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Cambridge IELTS 21 Reading Test 1

Take Book 21 Reading Test 1 online, free, with the 60-minute timer and instant marking. Then see where real students lost their marks, passage by passage, and the traps that caught them.

There are no answers on this page, so you can read it before you take the test.

Take the full test free, with the timer See where students lose marks
  • Questions40
  • Passages3
  • DifficultyMedium, with a hard Passage 3
  • Average score23 / 40 · Band 6.0

Cambridge 21 Reading Test 1 at a glance

Passages 1 and 2 are fair: a biography and a science article, with most questions answered by about two students in three. Passage 3 is a book review, and it is where the marks go: all three of the hardest questions in the test are in it.

PassageTopicQuestion typeQuestionsAvg. correct
1Two sisters who collected French artNote completionONE WORD ONLYTrue / False / Not GivenStatements of fact1–138.4of 13
2Noise, health and the value of silenceWhich section contains the informationSections A–GSummary completionONE WORD ONLYMatching: statement to researcherPeople A–D14–268.3of 13
3Review of a global history of sugarMultiple choiceA–DSummary completion from a listOptions A–IYes / No / Not GivenThe writer's claims27–406.5of 14

How students did on this test

These figures come from complete attempts on IELTSNexa up to 2026-10-31, not from the book. The average was 23 out of 40, which is Band 6.0. Passages 1 and 2 score almost the same; Passage 3 drops to under half its questions right on average.

  • 23/40Average score
  • 6.0Average band
  • Passage 3Hardest passage
Passage 18.4
Passage 28.3
Passage 36.5
Average correct answers per passage

Source: IELTSNexa student attempts, up to 2026-10-31

Passage by passage: what it is about and where marks go

For each passage: what it is about, the question types, and how many students got each question right. Tap a bar for the details. The passages, questions and answers are only inside the test.

Passage 1

Two sisters who collected French art

Questions 1–13 · Average 8.4 of 13

A short biography of two wealthy Welsh sisters who built one of Britain's largest collections of French paintings in the early twentieth century. It follows how their background shaped them, how their taste changed from safe purchases to the Impressionists, and how the First World War affected both their collecting and their lives.

% of students who got each question right
Note completion 67% This test · 71% All Cambridge tests
True / False / Not Given 62% This test · 67% All Cambridge tests

Question 9True / False / Not Given · Statements of fact

52% got it right

The hardest question in Passage 1. 15 points below the average for True/False/Not Given questions.

  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

The note-completion lines follow the passage in order, but each one is reworded, so look for the idea, not the words. A common slip is copying a word that sits next to the answer, such as a place or a year, when the note asks for something else. In the True / False / Not Given set, roughly one student in five marks a statement FALSE when the passage supports it in different words.

Practise Passage 1 only →
Passage 2

Noise, health and the value of silence

Questions 14–26 · Average 8.3 of 13

A science article in seven sections about why loud environments harm us and what silence can do instead. It moves from how the body reacts to noise, through the scale of the problem and what cities are doing about it, to experiments with flotation tanks and the views of several researchers on who benefits from quiet.

% of students who got each question right
Which section contains the information 60% This test · 59% All Cambridge tests
Summary completion 63% This test · 71% All Cambridge tests
Matching: statement to researcher 67% This test · 55% All Cambridge tests

Question 17Which section contains the information · Sections A–G

51% got it right

The hardest question in Passage 2. 8 points below the average for which-paragraph questions.

  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

The section questions describe a type of content, such as data or examples, rather than repeating the passage's words, so ask what each section is doing. The researchers' views overlap, and two of them talk about when silence does not help; match the exact claim, not the general mood. In the summary, the gaps come in the same order as the passage, so you rarely need to search far.

Practise Passage 2 only →
Passage 3

Review of a global history of sugar

Questions 27–40 · Average 6.5 of 14

A reviewer discusses a book on the history of sugar around the world: cane and beet, the people who grew it, the businesses that controlled it, the industrial side of producing it and the harm it does to health today. The tone is mostly admiring, with a closing judgement about what the book shows.

% of students who got each question right
Multiple choice 57% This test · 50% All Cambridge tests
Summary completion from a list 38% This test · 55% All Cambridge tests
Yes / No / Not Given 49% This test · 54% All Cambridge tests

Question 38Yes / No / Not Given · The writer's claims

27% got it right

The hardest question in Passage 3. 27 points below the average for Yes/No/Not Given questions.

Why people miss it →
  • This test
  • Under 50% correct
  • Average for this question type across all Cambridge tests on IELTSNexa
Watch for

The summary uses general labels for things the passage names specifically, so you have to sort each example into its category before you choose. Several options in the list echo the passage's wording but add a judgement the writer never makes. In the Yes / No / Not Given set, check every part of a statement: the writer may agree with half of it and say nothing about the other half.

Practise Passage 3 only →

The 3 questions most students miss, and the traps behind them

Ranked by how few students got them right. Each note explains how the question catches people without giving away the answer, so you can still use it as practice.

1Question 38Passage 327% got it right

The passage does say that sugar was once seen in a certain way, and that is why almost half of students agreed with this statement. But the statement says more: it names who promoted sugar and what they did first. The writer's sentence is about how sugar was regarded, not about who was responsible for it. Agreeing needs both halves to be in the text.

