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IELTS Academic Reading 2026 past questions and answers

This 2026 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 2026 set with instant marking.

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Sample IELTS Academic Reading 2026 questions

1. At a sheltered bay on the fictional island of Neral, marine biologists recorded reef sounds at dawn and after sunset. They found that the evening recordings contained more snapping shrimp clicks and fish calls, even when water temperature was similar. The team suggests that sound may help young fish locate suitable habitat, but it has not yet shown that noise alone determines where fish settle. Researchers plan to compare recordings from healthy and damaged reefs before recommending sound-based restoration. Which option best expresses the main idea of the passage?
  1. Researchers are exploring whether reef sound helps fish find habitat, but further evidence is needed.
  2. Water temperature is the only factor that determines how many fish settle on a reef.
  3. Damaged reefs have already been restored successfully by broadcasting shrimp sounds.
  4. Fish make more calls at dawn because shrimp are inactive after sunset.

Answer: A. Researchers are exploring whether reef sound helps fish find habitat, but further evidence is needed.

The passage presents a possible role for reef sound while emphasizing that the explanation remains unproven.

2. In 1894, a small observatory was built on the hill above the port of Veyra. Its brass telescope had been ordered from a workshop in Lyon, while the rotating roof was made locally by shipwrights familiar with curved timber. The observatory initially served navigators who wanted to check a new set of star tables. By 1912, a teachers' association had begun holding public evenings there, and the building's logbook shows that these sessions continued even during the port's coal shortage. According to the passage, who made the observatory's rotating roof?
  1. A workshop in Lyon
  2. Local shipwrights
  3. The teachers' association
  4. The port's navigators

Answer: B. Local shipwrights

The passage states that local shipwrights made the rotating roof.

3. A restoration group replanted native reeds along two stretches of the Lorne marsh. One stretch was connected to an open channel; the other was separated by a narrow bank. After three seasons, both plots held more sediment than nearby bare ground, but the connected plot also supported more juvenile crabs. The researchers caution that crab counts vary with water flow and that the trial covered only a short period. They intend to monitor both plots through several unusually dry summers before deciding which design to recommend. What can reasonably be inferred from the passage?
  1. The separated plot cannot trap sediment during dry weather.
  2. Juvenile crabs caused the connected plot to retain more sediment.
  3. Water access may influence how useful reed restoration is for juvenile crabs.
  4. The group has already selected the connected design for all marshes.

Answer: C. Water access may influence how useful reed restoration is for juvenile crabs.

The higher crab count in the connected plot suggests water access may matter, though the team has not reached a final recommendation.

4. In several towns, small lending libraries have begun sharing space with repair benches and seed exchanges. The change is sometimes described as a way to make libraries more fashionable, but that account misses their practical value. A resident may borrow a drill, learn how to mend a lamp, or collect seeds without needing to buy equipment or join a specialist club. Such services do require staff time and clear safety rules. Still, treating the library as a place for shared resources can strengthen its traditional role as a public institution. What is the writer's view of libraries that offer these services?
  1. They should replace books with equipment and gardening supplies.
  2. They are mainly useful as a temporary fashion for towns.
  3. They cannot operate safely without restricting access to members.
  4. They can extend the library's public role by helping people share resources.

Answer: D. They can extend the library's public role by helping people share resources.

The writer argues that shared-resource services can reinforce, rather than replace, the library's public function.

5. A team designing a digital form for a rural clinic noticed that patients often stopped midway through registration. Interviews suggested that the problem was not reluctance to provide medical information but the repeated need to switch between screens and ask staff for clarification. The designers called these small interruptions 'friction'. They shortened the form, added examples beside unfamiliar terms, and let users save a partial response. Completion rates rose, although the team noted that staffing levels also changed during the trial. What does the word 'friction' mean in this passage?
  1. Small obstacles that make a process harder to complete
  2. A disagreement between patients and clinic staff
  3. A technical failure that permanently erases records
  4. A fee charged for registering with the clinic

Answer: A. Small obstacles that make a process harder to complete

Here 'friction' refers to interruptions and confusing steps that hinder form completion.

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