, but if they are going to help someone then they must have first aid knowledge and skills as well as equipment,’ a first aid specialist said. The results of the Red Cross survey revealed alarming levels of (4) ignorance, with many parents relying more on stories than on knowledge or common sense when faced with an emergency. Exam tip: When you learn the meaning of a word which often occurs in academic texts, it is a good idea to look up and learn the different word forms as well. Complete the table. 1 a commission to survey 2 3____ a recovery to injure 4 8 equipment toaid 6 7____ ignorance Health and fitness 17Part 2: Practice exercises @ Exam information: Completion tasks (1) Completion tasks test your ability to find and understand detailed or specific information in a text. Completing a table, diagram, or picture: You will have to read a passage and complete a table, diagram, or picture. The information in the passage will not necessarily be in the same order as the questions. The table, diagram, or picture may relate to a section of the passage rather than the whole. You will be told how many words you should use (e.g. no more than two words, one word only, no more than two words and a number). Numbers can be written in numbers (e.g. 5) or words (e.g. five). Hyphenated words count as one word e.g. state-of-the-art counts as one word). | Exam tip: When you are looking for specific information (e.g. places, names, phrases), move your eyes down the text, looking only for words and phrases related to the information you want. Do not read word for word, do not stop if there are words you do not know, and ignore any information you do not need. This technique is called ‘scanning’. You can also use the text style or formatting to help you. Sometimes, numbers, uppercase letters, italics, bold print, quotation marks and other visual information within a text can help you locate the information you want. 1 Scan the passage below to find information about the topics 1-7 in the table. There are clues to help you find the information. The first one has been done for you. reece) Ctr Eien What is another name Look for capital letters; find the words, 1 Report on Social for the Beveridge ‘Beveridge Report’ and scan the text around Insurance Report? ‘Beveridge Report’ Date of report ‘Scan the text for a four-digit number, whichis 2 how years are usually expressed. What was the subject of Look at the name of the report. 3 the report? How many obstacles to. Scan the text for a number expressed in digits or & progress did the report in words. mention? What were the obstacles Look for a bulleted list. 5 to progress? What is ‘Squalor’? ‘Scan the text for ‘Squalor’ and read the words in 6 brackets: they explain the meaning. Why was the report ‘Scan the text for forms of the words 7 ‘commissioned? “commission, ‘reason’ or ‘why’. 18 — Reading for IELTSUnit2 The 1940s saw the development of legislation that reflected an agreement across the main political parties that the state should take an increased responsibility for the funding and provision of welfare services. The specific measures taken were based on the proposals of Sir William Beveridge (1879-1963) and published in his Report on Social Insurance (1942), more commonly known as the Beveridge Report. Beveridge based his recommendations on his concern to defeat five ‘giant evils’ that, despite earlier measures, were still hindering social and economic progress in Britain. These were: + Want (poverty) * Squalor (poor housing and * Disease [ill health and high mortality rates) homelessness} + Ignorance inadequate education) * Idleness (unemployment) The existence of poverty in Britain was the underlying reason for commissioning the report, but legislation was passed and ser 's introduced that addressed each of the ‘five giants’. 2 Scan the passage below about vulnerable people in society [i.e. those people who are in more danger of being harmed, physically or emotionally, than others). Then complete the table with notes. Care for vulnerable people State responsibility Support from the church: 7] Inall societies there are groups of people who are potentially vulnerable. These include children, older people, people with disabilities, and the poor, for example. Whether they are supported and how they are supported, however, varies from society to society and at different times in history. 7] In some societies, the care of the vulnerable is seen as the responsibility of the family or the village. In others, it is principally the responsibility of the state, through community provision. In Israeli kibbutzim®, for example, the care of children is seen as the responsibility of the whole community, and not principally the concern of the birth parents. In other societies the care of children is the prime responsibility of their parents, and in some it is the responsibility of the extended family. Attitudes to the vulnerable vary. Those on benefits may be seen as ‘lazy scroungers, or their situation may be seen as the result of poor parenting or the inevitable consequence of economic changes. The response to their need will vary according to the dominant attitudes in the society, the views and priorities of government, the wealth of the nation, and how that wealth is distributed and managed. 