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Cambridge IELTS 21 Reading Test 4

Take Book 21 Reading Test 4 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 score27 / 40 · Band 6.5

Cambridge 21 Reading Test 4 at a glance

Passages 1 and 2 score equally well, about three answers in four right, though each has one question that catches most people. Passage 3 is a book review about making globes, and its summary and opinion questions are where the marks go.

PassageTopicQuestion typeQuestionsAvg. correct
1An invasive water plant turned into fuelTrue / False / Not GivenStatements of factFlow-chart completionNO MORE THAN TWO WORDSNote completionONE WORD ONLY1–139.8of 13
2Language and learning in India's schoolsSummary completion from a listOptions A–JYes / No / Not GivenThe writer's claimsMultiple choiceA–D14–269.7of 13
3Review of a book about making globesSummary completion from a listOptions A–JYes / No / Not GivenThe writer's claimsMultiple choiceA–D27–407.7of 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 27 out of 40, which is Band 6.5. Passages 1 and 2 are level; Passage 3 is clearly lower.

  • 27/40Average score
  • 6.5Average band
  • Passage 3Hardest passage
Passage 19.8
Passage 29.7
Passage 37.7
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

An invasive water plant turned into fuel

Questions 1–13 · Average 9.8 of 13

An article about the water hyacinth, a plant that spread across Lake Victoria in Kenya, blocking boats and hurting the fishing community. It then describes a village project that turns the plant into biogas for cooking, the benefits for the women who used to burn wood, and what stands in the way of the idea spreading.

% of students who got each question right
True / False / Not Given 75% This test · 67% All Cambridge tests
Flow-chart completion 73% This test · 71% All Cambridge tests
Note completion 80% This test · 71% All Cambridge tests

Question 9Flow-chart completion · NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

44% got it right

The hardest question in Passage 1. 27 points below the average for gap-fill questions.

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

One True / False / Not Given statement says who carried the plant somewhere; the passage says how it actually got there, and many students call it NOT GIVEN instead of comparing the two. In the flow-chart, read the words already around each gap before you copy: an extra word that repeats the chart costs the mark even when the idea is right.

Practise Passage 1 only →
Passage 2

Language and learning in India's schools

Questions 14–26 · Average 9.7 of 13

A report on a research project in Delhi and other Indian cities asking why many poor children, though they speak several languages, do badly at school. It describes the project's methods, its early findings about being taught in an unfamiliar language, one surprising result about children from slums, and the lead researcher's recommendations.

% of students who got each question right
Summary completion from a list 85% This test · 55% All Cambridge tests
Yes / No / Not Given 68% This test · 54% All Cambridge tests
Multiple choice 63% This test · 50% All Cambridge tests

Question 20Yes / No / Not Given · The writer's claims

37% got it right

The hardest question in Passage 2. 17 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 is the easiest set in the test. Where it slips, the summary has already said one side of a contrast, so the gap must be the other side. In the Yes / No / Not Given set, one statement can only be judged by comparing two figures in the passage yourself. In the multiple-choice set, an idiom is asked about: choose what the phrase means, not what the speaker says next.

Practise Passage 2 only →
Passage 3

Review of a book about making globes

Questions 27–40 · Average 7.7 of 14

A review of a book by a man who wanted to give his father a globe and ended up reviving a nearly lost craft. The reviewer follows his technical struggles, his interest in great globemakers of the past, and the book's sadness about disappearing skills, and ends with a judgement on what the book is and is not.

% of students who got each question right
Summary completion from a list 56% This test · 55% All Cambridge tests
Yes / No / Not Given 55% This test · 54% All Cambridge tests
Multiple choice 53% This test · 50% All Cambridge tests

Question 30Summary completion from a list · Options A–J

30% got it right

The hardest question in Passage 3. 25 points below the average for matching 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's options are pairs of words, and several fit the grammar of each gap, so the deciding clue is usually one word of judgement in the passage. In the multiple-choice set, the reviewer's exact phrase matters: when the review brings in globemakers of the past, the most popular wrong option describes a different relationship from the one the reviewer actually names.

