IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test — March 2026 Test 2

Exam month: 2026-03

In this test

Rebuilt from test-taker recalls — not official IELTS material. Audio and passages are recreations for practice.

Reading Passage 1 — Katsushika Hokusai

Hokusai (born October 1760, Edo [now Tokyo]), Japan— died May 10, 1848. Edo was a Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukyō-e ("pictures of the floating world") school. His early works represent the full spectrum of ukyō-e art, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and squares, hand paintings, and surimon ("printed things"), such as greetings and announcements. Later he concentrated on the classical themes of the samurai and Chinese subjects. His famous print series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," published between 1825 and 1833, marked the summit in the history of the Japanese landscape print.
Early years
Hokusai was born in the Hong quarter jue during the age of two. He was adored named Nakajima but he never accepted though the true son of Nakajima, he had been born of a concubine. “Jo (Tokyo) and became interested in ...od by a prestigious artisan family.”…heil — possibly supporting the theory that, Hokusai is said to have served in his youth as clerk in a lending bookshop, and from 15 to 18 years of age he was apprenticed to a wood-block engraver. This early training in the book and printing trades obviously contributed to Hokusai’s artistic development as a printmaker. The earliest contemporary record of Hokusai dates from the year 1778, when, at the age of 18, he became a pupil of the leading ukyō-e master, Katsukawa Shunshō. The young Hokusai’s first published works appeared the following year— actor prints of the kabuki theatre, the genre that Shunshō and the Katsukawa school practically dominated.
To judge from the ages of his several children, Hokusai must have married in his mid-20s. Possibly under the influence of family life, from this period his designs tended to turn from prints of actors and women to historical and landscape subjects, especially uki-e (semi-historical landscapes using Western-influenced perspective techniques), as well as prints of children. The artist’s book illustrations and texts turned as well from the earlier themes to historical and didactic subjects. At the same time, Hokusai’s work in the surimon genre during the subsequent decade marks one of the early peaks in his career. Surimon were prints issued privately for special occasions— New Year’s and other greetings, musical programs and announcements, private verse selections— in limited editions and featuring immaculate printing of the highest quality.
Middle years
In his middle years, Hokusai experienced significant artistic evolution and personal hardship. He began to distance himself from the Katsukawa school, partly due to the death of his master Shunshō in 1792 and partly due to his own burgeoning interest in other Japanese and Chinese artistic traditions. He started using the name "Hokusai" around 1797, and his work from this period shows a broader range of influences.
A series of personal tragedies, including the death of his wife and his own financial struggles, seemed to fuel rather than hinder his artistic output. He moved residences frequently— some accounts say over ninety times in his life— often to avoid creditors. Despite this instability, the period from 1800 to 1820 was one of prodigious production. He created several major illustrated books, including the first volumes of his instructional manga (random drawings), which were sketchbooks of countless subjects— animals, people, mythological figures— intended as model books for other artists. These manga volumes became widely popular and demonstrated his incredible draftsmanship and observational skill.
Later years and Legacy
Hokusai's most celebrated work was created in his seventies. It was during this period that he produced the iconic "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," which includes the world-renowned print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa." This series was revolutionary for its bold composition, innovative use of the newly affordable Prussian blue pigment, and its focus on the daily lives of common people within dramatic landscapes. The series was so popular that ten additional prints were added to the original thirty-six.
In his later writings, Hokusai expressed a profound belief in his own artistic growth with age. He famously wrote that by the age of 110, every dot and line he drew would be alive. Though he never reached that age, he continued working relentlessly until his death at 88. Hokusai's influence extended far beyond Japan; after the country opened up in the Meiji period, his prints reached Europe and profoundly impacted the Impressionist and Art Nouveau movements. Artists like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh collected his prints and were inspired by his compositions and use of color.

Questions 1–6: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet, write: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information; FALSE if the statement contradicts the information; NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

  1. 1

    Hokusai’s series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" was published over an eight-year period.

  2. 2

    Hokusai was the biological son of the Nakajima family.

  3. 3

    Hokusai’s apprenticeship with a wood-block engraver lasted for four years.

