IELTS General Reading Practice Test 20
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Section 1 — Questions 1–14
Text A: Brookfield Dog Registration and Public Dog-Park Rules
A — Registration
All dogs normally kept within Brookfield must be registered once they reach twelve weeks of age. Owners have fourteen days to register a newly acquired adult dog or to update the record after moving into the district. Applications may be completed online or at the Civic Services Desk. A microchip number and proof of the owner’s address are required. Registration lasts for twelve months and must be renewed before its expiry date.
B — Fees and concessions
The standard annual fee is £42. Owners aged 65 or over pay £24 for one dog, while subsequent dogs are charged at the standard rate. A dog adopted from Brookfield Animal Shelter receives free registration for its first year if the application is submitted within thirty days of adoption. Assistance dogs are registered without charge. Fees are not refunded when an owner moves away during the registration period.
C — Identification and control
In public places, every dog must wear a collar displaying the owner’s surname and telephone number. A microchip alone is not a substitute for this visible identification. Dogs must remain on a lead within shopping streets, children’s playgrounds and marked wildlife-protection zones. Elsewhere, an unleashed dog must remain under effective voice control and must not approach people who ask the owner to call it back.
D — Dog parks
Brookfield’s three enclosed dog parks are open from 06:00 to 22:00. Children under twelve may enter only with an adult and must not handle unfamiliar dogs. Owners may bring no more than two dogs at one time. Food, glass containers and training devices that produce electric shocks are prohibited. Water bowls and waste bags are provided, but toys are brought at the owner’s risk.
E — Waste and incidents
Owners must remove dog waste immediately and place it in any general rubbish bin. Failure to do so may result in an £80 fixed penalty. A bite or serious attack must be reported to Animal Management within 24 hours, even if the people involved agree privately. Where a dog repeatedly escapes or behaves aggressively, officers may issue a control notice requiring secure fencing, lead use or behavioural training.
F — Temporary exemptions
An owner who cannot exercise a dog because of short-term illness may nominate another responsible person; no separate permit is needed. Temporary exemptions from lead restrictions are considered only for veterinary reasons and require a signed certificate. They do not permit entry into locations where dogs are completely prohibited.
Text B: WarmHome Energy Assessment and Insulation Support
WarmHome helps householders identify practical ways to reduce energy use. The service begins with a home assessment carried out by an accredited adviser. Owner-occupiers and private tenants may apply, although tenants must obtain the landlord’s written permission before any funded installation begins. The property must be the applicant’s main residence; holiday homes and commercial premises are excluded.
Booking the assessment
Appointments are available Monday to Saturday between 08:30 and 18:00. Applicants select a two-hour arrival window. The assessment normally lasts about ninety minutes. An adult must remain at the property, and the adviser requires access to the loft, boiler, electricity meter and each regularly occupied room. Cancellations made before noon on the previous working day incur no charge. A missed visit or late cancellation costs £35.
The report
Within five working days, the applicant receives a digital report showing estimated heat loss, suggested improvements and predicted annual savings. Recommendations may include loft insulation, draught sealing or heating controls. The report is advisory: householders are not required to purchase anything. Printed copies are available on request, but WarmHome does not provide independent valuations of a property.
Financial support
Households receiving specified income-related benefits may qualify for a grant covering up to 90 per cent of approved insulation work. Other households can apply for an interest-free loan repayable over two years. Funding must be approved before a contractor starts work. Applicants may select any installer listed on the council’s approved register; WarmHome never requires the use of a single company.
After installation
Invoices and completion photographs must be uploaded within twenty working days. The council may inspect a sample of completed properties before releasing grant payment. Product guarantees are issued by the installer, and disputes concerning workmanship should first be addressed through that company’s complaints process.
Section 1 — Questions 1–14
Section 2 — Questions 15–27
Text C: Business Travel and Expense Policy
Section A — Approval and booking
Employees must obtain written approval from the relevant budget holder before making any non-refundable reservation. Domestic rail and air travel should be booked through the corporate travel portal. Travellers may book directly only when the portal cannot provide a suitable journey or when disruption requires an immediate replacement. In either case, the reason must be recorded on the expense claim.
Section B — Transport
Rail travel is normally standard class. First class is permitted only as a documented workplace adjustment or when it is cheaper than the available standard fare. Flights under six hours must be economy class. Employees using a private vehicle receive the published mileage rate but are responsible for ensuring that their insurance covers business use. Parking and road tolls are reimbursable; ordinary fines and penalties are not.
Section C — Accommodation and meals
Hotels should remain within the nightly limit shown for the destination. A higher rate requires advance approval unless an emergency leaves no compliant room available. Breakfast may be included in the room charge. Employees may claim reasonable lunch and evening-meal costs when an overnight stay is required, but alcohol, minibar purchases and entertainment are personal expenses. No meal allowance is paid when food is provided by a conference organiser or host.
Section D — Claims and evidence
Claims must be submitted within thirty calendar days of completing the trip. Itemised receipts are required for every expense except mileage. A card statement proves payment but does not replace a receipt showing what was purchased. If a receipt is genuinely unavailable, the employee must complete a missing-receipt declaration; repeated declarations may be referred to the finance manager. Expenses paid in foreign currency are converted using the company card rate or, for personal-card purchases, the Finance Department’s rate for the transaction date.