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 30Passage 330% got it right

Two students in five chose an option about where these globes were sold, because the passage describes them with a word about business. But the same short phrase also carries the reviewer's opinion of how good they were, and that is what the gap is asking for. Read the gap with the words around it: it names a kind of globe, and the next gap already covers who it was made for.

The trap

The word is there, the answer is not

An option that matches a word in the passage feels safe, but the passage's key word may carry a different part of the meaning. In summaries from a list, find every idea in the passage's phrase, especially any judgement such as cheap, poor or excellent, and match the gap to the right one.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 23, “একই শব্দ, অন্য জায়গায়” (trap #20) (in Bangla) →
2Question 20Passage 237% got it right

Students split almost evenly three ways here. A third said NOT GIVEN, because the passage never compares the two skills in words. But it gives a figure for each, side by side, in one quoted sentence. The statement can be judged only by putting those two figures next to each other and asking which group struggles more.

The trap

The comparison is in the numbers

Not Given means the passage gives you no way to decide, not that it never uses the statement's words. If the passage supplies the facts needed to make the comparison, you are expected to make it, and the answer is then Yes or No.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 24, “False আর Not Given আলাদা” (trap #21) (in Bangla) →
3Question 33Passage 337% got it right

Nearly one student in two agreed with this statement. The passage does mention the belief it describes, almost word for word, which is why it feels supported. But look at the two words that introduce that belief, and at the evidence the reviewer gives straight after it about what people in the ancient world knew.

The trap

A view the writer rejects

A writer can state a popular belief in full only to reject it. Phrases such as contrary to, it is often assumed or despite the common view tell you the writer disagrees. In Yes / No / Not Given questions, answer for the writer, not for the belief being described.

On IELTSNexa Learn: Level 38, “লেখকের মত, না অন্যের?” (trap #32) (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 4

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
aquaticadjectiveliving or growing in waterFrogs and lilies are common in aquatic habitats near the river.
obstructverbto block something so it cannot move or passA fallen tree obstructed the road after the storm.
menacenounsomething that causes serious harm or dangerPlastic waste has become a menace to marine life.
captivateverbto hold someone's attention or interest completelyThe story captivated the whole class.
respiratoryadjectiveconnected with breathing and the lungsSmoke from cooking fires can cause respiratory illness.
teem withphrasal verbto be full of moving people or animalsThe market teems with shoppers before Eid.
embark onphrasal verbto start something new and importantShe embarked on a degree in engineering.
disproportionatelyadverbto a greater degree than is fair or expected for a groupThe floods disproportionately affected poor families.
bespokeadjectivemade specially for one customerHe wore a bespoke suit at his wedding.
thwartverbto stop someone from doing what they plannedBad weather thwarted their plan to climb the mountain.
palpableadjectiveso strong that it can almost be feltThe tension in the exam hall was palpable.
moribundadjectiveclose to dying outThe town's moribund textile industry was saved by new investment.

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
27–296.5Average on this test
23–266.0
19–225.5
15–185.0
13–144.5
10–124.0

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Frequently asked questions

Is Cambridge 21 Reading Test 4 hard?
It is a medium test with a hard Passage 3. Across the full attempts on IELTSNexa, students averaged about 27 out of 40. Two of the three questions fewest people get right are in Passage 3, a book review about making globes.
Can I take Cambridge 21 Reading Test 4 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 4?
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 4 take?
60 minutes for 40 questions across three passages, and the answers go straight onto the screen. You can also practise each passage on its own, with 20 minutes for each.
What band is 27 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading?
27 correct answers is Band 6.5 on the Academic Reading conversion table. Band 7.0 needs 30 correct, and Band 8.0 needs 35.
Is Cambridge 21 Reading Test 4 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.