  4. 4

    Hokusai’s first published works were landscapes.

  5. 5

    Hokusai’s work in the surimon genre is considered one of the early high points of his career.

  6. 6

    The death of his master Shunshō was the only reason Hokusai distanced himself from the Katsukawa school.

Questions 7–13: Note Completion

Complete the notes below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Hokusai's Life and Work
Early Training:
7. Worked as a clerk in a _________
8. Apprenticed to a _________ from age 15 to 18.
Artistic Shifts:
9. After marriage, his subjects changed to historical scenes and _________, which used Western perspective.
10. His surimon were known for their high-quality _________
Middle Years:
11. Began using the name 'Hokusai' around _________
12. Published _________ which were sketchbooks for artists.
Later Work:
13. His famous series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" used a new blue pigment called _________
His work greatly influenced European art movements, including Impressionism.

Reading Passage 2 — Water Filter

An ingenious invention is set to bring clean water to developing countries, and while the science may be cutting edge, the materials are extremely down to earth. A handful of clay, yesterday's coffee grounds and some cow manure are the ingredients that could bring clean, safe drinking water to many developing countries. The simple new technology, developed by Australian National University (ANU) materials scientist and potter Tony Flynn, allows water filters to be made from commonly available materials and fired (or baked) using cow manure as the source of heat, without the need for a kiln (an oven for baking or drying pottery). The filters have been tested and shown to remove common pathogens (disease-producing organisms) including E-coli.
The invention was born out of a project involving the Manatuto community in East Timor. A charity operating there wanted to help set up a small industrial site manufacturing water filters, but initial research found the local clay to be too fine—a problem solved by the addition of organic material.
While the problems of producing a working ceramic filter in East Timor were overcome, the solution was kiln-based and particular to that community's materials and couldn't be applied elsewhere. Flynn's technique for manure firing, with no requirement for a kiln, has made this zero technology approach available anywhere it is needed.
Other commercial clay filters do exist, but, even if available, with prices starting at US$5 each, they are often outside the budgets of most people in the developing world. Unlike other water filtering devices, Flynn's filters are inexpensive and simple to produce. Take a handful of clay, mix it with a handful of organic material such as used tea leaves, coffee grounds or rice hulls, add water in a sufficient quantity to make a stiff mixture and form a cylindrical pot that has one end closed, then dry it in the sun. According to Flynn, used coffee grounds have given the best results to date. The walls of the filter can be measured using the width of an adult finger as the standard. Next, surround the pots with straw, put them in a mound of cow manure, light the straw and then top up the burning manure as required. The filters are finished in 45 to 60 minutes.
The properties of cow manure are vital, as the fuel can reach a temperature of 700 degrees in half an hour, and will be up to 950 degrees after another 20 to 30 minutes. The manure makes a good fuel because it is very high in organic material that burns readily and quickly. The manure has to be dry and is best used exactly as found in the field; there is no need to break it up or process it any further. In contrast, a potter's kiln is an expensive item and can take up to four or five hours to get up to 800 degrees. It needs expensive scarce fuel, such as gas or wood to heat it, and experience to use it. With no technology, no insulation and nothing other than a pile of cow manure and a match, none of these requirements apply.
It is also helpful that, like clay and organic material, cow manure is freely available across the developing world. A cow is a natural fuel factory. Manure is a mixture of vegetable materials of different sizes, and cow manure as a fuel is the same wherever it is found.
Just as using manure as a fuel for domestic use is not a new idea, the fact that liquid can pass through clay objects is something that potters have always known, and clay's porous nature is something that, as a former ceramics lecturer in the ANU School of Art, Flynn is well aware of. The difference is that, rather than viewing the porous nature of the material as a problem—after all, not many people want a pot that won't hold water—his filters capitalize on this property.
The filtration process is simple, but effective. The basic principle is that there are passages through the filter that are wide enough for water droplets to pass through, but too narrow for pathogens. Tests with the deadly E-coli bacterium have seen the filters remove 96.4 to 99.8 per cent of the pathogen—well within safe levels. The thickness of the clay container needs to be the same thickness as an adult finger for the process to be effective. If this is the case, using only one filter, a liter of water can be obtained in two hours.
The use of organic material, which burns away leaving cavities after firing, helps produce the structure in which pathogens will become trapped. It overcomes the potential problems of finer clays that may not let water through and also means that cracks are soon halted. And like clay and cow manure, organic material is universally available in the developing communities that need most assistance, as tea, coffee and rice are grown in these areas.
With all the components being widely available, Flynn says there is no reason the technology couldn't be applied throughout the developing world. He has no plans to exploit his idea financially by registering ownership through a patent. If he did, any commercial copying would legally entitle him to a share in any profits made. Without a patent, there will be no illegality in it being adopted in any community that needs it. “Everyone has a right to clean water, and these filters have the potential to enable anyone in the world to drink water safely,” says Flynn.