3] |n England, the state has had some involvement in providing for the poor since Elizabethan times. The 1601 Poor Law allowed officials to collect money from each household in their parish and to distribute it to the needy. However, it was thought that the poor only had themselves to blame. The political approach at the time was informed by a view that the government should not interfere in the workings of the economy or in the provision of welfare services. The church and other voluntary groups provided charitable support, but the state ‘left well alone’. Not until the opening years of the twentieth century did the state begin to take a proactive role in the care and welfare of its citizens. Glossar kKibbutzim: (singular: kibbutz} communal settlements, typically farms in Israel Health andfitness 1920 3 Look at the passage in Exercise 2. Write a sentence for each of the three paragraphs, summarising what its function is. The first one has been done for you. Paragraph 1: This introduces the topic of vulnerable people (and the support they receive} by giving a definition 4, imagine that you need to find information in the passage in Exercise 2 about the topics 1-4 below. Do not read the text again but use the summaries you wrote in Exercise 3 to decide in which paragraph you should look for the answer. 1 What do people think of ‘vulnerable’ people? Paragraph 2 What does ‘vulnerable’ mean? Paragraph 3 What support was provided in the twentieth century in England? Paragraph 4 Whois responsible for the care of vulnerable people? Paragraph Exam tips: | «When you do a completion task, read the instructions carefully and note how many words you are allowed to write. Sometimes you will have to summarise the information in order to keep within the word limit. | © Charts or diagrams give a summary of the information and show visual links, so think about the relationship between the ideas in a text. The different parts of a chart/diagram may not be in the same order as the information in the text. The | chart/diagram may not show all the information included in the text. | © The answers in a particular section of the chart/diagram must belong to the same grammatical category, e.g. they should all be nouns, or all verbs. + The chart/diagram may not use the same words as the text but synonyms or paraphrases. 5 Scan the passage below and complete the diagram with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS in each box. ‘Objective characteristics Influences on objective characteristics of bodies Reading for IELTSUnit 2 So far in this chapter, we have questioned common-sense ideas held about what is sickness and health and have raised some challenging questions about these ideas. However, we can go further and question a closely related concept upon which notions of illness are ultimately based: the concept of ‘the body All of us exist in ‘bodies’ that are objectively different shapes, heights, colours and physical abilities; they are also subjectively valued as attractive or ugly, young or old, short or tall, weak or strong Let us look first at the objective differences. The two most common explanations for objective differences between bodies are, first, that people's bodies vary according to genetic differences (height, weight, etc.) and, second, that bodies change as people age. However, sociologists point out that the shapes of people's bodies are often actually linked to diets, type of employment and general quality of life. A huge range of research indicates that poorer people are more likely to: * eat ‘unhealthy’ foods and to smoke cigarettes * be employed in repetitive, physically demanding work or the other extreme of boring, sedentary employment * have worse housing conditions * live in more deprived neighbourhoods All of these factors impact upon the condition of a person's body and health. We can see then that the physical shapes of bodies are strongly influenced by social factors. & Scan the passage below and complete the table with the missing information 1-8. The first one has been done for you. TT SS 1 The Family Allowance Act145 financial payment 2 3 + unemployment benefit 4 sickness benefit * retirement pension ‘+ maternity benefit + widow's pension 5 6 people who did not pay into the national insurance scheme and did not receive those benefits 7 free health services at the point 8 of delivery, based on need The Family Allowance Act 1945 introduced a financial payment for children under 15. This did not apply for the first child but applied for all subsequent children. The National Insurance Act 1946 allowed for the payment of unemployment benefit, sickness benefit and retirement pension, maternity benefit and widow's pension for all who, when in work, paid weekly from their wages into the national insurance scheme. The National Assistance Act 1948 provided a ‘safety net’ - a minimum income for people who did not pay into the national insurance scheme and were, therefore, not eligible for those benefits. The National Health Service Act 1948. Before the introduction of the National Health Service (NHS), if people needed to see a doctor or have hospital treatment they normally had to pay. A national service was central to the post-war welfare reforms and was based on three principles: 1 That health services should be free to all at the point of delivery {when they are actually used) 2 That the service would be truly national, covering the whole population in all parts of the country. 