IELTS General Training Practice Test 1: Answers
Every answer with the words in the text that give it. Mark yourself strictly: a spelling mistake or a word over the limit loses the mark on test day.
Unofficial original RCF practice material
This answer key and the model answers were written by RCF English. The band table is indicative only.
Section 1: Questions 1-14
| Q | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FALSE | Weekdays open at 6.30 a.m.; weekends at 8.00 a.m. |
| 2 | TRUE | On the first Monday of every month the pool is closed until 2.00 p.m. for deep cleaning. Trap: the pool is not closed all day, but the statement is only about cleaning, which does happen. |
| 3 | TRUE | Between 6.30 a.m. and 9.00 a.m. on weekdays the pool is divided into slow, medium and fast lanes. |
| 4 | FALSE | Inflatable toys are brought out on Sundays only. |
| 5 | FALSE | One adult may supervise a maximum of two children under eight. |
| 6 | NOT GIVEN | Caps are not compulsory, but nothing is said about buying them anywhere. |
| 7 | TRUE | Places ... must be booked at reception at least one week in advance. |
| 8 | C | A single full-day workshop on a Saturday. |
| 9 | D | All sessions take place online by video call. |
| 10 | E | All ingredients are included in the course fee. |
| 11 | B | This course is not suitable for complete beginners. |
| 12 | C | Everyone who completes the workshop receives a certificate. C is used twice, which the instructions allow. |
| 13 | A | A phone camera is perfectly acceptable. |
| 14 | B | Ten weeks. Trap: Photography is eight weeks; the others are shorter. |
Section 2: Questions 15-27
| Q | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | security gate | Please report to the security gate at 7.45 a.m. |
| 16 | bank details | the completed form with your bank details |
| 17 | induction | you may not operate any equipment, including pallet trucks, until you have completed the induction. Induction programme is also accepted: two words. |
| 18 | (steel-toe) boots | one pair free of charge of steel-toe boots. Steel-toe boots counts as two words because the hyphenated word is one. |
| 19 | half | at half the normal price |
| 20 | canteen | the covered bay beside the canteen. Trap: not car park, where motorcycles must not be left. |
| 21 | team leader | obtain the approval of your team leader |
| 22 | 25 / twenty-five (days) | After five years of continuous service, this rises to 25 days. |
| 23 | (online) staff portal | through the online staff portal. Three words: within the limit. |
| 24 | four weeks | A two-week holiday is more than five working days, so at least four weeks in advance. Trap: two weeks' notice is for shorter periods. |
| 25 | (the) date of request / order of request | leave is given in order of the date on which the requests were made |
| 26 | (before) (the) end of March | these days must be taken before the end of March |
| 27 | (a) medical certificate | send a medical certificate to the human resources office |
Section 3: Questions 28-40
| Q | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | ii | Paragraph B: the idea began in Amsterdam and spread across Europe and the world. |
| 29 | iii | Paragraph C: glued cases, missing parts and labour costing more than a new item. |
| 30 | i | Paragraph D: watching makes owners far more likely to attempt a similar repair at home. |
| 31 | v | Paragraph E: meeting places, conversation, skills valued across generations. |
| 32 | vi | Paragraph F: the number of objects mended ... is tiny compared with the waste produced. Trap: safety concerns are mentioned, but the paragraph as a whole is about doubts. |
| 33 | iv | Paragraph G: rules introduced in recent years require ... spare parts. |
| 34 | B | far more likely to attempt a similar repair at home next time. The paragraph begins by saying it is not for the volunteers' convenience, which rules out A and D. |
| 35 | C | the skills they spent a working life acquiring ... are once again valued by others |
| 36 | C | the responsibility for designing products that last should lie with manufacturers |
| 37 | glued | cases are glued together rather than held with screws. Trap: screwed is the opposite. |
| 38 | parts | the replacement parts that would allow a simple fix are often impossible to buy |
| 39 | cheaper | buying a replacement is frequently cheaper |
| 40 | years | keep spare parts available for a number of years |
Indicative band conversion: General Training Reading
| Band | General Training Reading (out of 40) |
|---|---|
| 9 | 40 |
| 8.5 | 39 |
| 8 | 37-38 |
| 7.5 | 36 |
| 7 | 34-35 |
| 6.5 | 32-33 |
| 6 | 30-31 |
| 5.5 | 27-29 |
| 5 | 23-26 |
| 4.5 | 19-22 |
| 4 | 15-18 |
Model letter: Task 1
Dear Sir or Madam,
I stayed at your hotel from 12 to 14 March while attending the regional sales conference held in your conference suite, and I am writing because I believe I left a personal item in my room, number 318.
The item is a small black leather wallet containing my work identity card, two bank cards and a family photograph. I think I left it in the drawer of the bedside table on the morning I checked out, as I remember putting it there before I went to breakfast. Although the bank cards have now been cancelled, the photograph is of great sentimental value to me and cannot be replaced.
I would be very grateful if you could ask your housekeeping staff to check the room and your lost property records. If the wallet is found, could you please send it to me by registered post? I will, of course, pay any postage costs. Alternatively, I could arrange for a colleague who lives nearby to collect it.
Thank you in advance for your help. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Nadeesha Perera
Why this letter works
- The purpose is clear in the first sentence, together with the dates and the reason for the stay: bullet point one is done immediately.
- The description is specific (colour, material, contents, where it was left), and the photograph gives a reason why the matter still matters after the cards were cancelled.
- The request is polite and practical, with an alternative, which develops bullet point three beyond a single sentence.
- Register is consistent: Dear Sir or Madam is closed with Yours faithfully. About 180 words: comfortably over 150 without padding.
Model essay: Task 2
Voluntary work in the community is widely praised, and it is tempting to conclude that something so beneficial should be required of every secondary school student. While I agree that schools should actively encourage volunteering, I believe that making it compulsory would undermine the very qualities that make it valuable.
Those in favour of compulsion make a strong case. Unpaid work can teach young people responsibility, introduce them to people from different backgrounds and give them practical experience that no classroom can provide. A requirement would also ensure that these benefits reach every student, not only those whose families already value community service. In countries where volunteering is part of the school curriculum, many students discover an interest they would never have found on their own.
However, the defining feature of voluntary work is that it is freely chosen. When it becomes an obligation, many students will treat it as one more box to tick, completing the minimum number of hours with little genuine commitment. Community organisations, which depend on reliable and willing helpers, may find themselves supervising reluctant teenagers rather than receiving real assistance. Furthermore, a compulsory scheme would fall hardest on students who already work part-time to support their families, adding to the pressure on those with the least free time.
A better approach, in my view, is for schools to make volunteering easy and attractive: arranging placements, recognising participation on school reports and allowing students to choose causes that matter to them. This keeps the benefits while preserving the element of choice.
In conclusion, although community service has clear value for young people, I disagree that it should be compulsory, because obligation tends to replace genuine commitment with reluctant compliance.
Why this essay works
- The position is stated in the introduction and never changes: encourage, but do not make compulsory.
- The opposing view is given properly before being answered, which shows balance without sitting on the fence.
- Every body paragraph has one central idea, supported with a reason and a consequence rather than a list.
- The fourth paragraph offers an alternative, which strengthens the argument instead of simply rejecting the proposal. About 300 words.
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Academic, General Training, UKVI and Life Skills.