Questions 14–19: Flow-chart Completion

Complete the flow-chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS/AND OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Step one: combination of 14 _________ and organic material, with sufficient 15 _________ to create a thick mixture sun dried
16. Step two: pack _________ around the cylinders
Place them in 17 _________ which is as burning fuel for firing (maximum temperature: 18 _________) filter being baked in under 19 _________

Questions 20–23: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?

  1. 20

    The clay in the Manatuto project was initially unsuitable for the project's purpose.

  2. 21

    Coffee grounds produce filters that are twice as efficient as those using other organic materials.

  3. 22

    It takes half an hour for a cow-manure fire to reach 950 degree.

  4. 23

    E-coli is the most difficult bacterium to remove from water by filtration.

Questions 24–26: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

  1. 24

    The Manatuto project aimed to set up a

    • A. charitable trust.
    • B. filtration experiment.
    • C. water filter factory.
    • D. community kiln.
  2. 25

    To be effective, the Flynn filters must

    • A. remove all dangerous pathogens.
    • B. be a particular thickness.
    • C. filter water as quickly as possible.
    • D. be made from 100 per cent clay.
  3. 26

    Flynn does not intend to patent his filter because he

    • A. wants it be freely available.
    • B. has produced a very simple design.
    • C. cannot make a profit in poor countries.
    • D. has already given the idea to a charity.

Reading Passage 3 — Marketing and The Information Age

A For the early practitioners of marketing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the business of selling was simply a matter of continually finding new customers. By contrast, marketing managers in the current era recognise the importance of gathering information about the market and about potential customers. They recognise that if companies are to be profitable, customers must gain and retain their perceptions of value from the brands they buy over a long time frame, rather than from a single transaction. This also means that customers must see value in returning continually to the stores where they shop, as well as to the service providers they deal with.
B Marketing practitioners and marketing scientists have never worked more closely than they currently do. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that this is the information age where convergence in telecommunications, media and technology is causing old ways to be challenged, and new methods and tools to be tested. Customer expectations have risen as new technologies allow new approaches. For instance, the subscriber-TV music channel Channel [V] encourages its viewers to sign up for text messages and email alerts that tell them when their favourite artists and songs are about to be broadcast. Competitive advantage lies in being able to recognise which customers can be given greater attention, not just because they demand it but because it makes commercial sense to provide high levels of product quality and service.
C Modern marketing information systems rely on information technology to enable marketing intelligence to be gathered and to store and analyse marketing research information. While some of the information used is gathered by government bodies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand, most of it is purposefully gathered by marketing organisations for client companies. In the process, computer technology is used to manipulate the data and then to present the information in such a way that executives can readily identify any problems or issues, and quickly arrive at solutions.
D In order to produce superior value and satisfaction for customers, marketing managers need information at almost every turn. They need information about customers – endusers and resellers – as well as competitors and governmental and other forces in the marketplace. One marketing executive put it this way: ‘To manage a business well is to manage its future; and to manage the future is to manage information.’ Increasingly, marketers are viewing information not just as an input for making better decisions but also as an important strategic asset and marketing tool. As household incomes increase, choice widens and buyers become better at discriminating, so sellers need information about how buyers respond to different products and advertising campaigns.
E The supply of information has also increased greatly. It has been suggested by the futurist and best-selling author John Naisbitt that the United States and, by observation, developed countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are moving from industrial to information-based economies. These post-industrial economies earn 70–80% of their Gross Domestic Product from services, and have entered what some commentators have termed the ‘Information Age’ or the ‘Information Technology Era’.
F One study found that with all the information now available through supermarket scanners, a packaged-goods product controller is bombarded with one million to one billion new numbers each week. As Naisbitt points out: ‘Running out of information is not a problem, but drowning in it is.’ Yet marketers frequently complain that they lack information of the right kind but have plenty of the wrong kind, or they claim that marketing information is so widely spread throughout the organisation that it takes great effort to locate even simple facts. In addition, subordinates may withhold information they believe will reflect badly on their performance and important information often arrives too late to be useful, or on-time information is not accurate. So marketing managers need better information. Although marketing organisations have greater capacity to provide managers with information, they often do not use it well. As a result, many marketing organisations are now studying their managers’ information needs and designing information systems specifically to meet those needs.
G One solution is to use a Marketing Information System (MIS). This consists of people, equipment and procedures which, when put together, are able to gather, analyse, evaluate and distribute needed, timely and accurate information to marketing decisionmakers. The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers. First, it interacts with these managers to assess the information needs they have. Next, it develops the needed information from internal records, marketing intelligence activities and the research process. The analysis unit processes the data to make it more useful and, finally, the MIS distributes it to managers in the right form and at the right time to help them make better marketing decisions.
H However, the costs of obtaining, processing, storing and delivering information can mount quickly. In some cases additional information will do little to change or improve a manager’s decision, or the costs of the information will exceed the returns from the improved decision. For example, if an organisation estimates that launching a new product without any further information will yield a profit of $500,000, then it would be foolish to spend $30,000 for additional information that would increase the profit to only $525,000. By itself, information is valueless – its value comes from its use.