3 That access to services would be based on clinical need {not on the ability to pay]. Health and fitness 2122 Part 3: Exam practice Complete the tables on the next page. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. The rising problem of obesity has helped to make diabetes treatments the biggest drug bill in primary care, with almost £600 million of medicines prescribed by doctors last year, according to the NHS Information Centre. Analysts said that young people contracting the condition, which is often associated with obesity, were helping to push up costs as doctors tried to improve their long-term control of the disease and prevent complications. A total of 32.9 million diabetes drugs, costing £599.3 million, were prescribed in the past financial year. In 2004-05 there were 24.8 million, costing £458 million. More than 90 per cent of the 2.4 million diabetics in England have type 2 diabetes, with the remainder suffering from type 1, the insulin-dependent form of the disease. There are thought to be 500,000 undiagnosed cases of diabetes. While rates of type 1 have shown slight increases in recent years, type 2 has risen far more rapidly — a trend linked to the increasing number of people who are overweight or obese. Almost one in four adults in England is obese, with predictions that nine in ten will be overweight or obese by 2050. Obesity costs the NHS £4.2 billion annually. This year the Government started a £375 million campaign aimed at preventing people from becoming overweight by encouraging them to eat better and exercise more. ‘An NHS Information Centre spokeswoman who worked on the report, which was published yesterday, said that diabetes was dominating the primary care drug bill as better monitoring identified more sufferers and widely used medications for other conditions such as statins became cheaper. She said that the data suggested a growing use of injectable insulin in type 2 diabetes care, which was helping to push up costs. Doctors agreed that more expensive long-acting insulin, which can cost about €30 per item, was being used more often, as well as more expensive pills and other agents. The report, an update of the centre's June publication Prescribing for Diabetes in England, shows that the number of insulin items prescribed last year rose by 300,000 to 5.5 million, ata total cost of £288.3 million. It marked an 8 per cent rise on the £267 million spent in the previous year. However, while the number of anti-diabetic drugs, which are mostly in tablet form, also rose, the cost dropped slightly to £168.1 million. “Type 2s increasing. We are seeing it in younger people, and because it is a progressive disease, people are needing an increasing number of interventions as time goes by,’ the spokeswoman said, adding that long-acting insulins such as Glargine were now common. ‘For people who are struggling to control their type 2 diabetes it makes sense, but it is quite a big clinical change from five or ten years ago. Other anti-diabetic items, such as use of the subcutaneous injection exenatide, have also increased and cost £14.3 million. Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's general practice committee, said that he had observed a trend with drugs such as exenatide, which costs €80 per item. He said that younger patients could start on cheaper tablets such as metformin, which costs £3.70 per box, but were needing increasingly sophisticated treatments to keep their condition in check. Reading for IELTSYou are talking about an ever larger number of people getting a large range of drugs to reduce long-term complications. Type 2 is a common chronic illness that is getting commoner. It’s in everyone's interest to treat people early and with the most effective drugs, and these are the more expensive tablets and long-acting insulins,” he said. Glossai primary care: health care provided in the community, e.g. when people make a first appointment with a doctor insulin: a hormone produced in the pancreas (an organ in the body] which regulates the amount of glucose la type of sugar! in the blood. Lack of insulin causes a form of diabetes. obese: very overweight subcutaneous: applied under the skin. Exam ti ‘or some texts there may be a glossary for words that IELTS candidates are not expected to know or have come across before. It is a good idea to check if