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IELTS General Training Reading · Lesson 4 of 4

Section 3: the longer text

Manage the longest text in the test and combine several question types.

  • 50–60 minutes
  • Level B1+
  • 5 exercises

In this lesson you will

  • manage the longest text in the test
  • follow the organisation of a descriptive text
  • combine several question types
  • use all six reading skills together

Strategy

The longer text

Section 3 has one longer text. It is usually descriptive or instructive rather than argumentative. Because it is longer, a clear method is essential.

  1. Survey the title and any headings.
  2. Skim the paragraphs and make a quick note of what each one is about.
  3. Start with the questions that are in text order. Use them to move through the text.
  4. Scan, then read in detail to find each answer.
  5. Leave a hard question and come back later. Always write an answer, because there is no penalty for a wrong answer.

Practice

Put it all together

Give yourself about 25 minutes, as you would in the test.

Reading passage

How lighthouses guided sailors

A For thousands of years, sailors relied on fires lit on hilltops to warn them of dangerous coasts. The Romans built stone towers to raise these fires higher, which allowed the light to be seen from further away. However, an open fire burned large amounts of wood or coal, and strong winds or heavy rain could make it almost invisible.

B During the eighteenth century, oil lamps began to replace fires. In the 1780s, the Swiss inventor Aimé Argand developed a lamp with a hollow circular wick, which burned more steadily and produced far less smoke. Mirrors were then placed behind the lamps to reflect the light out to sea. These improvements helped, but a great deal of the light was still lost.

C The greatest advance came in the 1820s, when the French physicist Augustin Fresnel introduced a new type of lens. Instead of one thick piece of glass, his lens was made from many thin rings of glass arranged in a series of steps. It was much lighter than earlier lenses, and it concentrated the light into a narrow, powerful beam that could be seen from many kilometres away.

D Keeping a lighthouse working was demanding. Keepers climbed the tower several times each night to add fuel, trim the wicks and wind the clockwork that turned the lens. In the morning they cleaned the glass and polished the brass, since even a thin layer of soot could reduce the strength of the beam. Many keepers lived with their families at the lighthouse, sometimes on remote islands that could be cut off for weeks by storms.

E Because sailors needed to know exactly which lighthouse they had seen, each one was given its own pattern of flashes, known as its character. Sailors could check the pattern on a printed list and work out their position. During the day, lighthouses were identified by the colours painted on their towers.

F In the twentieth century, electricity replaced oil, and automatic systems gradually removed the need for keepers. Today, most lighthouses are monitored from a distance. Although ships now use satellite navigation, lighthouses continue to provide a useful back-up if electronic systems fail, and many have become popular tourist attractions.

Passage written for Tips4IELTS for practice. Any names, prices and dates are invented.

Exercise 1

Match the headings

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph. There are more headings than paragraphs.

Paragraph A
Paragraph B
Paragraph C
Paragraph D
Paragraph E
Paragraph F
Exercise 2

Complete the sentences

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

  1. Strong winds or could make an open fire hard to see.
  2. Argand's lamp produced much less .
  3. Fresnel's lens was made from thin of glass.
  4. Soot on the glass could reduce the strength of the .
  5. The pattern of flashes of a lighthouse is called its .
Exercise 3

True, False or Not Given?

Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?

1 Roman towers made fires visible from a greater distance.
2 Lighthouse keepers were well paid.
3 During the day, sailors recognised lighthouses by their flashes.
4 Most lighthouses are now watched over remotely.
Exercise 4

Multiple choice

Choose the correct answer.

  1. Why are lighthouses still useful?
Exercise 5

Put the stages in order

Use the arrow buttons to show how lighthouses developed.

  1. Lights are powered by electricity.
  2. Open fires are lit on hilltops.
  3. Mirrors are placed behind oil lamps.
  4. The Romans build stone towers.
  5. A lens made from thin rings of glass is introduced.
  6. Oil lamps begin to replace fires.
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Lesson and passages written for Tips4IELTS, based on the official IELTS General Training Reading test format.