Questions 27–31: Matching Information to Paragraphs

Reading Passage 3 has eight paragraphs, A–H. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A–H, in boxes 27–31 on your answer sheet.

  1. 27

    the fact that there may be too much information to cope with

  2. 28

    the relevance of generating repeat business

  3. 29

    an example of personalised marketing

  4. 30

    an illustration of a situation where commissioning new information research might not be advisable

  5. 31

    how the greater wealth of customers enables them to select from a broader range of products

Questions 32–36: Yes/No/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 32–36 on your answer sheet, write YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer; NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer; NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

  1. 32

    The majority of marketing statistics are gathered by government agencies.

  2. 33

    The move from an industrial to an information-based economy has happened more quickly in New Zealand than in Australia.

  3. 34

    Employees sometimes hide information that gives a poor impression of them.

  4. 35

    Managers frequently fail to make good use of the information they receive.

  5. 36

    Marketing information has to be used to be valuable.

Questions 37–40: Flow-chart Completion

Complete the flow-chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

The Marketing Information System (MIS)
Developed through:
39. _________
marketing intelligence activities
research process
37. _________
38. Find out their _________
40. Processed by the _________
Timely and accurate data distribution

Answer sheet

Fill in as you go — checking is instant and local, and every miss lands in your mistake log with the lesson that fixes it.

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Answer key

  1. 1. FALSE

    The passage says 'published between 1825 and 1833,' which is an eight-year period, so the statement is TRUE, not FALSE.

  2. 2. FALSE

    It says Hokusai 'had been born of a concubine' and 'never accepted though the true son of Nakajima,' so he was not the biological son.

  3. 3. FALSE

    He was 'apprenticed to a wood-block engraver' from age 15 to 18, which is three years, not four.

  4. 4. FALSE

    His 'first published works appeared the following year- actor prints of the kabuki theatre,' not landscapes.

  5. 5. TRUE

    The passage says 'Hokusai's work in the surimon genre during the subsequent decade marks one of the early peaks in his career,' showing it was an early high point.

  6. 6. FALSE

    He distanced himself from the Katsukawa school 'partly due to the death of his master Shunshō in 1792 and partly due to his own burgeoning interest in other Japanese and Chinese artistic traditions,' so there was more than one reason.