difficult or technical terms are explained here. fee e insulin 1 exenatide ‘metformin fetes ee eee diabetes last year 4 diabetes 2004-5 458 insulin last year 5 insulin 2 years ago 6 Health and fitness 233 Getting an education CTR ole ee Ua eee nce Ot Aims: Working out meaning from context | Recognising key words in a sentence Finding and understanding specific information | Keeping to the word limit Se Part 1: Vocabulary 1 The pictures above show items of school uniform that parents in Britain may have to buy for their children. Match the pictures 1-6 with the words a-f. a ablazer__ © agingham dress __ e pumps _—__ b acardigan ___ d- apinafore dress __ f_ tracksuit bottoms —__ 2 Match the words 1-7 to the definitions a-g. 1 acompass aa flat, semi-circular piece of plastic or metal which is used for measuring angles 2 atesttube_____b_anarea of land that contains the main buildings of a university or college 3 aprotractor____c_a building with rooms or flats, usually built by universities or colleges, in which students live during the term d V-shaped instrument that you use for drawing circles 24 Reading for IELTSunit 3 5 ahall of € a small tube-shaped container made from glass, used in residence laboratories & alectern___—-f_ a room containing scientific equipment where students are taught science subjects such as chemistry 7 acampus—— ga high sloping desk on which someone puts their notes when they are standing up and giving a lecture Underline at least five words or phrases related to the topic of education in the following text. Use your dictionary if necessary. Ifyou send your child to a boarding school you can be looking at fees of almost £8,000 per term. Eton will charge £7,896 a term from September ~ a rise of 5.8% on last year's fees. Winchester's fees have gone up 5% from £7,457 to £7,833 a term. Day schools are cheaper, but even these are charging an average of £2,796 a term - £8,388 a year. Ifyou have a baby this year and plan to send him or her to a private day school for secondary education, it will set you back about £150,000, according to an independent adviser. If your child is starting senior school this September, the school fees between 11 and 18 will total an average of £75,500, assuming the fees rise by 7% a year. Match the words 1-10 with the definitions a-j. 1 aday school ___ a school for pupils between the ages of 11 or 12 and 17 or 18 2 aspecialneeds school____b_ a school for children between the ages of 5 and 11 3. a boarding school __ ¢ a school suitable for the majority of children 4 amainstream school___—d_a school in Britain for children aged between 11 and 18 who have a high academic ability 5 a secondary/senior school ea state school in which children of all abilities are taught together 6 aprivate school (Britain) fa school for children who need special help or care, for example because they are physically or mentally disabled 7 acollege 9. asschool which is not supported financially by the government and which parents have to pay for their children to go to 8 a primary school __. h a school where the students go home every evening and do not live at the school 9 agrammar school ian institution where students study after they have left school 10 a comprehensive school j_a School which some or all of the pupils live in during the school term Education26 Answer the questions 1-7. Use your dictionary if necessary. 1 Ifyou cram for an examination, you are learning as much as possible in a short time just before you take the examination. Do you normally cram for an exam, or do you plan your revision carefully? 2. When you graduate from university, you have successfully completed a degree course. Do you know anyone who has recently graduated? 3° When you qualify, you pass the examinations that you need to be able to work ina particular profession. Do you know anyone who has recently qualified as a doctor or a lawyer? 4 In Britain, you can take GCSE exams when you are sixteen. Do you know what GCSE stands for? 5 Ifa pupilis expelled from school, they are officially told to leave because they have behaved badly. Ifa pupil is suspended, they are asked to leave for a certain period of time because they have behaved badly, but they can then come back. Can you give examples of bad behaviour in school that may lead to a student being suspended or expelled? & In Britain, a reception class is a class that children go into when they first start school at the age of four or five. How old are children when they start school in your country? 