Text D: Workplace Grievance and Mediation Procedure
The procedure enables employees to raise concerns about working relationships, decisions or treatment at work. It does not replace the separate channels for reporting immediate safety dangers, suspected fraud or safeguarding concerns. No employee will be disadvantaged for raising a genuine grievance in good faith.
Informal resolution
Where appropriate, an employee should first discuss the concern with the person involved or with their line manager. The aim is to clarify misunderstandings and agree practical changes quickly. The employee may ask Human Resources for advice before this conversation. Informal action is encouraged but is not compulsory where the allegation is serious or the employee reasonably believes direct discussion would be unsafe.
Formal grievance
A formal grievance must be submitted in writing to the employee’s manager. If that manager is the subject of the complaint, it should be sent to the next level of management or Human Resources. The statement should describe the events, relevant dates, people involved, evidence available and the outcome sought. The organisation will acknowledge receipt within three working days and appoint an impartial manager to investigate.
Meeting and decision
The employee will normally be invited to a grievance meeting within ten working days. They may be accompanied by a workplace colleague or recognised trade-union representative. The companion may take notes and address the meeting but may not answer factual questions on the employee’s behalf. After necessary enquiries, the decision and reasons will be confirmed in writing, normally within five working days of the meeting.
Mediation and confidentiality
Mediation is voluntary and requires the agreement of everyone taking part. A trained neutral mediator helps participants identify possible solutions but does not decide who is right. Discussions are confidential except where they reveal a serious legal or safety issue. Information from mediation is not normally used in a later formal investigation.
Appeal
An employee who believes the procedure was not followed, evidence was overlooked or the outcome was unreasonable may appeal in writing within five working days. The appeal will be considered by a manager who has not previously handled the case. The appeal decision is final within the organisation.
Section 2 — Questions 15–27
Section 3 — Questions 28–40
Text E: From Book Storehouses to Civic Living Rooms
Paragraph A
Libraries are often imagined as timeless institutions, yet their purposes have repeatedly changed. Early collections attached to palaces, temples and universities were created primarily to preserve valued texts for rulers, scholars or religious communities. Access was restricted, catalogues were inconsistent and books could be chained to desks because each copy represented considerable labour and expense. These rooms protected knowledge, but they were not public services in the modern sense.
Paragraph B
The spread of printing reduced the cost of producing books, while rising literacy created new groups of readers. Subscription libraries emerged in which members paid fees to share a collection. Mechanics’ institutes and reading rooms later provided technical and educational material to working people, though opening hours, membership rules and social expectations still excluded many potential users. The principle that ordinary citizens might benefit collectively from organised access to books was nevertheless gaining ground.
Paragraph C
Nineteenth-century public-library legislation transformed that principle into municipal infrastructure. Local authorities could raise funds to establish libraries supported by taxation and available without a subscription charge. Advocates presented them as instruments of self-education and informed citizenship. Critics objected to the cost and doubted that workers would choose serious reading. In practice, popular fiction attracted large audiences, creating an argument that has never fully disappeared: should libraries direct readers towards improving material or respond to what communities actually want?
Paragraph D
Architecture expressed the institution’s ambitions. Imposing entrances and grand reading rooms gave learning civic importance, but they could also intimidate first-time visitors. During the twentieth century, open shelves increasingly replaced systems in which readers requested books from closed stores. Browsing became part of library use, children’s rooms expanded and branch libraries moved closer to residential neighbourhoods. The physical message gradually shifted from controlled access to welcome and convenience.
Paragraph E
Late twentieth-century digital technology initially appeared to threaten libraries. If information could be searched from home, some commentators asked why public buildings and professional intermediaries were needed. Libraries responded by offering computers, internet connections and guidance in assessing online information. This role exposed a persistent digital divide: access to a device does not guarantee a reliable connection, suitable workspace or confidence in completing an online application.
Paragraph F
Modern branches therefore provide services far beyond lending. Jobseekers receive help preparing applications; migrants join language groups; families attend early-literacy sessions; and residents use meeting rooms, study desks and makerspaces. During emergencies, libraries have served as information points and safe indoor places. Supporters describe them as civic living rooms: spaces where people may remain without being expected to buy anything. That unusual freedom is especially valuable as commercial venues dominate town centres.
Paragraph G
Expansion brings tensions. Staff trained in information work may also encounter homelessness, mental distress and complex welfare needs for which they were not originally prepared. Quiet study can conflict with children’s activities, group work and public events. Buildings designed to accommodate everyone must still make choices about noise, safety and limited space. Successful libraries do not eliminate these competing demands; they develop clear zones, partnerships and referral systems rather than expecting library workers to replace specialist services.
Paragraph H
The future is unlikely to be entirely printed or entirely digital. Physical collections remain useful for sustained reading, discovery and people who cannot afford devices, while electronic resources provide remote and accessible formats. The deeper continuity lies not in a particular technology but in shared access to trustworthy knowledge and public space. Libraries survive when they reinterpret that mission for current conditions. Their history suggests that adaptation, rather than resistance to change, is what makes the institution durable.
Section 3 — Questions 28–40
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