  7. 7. bookshop

    He 'served in his youth as clerk in a lending bookshop.'

  8. 8. wood-block engraver

    He was 'apprenticed to a wood-block engraver.'

  9. 9. landscapes

    His designs turned 'to historical and landscape subjects, especially uki-e (semi-historical landscapes using Western-influenced perspective techniques).

  10. 10. printing

    Surimon were 'featuring immaculate printing of the highest quality.'

  11. 11. 1797

    He started using the name 'Hokusai' around 1797.

  12. 12. manga

    He created 'the first volumes of his instructional manga (random drawings), which were sketchbooks of countless subjects.'

  13. 13. prussian blue

    The series was known for its 'innovative use of the newly affordable Prussian blue pigment.'

  14. 14. clay

    The filter is made from 'a handful of clay, mix it with a handful of organic material.'

  15. 15. water

    You 'add water in a sufficient quantity to make a stiff mixture.'

  16. 16. straw

    Next, 'surround the pots with straw.'

  17. 17. cow manure

    Put them 'in a mound of cow manure.'

  18. 18. 950 degrees

    The fuel 'will be up to 950 degrees after another 20 to 30 minutes.'

  19. 19. 60 minutes

    The filters are finished in '45 to 60 minutes.'

  20. 20. False

    The passage says 'the local clay to be too fine-a problem solved by the addition of organic material,' so the clay was initially unsuitable, making the statement TRUE, not False.

  21. 21. True

    It says 'used coffee grounds have given the best results to date,' but does not say they are 'twice as efficient,' so the statement is NOT GIVEN.

  22. 22. Not Given

    It says 'the fuel can reach a temperature of 700 degrees in half an hour, and will be up to 950 degrees after another 20 to 30 minutes,' so it does not reach 950 degrees in just half an hour.

  23. 23. Not Given

    There is no information comparing E-coli to other bacteria in terms of difficulty of removal.

  24. 24. C

    The project aimed to help set up 'a small industrial site manufacturing water filters,' which matches 'water filter factory.' The tempting wrong answer B ('filtration experiment') fails because the goal was to manufacture filters, not just experiment.

  25. 25. D

    The passage says 'the thickness of the clay container needs to be the same thickness as an adult finger for the process to be effective,' so a particular thickness is required. Option D is incorrect because the filter is not made from 100 percent clay; organic material is also used.

  26. 26. A

    Flynn says he has no plans to patent his idea because 'everyone has a right to clean water,' so he wants it to be freely available.

  27. 27. F

    Section F discusses being 'bombarded with one million to one billion new numbers each week' and 'drowning in it,' referring to too much information.

  28. 28. A

    Section A says 'customers must see value in returning continually to the stores where they shop,' showing the importance of repeat business.

  29. 29. B

    Section B gives the example of Channel [V] sending text messages and email alerts to viewers, which is personalised marketing.

  30. 30. H

    Section H gives an example where spending $30,000 for more information would only increase profit by $25,000, so it might not be advisable.

  31. 31. D

    Section D says 'as household incomes increase, choice widens and buyers become better at discriminating,' showing wealth leads to more product choice.

  32. 32. NO

    The passage says 'most of it is purposefully gathered by marketing organisations for client companies,' so the majority is not gathered by government agencies.

  33. 33. NOT GIVEN

    There is no information comparing the speed of change between New Zealand and Australia.

  34. 34. YES

    Section F says 'subordinates may withhold information they believe will reflect badly on their performance,' so employees sometimes hide such information.

  35. 35. YES

    Section F says 'they often do not use it well,' meaning managers frequently fail to use information properly.

  36. 36. YES

    Section H says 'By itself, information is valueless - its value comes from its use,' so information must be used to be valuable.

  37. 37. marketing managers

    Section G says 'The MIS begins and ends with marketing managers,' so it is developed through them.

  38. 38. information needs

    Section G says 'it interacts with these managers to assess the information needs they have.'

  39. 39. internal records

    Section G says 'it develops the needed information from internal records, marketing intelligence activities and the research process.'

  40. 40. analysis unit

    Section G says 'The analysis unit processes the data to make it more useful.'

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