IELTS Academic practice test: Volcanic Forecasting with Seismic Data

Passage 1 · 692 words · 13 questions

Volcanic Forecasting with Seismic Data

Volcanoes rarely erupt without warning, but the warnings are ambiguous. Magma forcing its way upward fractures rock, releases gas and swells the ground above it, and all three leave signals that instruments can detect…

• True / False / Not Given × 5
• Multiple choice × 4
• Sentence completion × 4

Passage 2 · 784 words · 13 questions

Does Rising Income Mean Rising Welfare?

For most of the twentieth century, economists treated rising income as a reasonably direct proxy for rising welfare, on the reasonable assumption that people who could afford more of what they wanted were, in some…

• Matching headings × 6
• Summary completion × 5
• Multiple choice × 2

Passage 3 · 750 words · 14 questions

The Origins of Photography

The desire to fix an image cast by light predates any working chemical process by centuries. The camera obscura, a darkened box or room with a small hole letting light project an inverted image of the outside scene onto…

• Matching information × 5
• True / False / Not Given × 4
• Multiple choice × 3
• Sentence completion × 2

Part 1 · 10 questions

Booking a private room at the Old Granary

A customer asks a restaurant about the rooms available for a private event.

• Table completion × 6
• Short answer × 4

Part 2 · 10 questions

Charity fun run at Kingsmead Park

An organiser briefs volunteers on the layout of a charity fun run.

• Map / diagram labelling × 5
• Multiple choice × 5

Part 3 · 10 questions

Planning a dissertation on happiness

A tutor and student discuss a dissertation on happiness.

• Multiple choice × 6
• Note completion × 4

Part 4 · 10 questions

Light pollution and the night sky

A lecture on artificial light at night, its effects and how it is being reduced.

• Sentence completion × 5
• Note completion × 5

Task 1 · at least 150 words

The table shows average house prices in four regions in 2015, 2019 and 2023. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Task 2 · at least 250 words

Many traditional skills and ways of life are disappearing. What problems does this cause, and what solutions can you suggest?

Part 1

Nature and the environment

Example questions

• Do you like spending time in nature?
• Is there a park or natural area near your home?
• What kind of weather do you prefer for going outside?

Part 2

Describe a natural place you have visited

Example questions

• Describe a natural place you have visited

Part 3

Environmental protection

Example questions

• What environmental problems are most serious in cities?
• How can schools teach children to care about nature?
• Should individuals or governments take more responsibility for the environment?