PassSpark

IELTS Academic Reading 2023 past questions and answers

This 2023 IELTS Academic Reading set has 20 practice questions. Try these 5 free sample questions, tap a question to reveal the answer and explanation. Then practise the whole 2023 set with instant marking.

Practise the full 2023 setTimed exam mode

Sample IELTS Academic Reading 2023 questions

1. Passage: In several cities, researchers have installed small ponds on rooftops to attract insects and the bats that feed on them. The ponds do not replace natural wetlands, but they create stepping-stones between larger green spaces. Acoustic surveys found more bat calls near buildings with ponds than near similar buildings without them. The effect was strongest where rooftop vegetation was also present. However, the team cautions that call counts cannot show whether bats are nesting nearby or simply passing through. The project is therefore being assessed as one part of a wider urban habitat strategy. Question: What is the passage mainly about?
  1. How rooftop ponds may support bats as one element of urban habitat planning
  2. Why cities should replace wetlands with artificial ponds
  3. How acoustic surveys can identify the exact location of bat nests
  4. Why rooftop vegetation reduces the number of insects in cities

Answer: A. How rooftop ponds may support bats as one element of urban habitat planning

The passage presents rooftop ponds, especially alongside vegetation, as a potentially useful component of a broader habitat strategy.

2. Passage: A set of account tablets from a coastal trading town records salt shipments over three decades. At first, clerks listed each load by the name of the ship's captain. Later entries instead identify the warehouse where the salt was stored. Historians suggest that the change reflects a shift from small, personally managed exchanges to a more organised system in which merchants pooled goods before sale. The tablets do not state why the practice changed, and no comparable records have yet been found from neighbouring ports. Still, the new labels coincide with the construction of two large public storehouses. Question: What change appears in the later tablets?
  1. Shipments were recorded by their price rather than their size
  2. Loads were identified by warehouse instead of by captain
  3. Salt was no longer traded with neighbouring ports
  4. Clerks began recording the names of individual buyers

Answer: B. Loads were identified by warehouse instead of by captain

The passage explicitly says the later entries identify the warehouse rather than the captain.

3. Passage: A conservation group compared two mangrove inlets after a storm. Inlet North had a narrow drainage channel cut through its outer mud bank, while Inlet South remained largely undisturbed. Both received similar rainfall, yet water in North cleared more quickly and young fish were less abundant there during the following month. The researchers note that the channel may have allowed sediment and nutrients to wash out faster, but they did not measure every water movement. They plan to repeat the survey in another season before recommending whether the channel should be closed. Question: What can reasonably be inferred from the passage?
  1. The storm caused more rainfall at Inlet North than at Inlet South
  2. The channel has been proven to be the only cause of reduced fish numbers
  3. The drainage channel may have altered conditions important to young fish
  4. The conservation group has already decided to close the channel

Answer: C. The drainage channel may have altered conditions important to young fish

The observed differences and the researchers' tentative explanation suggest the channel may have affected fish-supporting conditions, though causation is unconfirmed.

4. Passage: Automatic translation systems now handle many routine notices, but their fluency can disguise uncertainty. In a trial involving evacuation instructions, a system produced smooth sentences while repeatedly confusing a local term for a raised flood refuge with a word meaning an ordinary hill. Human reviewers corrected the errors, yet the episode shows why polished output should not be treated as proof of accuracy. Developers can reduce risk by testing systems with regional vocabulary and by making uncertain phrases visible to users. Translation tools are valuable, but in emergencies they should support, not replace, accountable human review. Question: What is the writer's central claim?
  1. Translation software should not be used for public information
  2. Regional terms are too inconsistent for any translation system to process
  3. Emergency instructions should be written only in a single language
  4. Fluent machine translations still require careful human oversight in emergencies

Answer: D. Fluent machine translations still require careful human oversight in emergencies

The writer argues that translation tools can help but must be checked by accountable human reviewers in emergencies.

5. Passage: In a mountain museum, thick stone walls help keep the galleries comfortable without continuous heating. During sunny afternoons, the walls absorb warmth; after sunset, they release it slowly. This process buffers the sharp temperature swings that would otherwise occur between day and night. It does not create heat, and it works best when the building can cool naturally overnight. Curators have therefore added adjustable vents rather than installing a larger furnace. The approach has reduced energy use, although staff still monitor delicate objects during unusually cold spells. Question: In this passage, what does “buffers” most nearly mean?
  1. Reduces the severity of
  2. Measures the duration of
  3. Prevents the formation of
  4. Makes the direction of more predictable

Answer: A. Reduces the severity of

The walls moderate temperature swings by absorbing and gradually releasing warmth, so “buffers” means reduces their severity.

More IELTS Academic Reading years

2026202520242022

All IELTS Academic Reading years · IELTS subjects

PassSpark questions are original practice questions written to each exam's syllabus and format, in the style of past questions. They are not official past papers and are not affiliated with JAMB, WAEC, NECO, any university or any exam body.