IELTS General Reading Practice Test 16
40 Questions · 60 Minutes · Instant Approximate Band Score
English Guru Campus
Text A — Bulky Waste Collection Service
Local residents may request a targeted municipal service for the removal of large household items that cannot be accommodated in standard domestic wheelie bins.
Eligible Items
The service covers household furniture such as sofas, armchairs, wooden tables, bed frames, and wardrobes. Large electrical appliances—including washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators—are also accepted, provided they have been fully disconnected from mains electricity and plumbing prior to pickup. Mattresses and rolled carpets may be presented, subject to specific weather conditions outlined below.
Non-Eligible Items
This service does not collect construction or demolition debris (e.g., bricks, concrete, rubble, tiles, and plasterboard), hazardous materials (e.g., paints, solvents, motor oil, car batteries, and asbestos), or green garden waste. Commercial machinery and industrial equipment are strictly excluded.
Preparation and Placement
Items scheduled for collection must be positioned at the boundary of your property by 06:00 on the confirmed pickup date. Items must be clearly visible, easily accessible from the public highway, and placed where they do not obstruct footpaths, cycle lanes, or pedestrian access. Collection crews will under no circumstances enter private residences, garages, or back gardens to retrieve items.
Weather Conditions and Heavy Items
Rainfall can significantly affect the collection of certain materials. Soft furnishings or mattresses become excessively heavy when waterlogged and may be left behind by collection crews on safety grounds. Residents are advised to cover these items with waterproof sheeting if rain is forecast.
Text B — HarbourWorks Co-working Hub
Welcome to HarbourWorks Co-working Hub. To maintain a productive, professional, and respectful environment for all individuals and team members, all users must adhere to the operating policies outlined below.
Access and Membership
HarbourWorks is accessible to registered members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via keycard entry. Drop-in visitors can purchase a Day Pass at reception, which grants access to unreserved hot-desks from 08:30 to 17:30 on weekdays only. Day Passes are not valid at weekends or on public holidays. All first-time users—regardless of whether they purchase a daily pass or a recurring membership—must complete an online identity verification process by presenting a valid government-issued photo ID at reception before gaining initial access. Members may host external visitors for up to two hours in the central lounge without charge, but all guests must be signed in at reception upon arrival.
Printing and Utilities
High-speed Wi-Fi and shared desktop monitors are available throughout the facility. Members receive an initial monthly allowance of fifty black-and-white printed pages; additional printing or colour documents are charged directly to the user’s online account balance.
Desk Reservations and Meeting-Room Bookings
Hot-desks operate on a first-come, first-served basis unless a dedicated desk membership is purchased. Conference rooms must be reserved in advance via the member portal. Standard bookings require at least two hours' prior notice, while whole-day room reservations require forty-eight hours' advance notification. Any booking cancellations made less than twenty-four hours before the scheduled start time will incur a fifty percent cancellation fee.
Accessibility and Secure Storage
The entire facility features step-free access, wide corridors, and accessible washrooms on all levels. Secure personal lockers are available for monthly rental near the main entrance; users must provide their own padlocks. Hot-desks operate on a clear-desk policy; any items left unattended will be removed to the reception office and held in lost property for fourteen days.
Workspace Etiquette and Amenities
To maintain a quiet environment, phone calls lasting longer than five minutes as well as extended calls or video conferences must be conducted in the soundproof phone booths provided. Meals may be consumed in two designated dining areas: the kitchen and lounge. Eating elsewhere is not permitted because food odours can disturb users in the open-plan work zones.
Questions 1–14
Text C — Apex Logistics: Emergency Procedures
Section A: General Emergency Contact Protocols
In the event of a medical emergency, fire, or severe hazard, immediately notify the On-Duty Safety Officer via the internal emergency extension line (ext. 4444). Do not attempt to resolve major incidents unassisted.
Section B: Fire Evacuation Rules
When the fire alarm sounds continuously, all personnel must immediately cease work, shut down machinery if safe to do so, and proceed calmly along designated escape routes to Assembly Point 3 in the north carpark. Lifts must not be used during an evacuation under any circumstances; personnel should rely solely on designated fire stairwells.
Section C: Chemical Spill Containment
In the case of hazardous liquid spills, designated trained responders must immediately deploy spill kits located in Storage Bay 4. Unauthorised staff must evacuate the immediate area to prevent chemical inhalation or skin contact.
Section D: Workplace Injury Reporting
All workplace accidents, regardless of severity, must be recorded in the digital Incident Log within twenty-four hours. First-aid kits are situated on every floor next to the primary stairwell entrances.
Section E: Lone-Worker Monitoring Protocols
Staff working outside core hours or in isolated areas must check in every two hours via the mobile safety application. If an alarm sounds, these devices emit a localised visual and audible alert to ensure workers in high-noise or secluded environments are promptly notified.