7 Atruant is a pupil who stays away from school without permission. How were truants punished at your school? Work out the meaning of the words and phrases in italics 1-6 by studying their context in the passage below. ‘A grandmother has set up her own school to cater for her autistic grandson. Joshua, 7, was unable to cope at the local school and his parents were struggling to get his needs met. ‘Lused to take Joshua to his mainstream school,’ says his mother. ‘He would literally (1) howd all the way down the very long drive. | used to feel like a monster. She took Joshua out of the school on the advice of his teachers, but (2) hit a brick wall with the local education authority, who wanted to place him in a school for 90 children with a huge range of learning difficulties — contrary to the modern expertise on (3) autism, which recommends specialist care in small units. Now, Joshua is (4] flourishing in a small school for autistic youngsters. ‘It is costing us £15,000 a year but it's worth it to see Joshua making progress. He is a different child. The special needs school recently passed its first inspection from the Office for Standards in Education with a (5) glowing report. Despite this, the education authority has refused to pay for Joshua's education there. Receiving a diagnosis of a learning disability is a terrible blow to families, and the realisation that you face years of fighting to obtain the education that will help your child is (6) devastating. Many parents cannot face the struggle and many children are denied the chance to improve their quality of life. Reading for IELTSUnit 3 1 howl 4 flourishing a cry loudly to express pain or a_ flowering unhappiness b developing rapidly and b sing loudly successfully ¢ run quickly studying 2. hita brick walt 5 glowing a have an accident a. satisfactory b agree about most things b expressing approval ¢ be unable to make progress ¢ with an intense colour and shine 3 autism 6 devastating aa type of mental condition, present a. difficult in the beginning from early childhood b not pleasant b a type of cold or flu © causing shock or distress © amental illness characterised by a refusal to eat 7 Complete the table with words from the passages in Exercises 3 and 6. CE 1 an assumption - 2 arise - - 3 expert - 4 young to progress 5 progressive to inspect 6 - to diagnose 7 diagnostic to realise 8 - Part 2: Practice exercises oe Exam information: Short-answer questions In this task type, you are asked about factual details. The task tests your ability to find and understand specific information in a text. Your answers will consist of no more than a certain number of words or numbers. Note: * Numbers can be written as words (e.g. eight] or figures le.g. 8). * Hyphenated words count as one word (e.g. merry-go-round). The questions are normally in the same order as the information in the text. In other words, the answer to question 1 occurs in the text before the answer to question 2, and so on. Education 2728 How many words are there in the sentences 1-4 below? 1. Describe the habitat of the orang-utan 2 “The fact that two major designers have included blue-black jeans in th: range does not make them fashion.” Discuss. 3 Outline the rights of old-age pensioners in society, especially the over-seventies. Evaluate the availability of over-the-counter medicines. summer B ‘Answer the questions 1-8 in no more than three words. How did you use to travel to school? Do you remember the name of your first school teacher? Name your three favourite subjects in secondary school. What is your favourite memory of your time at school? Give an example of a negative experience you had in school. Describe the type of food you used to eat at school. Have you ever failed an exam or test? What would you like to study at college or university? OI RONS If you cannot find an answer to a question, go to the next one. If youfindthe | | answer to that question, you will know that you need to go back in the text to find the | answer to the previous one. The questions 1-4 are about the text below. They should be in the same order as the information in the text but they have been mixed up. Put the questions in the right order. You do not have to answer them, 1 Money is only one consideration for politicians. Give evidence from the text to show this. 2. Illustrate how celebrities can influence politicians. 3. Give examples from the text of different types of policies. 4 Apart from celebrities, which other forces can influence politicians? Policies can be influenced by many forces. For example, Jamie Oliver's TV programme, Jamie's School Dinners, attacking the quality of food in schools, eventually persuaded the Minister for Education to rethink policies about the eating habits of children, as well as budgets. Equally so, very large organisations with a global presence influence policy makers all around the world over concerns such as oil, arms, the environment and human rights. Reading for IELTSuns 4 Skim-read the passage and decide what type of information is in each paragraph. Make short notes about this information. Plans to allow universities to charge unlimited tuition fees were today greeted with dismay from students and lecturers but welcomed by vice-chancellors at top-flight institutions. Fees of up to £6,000 a year would go directly to universities, but above that figure they would pay a levy that would increase for each additional £1,000, restricting the extra income, under proposals set out by a review of higher education funding. Graduates would also repay their loans later and over a longer period. 