IELTS General Training Reading full test

Section 1: Short courses at Bayside Community College

A. Digital Photography for Beginners Learn to get the best from your camera or phone. Six Saturday mornings, 9 am to 12 pm. Bring your own camera. $180.

B. Conversational Italian Practise everyday Italian with a native-speaker tutor. Ten Wednesday evenings. No previous knowledge needed. Textbook included. $250.

C. Small Business Bookkeeping Keep accurate records and prepare for tax time. Four Monday evenings. You will need a laptop. A certificate is awarded on completion. $220.

D. Weekend Bread Baking A one-day hands-on workshop. All ingredients and equipment provided, and you take home everything you bake. Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. $120.

E. First Aid Certificate A nationally recognised qualification, often required by employers. Two full days (Saturday and Sunday). Includes a short online test before the course. $195.

Enrol online or at reception. Full refunds are available up to seven days before a course begins. Concession prices are available for students and pensioners on courses A, B and D.

Section 1: Tenant notices, Harbourview Apartments

A. Lift maintenance The lift in Block B will be out of service from Monday 4 to Wednesday 6 November while new cables are installed. Residents who need help carrying heavy items during this time should contact the building manager.

B. Bin collection changes From 1 December, general waste will be collected on Tuesdays instead of Mondays. Recycling collection remains on Thursdays. Please do not leave bins on the footpath for more than 24 hours.

C. Pool rules The rooftop pool is open from 6 am to 10 pm. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Glass is not permitted in the pool area at any time.

D. Bicycle storage A new secure bike room has opened in the basement car park. Access cards cost $20 (refundable) and are available from the building manager's office.

E. Annual fire safety inspection Inspectors will test smoke alarms in every apartment on Friday 15 November between 9 am and 3 pm. If you cannot be home, the building manager will let them in using a master key.

Section 2: Working safely in the warehouse

All new staff must complete a safety induction on their first day before entering the warehouse floor. Your supervisor will issue you with a high-visibility vest and steel-capped boots, which must be worn at all times in work areas.

Forklifts may only be operated by staff who hold a current licence. If you see a forklift approaching, stop and make eye contact with the driver before continuing. Pedestrians must use the walkways marked with yellow lines.

Heavy items over 20 kg must be lifted by two people or with a trolley. If you are injured, however minor the injury, report it to your supervisor immediately and record it in the incident book kept in the staff room. First aid kits are located beside each exit.

Section 2: Applying for leave at Coastline Logistics

Annual leave. Full-time employees receive four weeks of paid annual leave each year. Leave should be requested through the staff portal at least two weeks in advance. Requests for more than ten consecutive days must also be approved by your department manager.

Personal leave. If you are unable to work because you are ill, notify your supervisor by phone before your shift begins. Text messages and emails are not accepted for this purpose. For absences of more than two consecutive days, a medical certificate is required.

Unpaid leave. In special circumstances, employees may apply for up to three months of unpaid leave. Applications are considered by Human Resources and are usually decided within ten working days.

Section 3: The quiet comeback of the public library

A When the internet arrived in most homes, many people predicted that public libraries would soon disappear. Why would anyone travel to a building to borrow a book when information was available instantly on a screen? Some councils cut library budgets, reduced opening hours or closed smaller branches altogether.

B Yet in many countries, library membership has stabilised and, in some places, visitor numbers are rising again. The reason is that libraries have changed what they offer. Alongside books, most now provide free Wi-Fi, computers, printing and study spaces. For people without a reliable internet connection at home, these services can be essential, whether for applying for jobs, completing government forms or doing homework.

C Libraries have also become important meeting places. Many run free activities such as story time for toddlers, English conversation groups for new migrants, coding clubs for teenagers and technology help sessions for older people. Librarian Grace Liu, who manages a busy suburban branch, describes the modern library as 'the community's living room: one of the few indoor places where you can stay as long as you like without having to buy anything'.

D Some libraries now lend items that would have seemed unusual a generation ago. Members can borrow tools, sewing machines, musical instruments and even cake tins. Supporters argue that these 'libraries of things' save households money and reduce waste, because items that most people use only occasionally can be shared.

E Not everyone is convinced that this is the right direction. Critics argue that libraries risk losing their identity by trying to do too much, and that quiet space for reading and study is being lost to noisy activities. Others point out that libraries are still underfunded and that staff are increasingly expected to deal with social problems, such as homelessness, for which they have not been trained.

F Most librarians, however, see these changes as a continuation of libraries' original purpose: to give everyone equal access to knowledge and opportunity. As Liu puts it, 'The format has changed, but the mission hasn't.'