Text D — Cedarstone Consulting: Flexible Working Policy
Eligibility and Qualifying Period
All permanent employees who have completed a minimum of twenty-six weeks of continuous service with the company are eligible to submit a request for flexible working.
Application Process
Employees wishing to request a flexible working pattern (e.g., hybrid working, compressed hours, or staggered start times) must submit a formal written application to their department manager and the Human Resources Department at least eight weeks prior to the proposed start date. Crucially, the applicant must provide a detailed analysis of the potential operational impact on team performance, client delivery, and colleague workflows, including suggested strategies to mitigate any identified challenges.
Employer Assessment and Timelines
Upon receiving an application, the department manager will arrange a consultation meeting with the employee within twenty working days to discuss the proposal. Cedarstone Consulting may reject a request only on recognised operational grounds, such as the burden of additional costs, inability to reorganise work among existing staff, or detrimental impact on quality or performance.
Outcome, Appeals, and Trial Period
The final decision will be communicated in writing within ten working days of the consultation. If rejected, the employee has the right to appeal the decision in writing to the HR Director within ten working days of receiving the written outcome. If successful, an approved change constitutes a permanent contractual variation to the employee’s terms and conditions of employment, although a three-month trial period may be introduced by mutual agreement before final confirmation.
Questions 15–27
Text E — Urban Soil Degradation
Paragraph A
Soil in urban environments is frequently overlooked in ecological discussions, yet it serves as an essential foundation for urban ecosystems, supporting plant growth, regulating local hydrology, and sequestering carbon. Unlike rural agricultural soils, which suffer primarily from erosion and chemical runoff, urban soils are subjected to severe mechanical compaction, structural disruption, and widespread contamination arising from decades of industrial activity, transportation emissions, and construction practices. Understanding the complex mechanisms underlying urban soil degradation is vital for developing effective municipal restoration strategies.
Paragraph B
Mechanical compaction represents one of the most pervasive forms of degradation in heavily built environments. Heavy machinery used during construction and high foot traffic in municipal parks compress soil particles together, dramatically reducing macro-pore space. This structural collapse severely restricts water infiltration rates and inhibits gas exchange between the atmosphere and root zones. Consequently, compacted urban soils exhibit poor drainage, leading to surface water pooling, increased urban runoff, and heightened risks of localised flooding during intense precipitation events.
Paragraph C
In addition to physical compaction, urban soils routinely experience severe chemical contamination. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc accumulate in high concentrations along major roadways and industrial zones due to vehicle exhaust emissions, brake pad wear, and historic industrial discharges. Synthetic organic contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and petroleum residues, further degrade soil quality. These toxic substances inhibit soil microbial activity, disrupt nutrient cycling, and pose direct health risks to urban populations through dust inhalation or dermal contact.
Paragraph D
The loss of organic matter is another defining characteristic of degraded urban soils. In natural ecosystems, leaf litter and organic debris decompose continuously, replenishing soil organic carbon and sustaining diverse communities of beneficial bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. In urban landscapes, however, municipal leaf-clearing practices and extensive paving strip away organic inputs. Deprived of organic matter, soil biological activity drops sharply, reducing natural soil fertility and weakening aggregate stability, which leaves urban soils highly vulnerable to erosion.
Paragraph E
Restoration of degraded urban soils requires integrated engineering and biological interventions. De-compaction techniques, such as deep subsoiling and pneumatic soil fracturing, can physically loosen dense subsoil layers without disrupting surface structures. Following mechanical aeration, large-scale applications of organic amendments—such as mature compost, biochar, and biosolids—are necessary to restore soil organic carbon pools, enhance moisture retention capacity, and reactivate beneficial microbial populations.
Paragraph F
Biological approaches, particularly phytoremediation, offer sustainable solutions for managing chemical contamination in urban soils. Specific plant species, including deep-rooting hyperaccumulators, can absorb heavy metals from contaminated soil matrices or immobilise them within root zones, preventing further migration into urban groundwater systems. Remediation requires rigorous soil testing and costly intervention, ranging from complete soil excavation and disposal to in-situ phytoremediation using specialised plants to extract or neutralise toxins.
Paragraph G
Furthermore, urban planning frameworks must incorporate sustainable soil management policies to protect existing undegraded soils from urban sprawl and construction damage. Strategies such as topsoil stripping and stockpiling during site development ensure that valuable topsoil is preserved and reused after construction. Urban forest canopy expansion and green infrastructure projects—such as bioswales and rain gardens—also help rebuild functional soil networks across urban centres.
Paragraph H
Ultimately, reversing urban soil degradation requires a fundamental shift in municipal land-management priorities. Rather than treating soil as inert, disposable dirt, urban municipalities must recognise soil as a natural asset that deserves ongoing care and statutory safeguard. Protecting and restoring soil health is essential to creating resilient, sustainable, and liveable cities for future generations.
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