7] Lord Browne of Madingley proposed a new system under which one graduate in five in lower-paid jobs would repay less than today but higher-earning graduates would pay more. His proposals, following a review of higher education finance lasting almost a year, will form the basis of a new system for funding universities from autumn 2012. ‘Under these plans universities can start to vary what they charge,” he said, ‘but it will be up to students whether they choose the university. The money will follow the student, who will follow the quality. The student is no longer taken for granted, the student is in charge.” resident of the National Union of Students said: ‘If adopted, Lord sw would hand universities a blank cheque and force the next generation to pick up the tab for devastating cuts to higher education. The only thing students and their families would stand to gain from higher fees would be higher debts. A market in course prices between universities would increasingly put pressure on students to make decisions based on cost rather than academic ability or ambition.” %]|_ The review recommends: * Graduates would not start to repay student loans until they earn £21,000 a year. This threshold would rise in line with earnings to protect graduates with lower incomes. The current threshold is £15,000. + Repayments would stay at 9 per cent of income but graduates with higher earnings would pay a higher interest rate of 2.2 per cent above inflation, equal to the Government's cost of borrowing. Lower-paid graduates would continue to pay no real interest rate on loans. * Student loans would be paid over a maximum of 30 years, after which they would be written off. The current maximum is 25 years. * Student support should be simplified, with a flat living loan of £3,750 for all undergraduates and maintenance grants of up to €3,250. Full grants would go to students whose family income was £25,000 or less and partial grants to those with household income up to £60,000. %] Professor Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said: ‘We are extremely pleased that Lord Browne's proposals build on the fair and progressive elements of the current system. No parent or student would have to pay tuition fees upfront, only a graduate would pay when they are earning £21,000 per year. This will be crucial in supporting those from disadvantaged backgrounds through university.” $] But union leaders and representatives of newer universities warned of the ‘devastating’ impact on families if the recommendations are implemented. Professor Les Ebdon, chair of million+, which represents new universities, said: ‘There is a real risk that Education 2930 some students who would have gone to university will decide not to go and that opportunity and social mobility will be fatally undermined.” Lord Browne, the former group chief executive of BP, said that despite higher fees the number of people going to university should expand. His plans allow for a 10 per cent increase in the number of student places over the next four years. Part-time students would also have access to student loans to cover the cost of their tuition fees, giving more people a second chance to study for a degree later in life, he said. His plans would create a market in higher education, with many research universities likely to charge £6,000 or £7,000 a year, a handful of top universities charging higher fees, but many newer universities that focus on teaching charging less. Paragraph 1: Introduction of the plans Paragraph 2: Paragraph 3; Paragraph 4: Paragraph §; Paragraph 6; Paragraph 7: Look at the following question about the passage in Exercise 4 above. From the point of view of students, what would be the negative consequences of higher tuition fees? Which of the strategies 1-6 do you think would be useful to find the answer? underlining the important information in the text underlining the key words in the questions reading the text before reading the questions reading the questions slowly before reading the text numbering the paragraphs in the text scanning the text (moving your eyes down over the text to find the information you are looking for, without reading the text word for word) eaneNn | Exam tip: In order to find the correct answer in a text, focus on what you are looking for. | | One way to do that is to think about the key words in the questions. L Example: What is your favourite memory of your time in school? The question word {‘What'] is important. The nouns (‘memory’ and ‘schoot| also carry a | lot of information. Words like ‘your" and ‘of’ are not necessary to understand the question. Note that ‘time’ is not a key word: the question asks about memories, not time. Reading for IELTSunis Underline the key words or phrases in the questions 1-10. 1 Who is against the proposed changes to student tuition fees? 2. How could a future loan repayment schedule be described in comparison to today's? 3 According to the official statement from the National Union of Students, who will suffer financially? 