This General Training IELTS Reading post focuses on solutions to IELTS Cambridge Official Guide to IELTS GT Test Reading Section 1 which is titled ‘Some places to visit’ & ‘LearnWithUs courses’. This is a targeted post for IELTS candidates who have big problems finding and understanding Reading Answers in the GT module. This post can guide you to the best to understand every Reading answer without much trouble. Finding out IELTS Reading answers is a steady process, and this post will assist you in this respect.

Cambridge Official Guide to IELTS, GT Test: General Training Reading Module

Reading Section 1: Questions 1-14

The headline of the first text: Some places to visit

Questions 1-8: Identifying information

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like the List of Headings, only read the first two lines or the last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 1: clothes that well-known people have worn

Keywords for the question: clothes, well-known people, worn,    

In description E, in the final lines, the writer of the text says, “ . . .. . you can currently see Dressing the Stars, which displays original costumes worn by the stars of many popular films.”

Here, original costumes worn by the stars of many popular films = clothes that well-known people have worn,

So, the answer is: E

Question no. 2: a display that cannot be seen yet

Keywords for the question: display, cannot be seen, yet,

Take a look at line no. 4 in description B, “ . . …  The Folk Art Gallery opens to the public next month, . . .. . . .”

Here, The Folk Art Gallery = a display, opens to the public next month = cannot be seen yet,

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 3: people who talk in an entertaining way

Keywords for the question: people, talk, in an entertaining way,

In description A, the writer says in the final lines, “ . .. …. .. Our volunteer guides in each room bring the house to life with stories of the past.”

Here, Our volunteer guides = people, bring the house to life with stories of the past = talk in an entertaining way,

So, the answer is: A   

Question no. 4: the museum having just reopened

Keywords for the question: museum, just reopened,

In description F, lines 1-2 say, “Having spent the best part of two years being refurbished, the Mason Museum has recently opened its doors again. . . .. .”

Here, the Mason Museum has recently opened its doors again = the museum having just reopened,

So, the answer is: F  

Question no. 5: a building that has changed its function several times

Keywords for the question: building, has changed, function, several times,

In description C, the writer says in lines 2-3, “ . . .. . .. a historic building that started life as a theatre, before becoming a bank and then a restaurant, which is still in operation. .. . .. .. .”

Here, started life as a theatre, before becoming a bank and then a restaurant = has changed its function several times,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 6: furniture of the same kind that was used when the building was new

Keywords for the question: furniture, same kind, was used, when, building was new,

In description A, the writer of the text says in the first few lines, “Beautiful Kingsley House was built in the 18^th century, and all the rooms are decorated and furnished in the style of the time . . . .. .. … . ”

Here, Beautiful Kingsley House was built in the 18th century = when the building was new,

all the rooms are decorated and furnished in the style of the time = furniture of the same kind that was used,

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 7: being open for tours on certain days of the week

Keywords for the question: being open, tours on certain days of the week,   

In description C, the writer says in the final lines, “ . . .. .. . On Sundays and Mondays, when the restaurant is closed, a guide is available to show you round the building and its fascinating architectural features.”

Here, On Sundays and Mondays = on certain days of the week, a guide is available to show you round the building = being open for tours,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 8: a special event to mark an anniversary

Keywords for the question: a special event, mark an anniversary, 

In description B, the writer says in the first few lines, “The Africa Museum was founded 50 years ago, and to commemorate the event, we have chosen 50 treasures from the permanent collection and put them together to tell the fascinating story of that continent. . . .. .”

Here, The Africa Museum was founded 50 years ago = 50th anniversary,

to commemorate the event = to mark an anniversary,

we have chosen 50 treasures from the permanent collection and put them together to tell the fascinating story of that continent = a special event,

So, the answer is: B

The headline of the second text: LearnWithUs courses

Questions 9-14: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer. This question type generally follows a sequence. So, scanning skill is effective here.]

Question no. 9: You can work through parts of a course more than once.

Keywords for the question: can work through, parts of a course, more than once,

In the first paragraph, the writer says in lines 2-3, “ .. .. . . you can work through the course at your own speed, and go back to any session whenever you want to. . . .. . .. . ”

Here, go back to any session whenever you want to = work through parts of a course more than once,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 10: The number of courses offered by LearnWithUs has increased enormously.

Keywords for the question: number of courses, offered by LearnWithUs, increased enormously,  

In the second paragraph the writer talks about the number of courses. “We offer hundreds of courses in a whole range of subjects from reading, writing and maths to business and management. Many of these are specially designed for people whose first language isn’t English.”

However, we find NO INFORMATION on whether the number of courses has increased or decreased.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 11: Many staff members have worked through a LearnWithUs course themselves.

Keywords for the question: many staff members, worked through, a LearnWithUs course, themselves,

The text provides NO INFORMATION on whether many staff members have worked through a LearnWithUs course themselves or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 12: You may have to pay to take a LearnWithUs course.

Keywords for the question: may have to pay, to take, a LearnWithUs course,    

In paragraph no. 3, take a look at the final lines, “ . . .. . . They’ll also work out whether you qualify for funding, so that you won’t have to pay the full fee for the course.”

Here, so that you won’t have to pay the full fee for the course = You may have to pay,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 13: Everybody takes the same taster lesson.

Keywords for the question: everybody, takes, same taster lesson,

The first line of the fourth paragraph says, “You might want to try a tester lesson first. . . .. . .”

Here, You might want to try a tester lesson first = it is suggested for you to take a tester lesson before getting admitted; this means it is not compulsory for everybody,  

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 14: LearnWithUs centres are open seven days a week.

Keywords for the question: LearnWithUs centres, open, seven days a week,

In the final paragraph, the final line says, “ . . .. . . . (we are open during normal office hours) . .. . . .. .”

Here, we are open during normal office hours = centres are NOT open seven days a week,

So, the answer is: FALSE

© All the texts with inverted commas used in this post are taken from Cambridge Official Guide to IELTS GT Test