Unofficial practice. We wrote these questions to match the official IELTS question types and timings. They are not real exam questions, and points shown are practice feedback, not a band score. For official sample tests, visit ielts.org.
Before you start
Do
- Read the instructions for word limits, like "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS".
- Skim the passage first, then scan for answers.
- Check spelling: a misspelled answer is marked wrong.
- Leave no blanks. There's no penalty for wrong answers in IELTS.
Don't
- Don't spend too long on one question. Move on and come back.
- Don't write more words than the instructions allow.
- Don't replay the audio. In the real test you hear it once.
How the buttons work
- ▶ Start test starts the clock (20 minutes) and shows one part at a time, as in the real test. In reading, the passage stays on screen next to the questions.
- Move between parts with ◀ Back and Next ▶. As in the real test, you can go back and change answers until time runs out.
- Listening: each recording plays once. Read the questions first, then press play and answer as you listen.
- ❚❚ Pause stops the clock if you're interrupted (the real test can't be paused). End test finishes early and shows your results.
How it's marked
- Multiple-choice, fill-in and listening questions are marked instantly with the real test's rules. See exactly how we mark.
- At the end you'll see a results report by task type, with what to practise next.
Test paused. The clock has stopped.
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How this practice is marked
One point per correct answer, with spelling checked, as in the real IELTS. There's no penalty for wrong answers. We show points rather than a band for single passages, because IELTS converts raw scores out of 40. For a band estimate, take a full reading test or a full listening test. See how our marking works.
Answers, explanations and transcripts
Finish the test first, then open each section to check your answers. Every answer has an explanation.
Reading passage
Passage text
The box that changed the world
A For most of history, loading and unloading ships was slow, expensive work. Goods arrived at the dock in sacks, barrels and crates of every shape and size, and teams of workers carried them on board one by one. A large cargo ship could spend a week or more in port, and the cost of handling goods at each end of a voyage was often higher than the cost of the voyage itself.
B In the 1950s, an American trucking company owner, Malcolm McLean, became frustrated by the hours his drivers spent waiting at ports. He reasoned that it would be far quicker to lift the entire back of a truck onto a ship than to unload its contents. In 1956, a converted oil tanker carried fifty-eight metal boxes from New Jersey to Texas. Loading cost a fraction of the usual price per tonne.
C The idea was not welcomed by everyone. Dock workers' unions feared, correctly, that containers would eliminate thousands of jobs, and there were long disputes in many ports. Shipping companies that had invested heavily in traditional vessels were also reluctant to change, and some governments were slow to approve the new practices.
D An early difficulty was that different companies built containers of different sizes, so a box from one firm would not fit another firm's ship, crane or truck. During the 1960s, after lengthy negotiations, international standards were agreed. The 'twenty-foot equivalent unit', or TEU, became the standard measure of shipping capacity, and the corner fittings that lock containers together were made identical worldwide.
E Standardisation allowed ships to grow dramatically. The largest container ships today can carry more than 24,000 TEU. Because such vessels need deep water and enormous cranes, they call at a relatively small number of major ports, and many older harbours have lost most of their trade.
F The effects reached far beyond the sea. As shipping costs fell, it became economical for companies to manufacture goods in one country, assemble them in another and sell them on a third continent. In many cities, busy docks close to the centre fell silent and were later redeveloped as apartments, offices and parks, while new container terminals were built on cheaper land far from town.
Answer key (14 answers)
| # | Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paragraph A | ii. A problem older than steam | Paragraph A describes the slow handling of cargo before containers. |
| 2 | Paragraph B | iv. An idea from a trucking business | Paragraph B: McLean, a trucking company owner, has the idea. |
| 3 | Paragraph C | i. A design that met resistance | Paragraph C: unions, shipping companies and governments resisted. |
| 4 | Paragraph D | v. Agreeing on a single size | Paragraph D: international standards and the TEU. |
| 5 | Paragraph E | iii. Bigger ships, fewer ports | Paragraph E: huge ships call at a small number of major ports. |
| 6 | Paragraph F | vii. A lasting change to cities | Paragraph F describes how city docks were redeveloped (and trade became global). 'A lasting change to cities' fits best; 'The hidden cost of cheap transport' isn't discussed. |
| 7 | Before containers, handling costs could be greater than the cost of the sea voyage. | True | Paragraph A says exactly this. |
| 8 | McLean's first container voyage used a ship designed for containers. | False | It was 'a converted oil tanker'. |
| 9 | Unions were wrong to think containers would reduce dock jobs. | False | They 'feared, correctly' that jobs would be eliminated. |
| 10 | The standard corner fittings were invented by McLean. | Not Given | The passage says fittings were made identical, not who invented them. |
| 11 | In 1956, a ship carried ___ | fifty-eight (also accepted: 58, fifty eight) | Paragraphs B, D, E and F. |
| 12 | boxes from New Jersey to Texas. International standards agreed in the ___ | 1960s | Paragraphs B, D, E and F. |
| 13 | …of capacity. Today's biggest ships need deep water and very large ___ | cranes | Paragraphs B, D, E and F. |
| 14 | …centres were redeveloped, and new terminals were built on cheaper ___ | land | Paragraphs B, D, E and F. |