4 From the point of view of students, what would be the negative consequences of higher tuition fees? In the future, what may become the deciding factor for students choosing a university? What will happen to the maximum period of repayment? What will students whose parents earn a total of £55,000 receive? According to Universities UK, who would especially benefit from the new system? According to newer universities, what might happen to the number of people who are able to move up in society? 10 Who may ask for fees of over £7,000? wasn As quickly as you can, find the answers to the questions 1-10 in Exercise 6 by referring to the text on pages 29 and 30. Then answer the questions in no more than three words. Read the questions 1-10 and the answers one student found in a passage. In order for her answers to be valid, the answers must be expressed in no more than three words. Rewrite the answers. The first one has been done for you. 1 How much do they need to They need to pay £6,000 per year. £6,000 annually pay? How will students finance With a combination of loans and their education? salaries from part-time jobs. How did the university react They immediately released a to the news? statement to the press. What are the disadvantages — There is a possibility that students of cramming? will become too tired. Give one reason why students Itis closer to their place of study. might want to choose accommodation on campus? What do students need todo They need to complete a course that before they can qualify as a_lasts for four years. lawyer? What do parents consider They look at a number of different when they choose a school? factors: location, cost and school results. Education8 What are the advantages of The lessons are planned with home schooling? individual students in mind and the teachers know the students very well. 9 Why isit a good idea tosend The children develop their ability to children to nursery school? _be social. 10 Give a reason why some They had a mobile phone on them. students have been punished. | Exam tip: It can be difficult to limit your answers to three words. Sometimes it can help = | to change a verb to a noun, or to use nouns as adjectives. 9 Rewrite the answers 1-9 in no more than three words. Do not use any verbs in your answers. Example: — Question: What sort of technical difficulties has the school been having? Answer: There have been problems with the systems that are currently used by the computers. computer system problems 10: What idea has the Head Teacher come up with? ‘A: Her idea is to adapt the way the college communicates. 2Q: What action do they need to take first? A: They need to correct the information in the timetables. 3Q: What is even more urgent than improving communications? ‘A: They need to find methods to help them save time. 4Q: Name one of the aims that are mentioned on the final list. ‘A: The school library wants to increase the number of books it lends out. 5Q: What is the main priority in terms of after-school activities? ‘A: They would like to put on plays during term time only. 6: What else would they like to increase? A: They also aim to do more sports activities after school. 7.Q: Whatis the school satisfied with? ‘A: They are happy with the way they keep control of their resources. 8Q: What aspect of the school's performance still needs to be determined? A: They need to assess how satisfied the students are. 32 Reading for IELTSunit 3 Part 3: Exam practice Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each, answer the following questions. 1 Why do private providers feel they need to pay as much as children’s centres? 2. What is the most a senior nursery nurse could earn? 3 Out of all children, how many take up places in private nurseries? 4 What types of nurseries do fathers and mothers prefer? Parents face a sharp increase in nursery fees from January as new government-subsidised children’s centres drive up staff costs for private daycare. Children’s centres are offering up to £7,000 a year more for managers and nursery nurses to staff their premises, forcing private providers to match the pay offer or risk losing their best employees. Fees are private nurseries’ only source of income so they have no option but, to pass on the 12-15 per cent salary increases to parents. Salaries account for 80 per cent of running costs and fees are an average of £140 a week. The annual pay survey for Nursery World magazine found that the salary of a nursery manager in the private sector had risen by an average of 12.3 per cent this year, to £21,547, as owners attempted to hang on to their staff. Despite the increase, children’s centres are offering about £27,000 for a manager. Senior nursery nurses have had an average 17 per cent increase this year, with salaries of about £14,000, but could still earn up to £17,000 if they switched to a children’s centre. “Children’s centres are heavily subsidised and are offering much bigger salaries than anywhere else in the sector,’ said Claire Schofield, head of membership at the National Day Nurseries Association. ‘Shouldn't the subsidy be available across the board?’ Private providers currently account for 78 per cent of all nursery places. The Government plans to open 3,500 children’s centres by 2010 — five in each parliamentary constituency. Each centre will offer daycare and other services for children and parents. The Department for Education and Skills estimates that the cost of each place will be about £250 a week, well above private sector fees. But a generous subsidy administered by local authorities brings the fees down to about £137 a week. Liz Roberts, editor of Nursery World, predicted that many nurseries would face financial difficulties as a result. ‘Nurseries will put up their fees a bit, but there is a limit to what parents can afford so it is becoming terribly difficult. Some nursery owners barely pay themselves as it is, so may just decide to close,’ she said. A Department for Education and Skills study found that only 25 per cent of private nurseries made a profit, with 31 per cent breaking even. While children’s centres will offer parents value for money at first, there is no guarantee that the Government will continue to pay the subsidy. If the funding is reduced, parents will have no choice but to pay more for their nursery places, especially if local private nurseries have been driven out of business. Parents have also made clear during public consultations that they like private and voluntary sector nurseries, which are often smaller and more intimate than local authority providers, and the Government has said that it is committed to diversity of supply. Education 33Exam focus: Matching sentence ending: Ti DENCE MCCUE ee Chec ates Ret eta Ly Understanding the main ideas in a text | Reading efficiently Working with key words and paraphrases Vocabulary 1 Match the pictures 1-6 above with the words a-f. a acanal__ © apond__ @ astream__ b alake__ d apuddle sf awell_ 2 Match the words 1-10 with the definitions a-}. 1 adam__ a_an area of calm sea water that is separated from the ocean by a line of rock or sand 2 adrought____b_a lake that is used for storing water before it is supplied to people 3 aflood______—_c_a longline of rocks or sand, the top of which is just above or just below the surface of the sea 4 alagoon___d_ the ground under the sea 5 aliquid e a bank of sand below the surface of the sea or a river 6 areef__ fasubstance which is not solid but which flows and can be poured, for example water 7 areservoir____g_ fine sand, soil, or mud which is carried along by a river 8 asandbank___ h awall that is built across a river in order to stop the water flowing and to make a lake 9 the seabed i a large amount of water that covers an area which is usually dry, for example when a river flows over its banks 10 sitt j along period of time during which no rain falls 34 Reading for IELTSvine 3. Match the nouns 1-7 to the words a-g with a similar meaning. 1 sweat a vapour 2 rain b purification 3. steam __ © perspiration 4. watering d irrigation 5 cleaning __ e beverage 6 drink f immersion 7 dunking 4g precipitation 4, Underline at least ten words or phrases related to the topic of liquids in the text below. Use your dictionary if necessary. Make a couple of litres of stock from the vegetables. Meanwhile, boil the kettle again and pour the boiling water on the spinach. Then turn up the heat in the pan with the onions, add the rice and toast lightly. Add boiling stock spoon by spoon to the rice. After 15 minutes of gentle simmering, spoon the risotto onto the plates and put a runny fried egg and the spinach on top. With dessert, pour each person a glass of sweet white wine. Cut a slice of peach into each glass so that you roll fruit and wine together into your mouth - a simple but delicious way to end this meal. 5 Complete the text with the words a-g. a beverage © dunk e sip g stir b blow d= saucer f spoon There is an art to having a (1)_____in one traditional English tearoom in Brighton. You don't put your elbows on the table. You don’t make a noise with your (2) on the inside of your cup as you (3] ____your tea. You don't insult the Queen, (4) ________ from your teaspoon or handle the sugar cubes. And if you use a mobile phone or (5) _____ your biscuit in your tea, you will be invited to leave. There are other rules, too: the cup should be placed back on the (6)____ between sips and not waved in the air, and you should not (7] ________ on your tea to cool it. 6 — Canyou list ten sports which can be done on or in water, on ice, or on snow? 7 Underline the correct word in the sentences 1-6. The river meanders /pours in great loops along the plain before it reaches the sea. The water seeped / gushed out of the burst pipe and soaked the passers-by. | poured / flowed him a fresh cup of coffee. It was a very hot day and sweat was seeping / trickling slowly down my face. The milk was seeping / pouring slowly through the paper carton ean ona The river flowed / poured through the valley. Nature andthe environment 35