The trap

Half the statement is in the text

A statement can match the passage in its topic and its key word and still add a detail the writer never gives: who did it, when, or why. Agree only when every part is supported, and treat a reasonable-sounding addition as unproven until you find it.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 9, “উত্তর text-এ আছে, মাথায় নয়” (trap #8) (in Bangla) →
2Question 32Passage 333% got it right

Nearly a third of students chose the option that sounds closest to the passage's wording about how farming was done. But that option carries a judgement, that the methods were behind the times, which the writer never makes: the reviewer describes them, without criticising. Read the summary sentence again and ask what the passage says continued, and on what kind of farm.

The trap

The option that is half right

In summary and multiple-choice questions, a wrong option often reuses the passage's idea and then adds one word of opinion, such as old-fashioned, best or failed. If the writer does not express that opinion, the option is wrong however close the rest of it is.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 34, “আংশিক সত্য option” (trap #28) (in Bangla) →
3Question 35Passage 333% got it right

Here the passage names two specific measures that protected producers, and the summary asks for the general label that covers both. No single wrong option dominated: students spread across the list, many choosing a word about people or farming because it sat close to the passage's topic. The gap needs a name for what was set up, not for who set it up or who was hurt by it.

The trap

The same idea in other words

Summaries rarely repeat the passage. They replace specific examples with a broader word, so first work out what kind of thing the passage is describing, then look for the option that names that kind. Matching words is the slow way and often the wrong one.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 2, “সব শব্দ পড়তে হয় না” (trap #2) (in Bangla) →

Learn to beat these traps

IELTSNexa Learn teaches 61 exam traps in short lessons with audio, one trap in each lesson. Start free, no account needed for the first lessons.

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Explanation cards

Understand the reasoning behind every question

A score tells you what you got wrong. IELTSNexa shows you why. After you submit, each question opens an explanation card that points to the exact sentence in the passage, explains why the answer is right, and shows the reasoning that made the wrong answer feel right.

  • The exact sentence in the passage
  • Why the right answer is right
  • Why the trap answer was tempting
Start Cambridge 21 Test 1

Explanation cards come with an IELTSNexa pass. The test, your score and the answer key are free.

Useful vocabulary from this test

Words and phrases you will meet in the passages, with our own explanations and example sentences.

WordMeaning and example
amassverbto collect a large amount of something over timeOver thirty years he amassed a huge collection of old maps.
inheritancenounmoney or property you receive from someone who has diedShe used her inheritance to open a small bookshop.
philanthropicadjectivegiving money or help to improve other people's livesThe company supports several philanthropic projects in rural areas.
pioneernounone of the first people to do something newShe was a pioneer of online teaching in her country.
attuned toadjective phraseable to notice and react to something easilyGood teachers are attuned to how their students feel.
muffleverbto make a sound quieter and less clearThick curtains muffle the noise from the street.
benignadjectivenot harmfulThe doctor said the small lump was benign.
concedeverbto admit that something is true, often unwillinglyHe conceded that the plan had some weaknesses.
livelihoodnounthe way a person earns the money they need to liveFishing is the main livelihood in many coastal villages.
labour-intensiveadjectiveneeding a lot of human work rather than machinesPicking fruit by hand is labour-intensive.
ubiquitousadjectiveseeming to be everywhereMobile phones are now ubiquitous, even in remote areas.
obstructionnounan action that deliberately makes progress difficultThe new law was delayed by obstruction in parliament.

From raw score to band

Each correct answer is one mark out of 40. This is the conversion IELTSNexa uses to score this test. You can also try the band score calculator.

Correct answersBand
39–409.0
37–388.5
35–368.0
33–347.5
30–327.0
27–296.5
23–266.0Average on this test
19–225.5
15–185.0
13–144.5
10–124.0

IELTSNexa

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Frequently asked questions

Is Cambridge 21 Reading Test 1 hard?
It is a medium test with a hard Passage 3. Across the full attempts on IELTSNexa, students averaged about 23 out of 40. All three of the questions fewest people get right are in Passage 3, a book review about the history of sugar.
Can I take Cambridge 21 Reading Test 1 online?
Yes. IELTSNexa runs the full test free in a computer-delivered layout, with the passage beside the questions, the 60-minute timer and automatic scoring. You need a free account so your score and answers are saved.
Where can I find the answers for Cambridge 21 Reading Test 1?
We do not publish the answer key on this page, so it cannot spoil the test. After you submit on IELTSNexa you see your score and the answer key straight away. Detailed explanation cards, which show why each answer is right and where it is in the passage, come with an IELTSNexa pass.
How long does Cambridge 21 Reading Test 1 take?
60 minutes for 40 questions across three passages, with no extra time to transfer answers. You can also practise one passage at a time, with 20 minutes each.
What band is 23 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading?
23 correct answers is Band 6.0 on the Academic Reading conversion table. Band 7.0 needs 30 correct, and Band 8.0 needs 35.
Is Cambridge 21 Reading Test 1 for Academic or General Training?
It is an Academic Reading test. General Training Reading uses different texts, so if you are taking General Training, use this test for skill practice but not to predict your band.

More Reading practice

Last updated 2026-10-31. IELTSNexa is not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Cambridge IELTS 21 is their publication; this page is our own independent analysis.