IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test — October 2026 Test 5

Exam month: 2026-10

In this test

About this set: compiled and lightly cleaned up from real test material that test-takers recalled. IELTS draws from a global question pool, so this material circulates worldwide. To give you a complete, sittable test, material reported around the same period is assembled together — so a set may combine content from several exam dates, not one single sitting. Any audio is a recreation for practice. Organized for study convenience. Based on test-taker recalls — not official IELTS material.

Reading Passage 1: Coffee Then And Now

(A) Coffee originated around the Red Sea, most probably in Ethiopia in Africa, and there are records of coffee cultivation in Yemen as early as the 6th century. By the 13th century, the growing, roasting and grinding of coffee to make a strong-flavoured infusion was widespread throughout the Arab world. News of the drink was brought to Europe by traders, but people there were at first wary of the new drink. However, Pope Clement the Eighth gave the drink his seal of approval after trying a cup for himself, and the trend quickly caught on. The 17th century saw the spread of coffee drinking throughout Europe. Coffee houses opened in Vienna, Paris and London, and they soon became the favourite meeting places of politicians, and were also known to attract artists of all kinds. By the 18th century, coffee production was well established in Java in Indonesia and also throughout the Caribbean. Coffee drinking continued to grow in popularity; one of the repercussions of the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773 was that the USA adopted coffee as its national beverage. Today, coffee is drunk around the world, though each nation has its own ways of preparing and serving it.
(B) Coffee is now grown in more than 50 countries, although production is not at all straightforward. Because it is vulnerable to frost, coffee can only be grown successfully between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. In addition, crop maintenance is labour intensive. The plants require constant care and attention, and in most areas the picking is carried out by hand.
(C) The ripe berry-like fruits which are harvested are called ‘cherries’. These ripen over a period of six to eight months and turn a deep red when ripe, which explains their name. Inside there are two green beans that have to be separated from the pulp and the skin, and dried. This process is known as curing, and it can be done by one of two methods. For the traditional ‘dry method’ of curing, the cherries are laid out in the sun until completely dry, and then the dried skins and pulp are removed from the beans. The ‘wet method’ is a more recent development and it is employed for high-quality hand-picked cherries. The outer, fleshy layer is removed, then the cherries are soaked and fermented, followed by washing and drying. Finally, the skins are removed by a machine, revealing the green beans.
(D) In both cases, the green beans are sorted, graded and packed for export. Roasting tends to be done in the country of import. The roasting process is necessary to reduce the acidity of the beans and to develop the aromatic oils, which give the coffee its aroma and flavour. Finally, grinding exposes a larger surface area to the water, ensuring optimum contact between the ground beans and the water, resulting in a more satisfying cup of coffee.
(E) The flavour, character and quality of coffee varies tremendously – not only between countries, but also between estates within the same country. The soil, altitude and climate are all factors that contribute to the character of the bean, thereby affecting the final taste. There are four varieties of coffee plant, but only two are sold on any commercial scale. The most important of these is coffea arabica, which grows on steep mountain slopes at high altitudes. The arabica bean produces coffee that is rich, aromatic and full of flavour, and it accounts for 70% of world coffee production. Coffee experts agree that the arabica bean is far superior in flavour to other types. The other main variety, coffea canephora, produces the coffee bean known as robusta.
(F) Grown on the lower slopes, where cultivation is easier, robusta beans have a higher caffeine content than arabica beans, and a rougher, almost earthy flavour that lacks delicacy and subtlety. It costs about half the price of arabica and is used in the cheaper blends of both fresh and instant coffee.
(G) There are three types of instant coffee. The cheapest is made from robusta beans that have been brewed into a concentrate. This is sprayed into a stream of hot air that instantly evaporates all moisture, leaving a fine powder. Some of the spray-dried powders undergo further heating to produce granular coffees; the better ones include some arabica beans. The best instant coffees are freeze-dried. For these, an arabica coffee concentrate is frozen and processed in a vacuum to produce crisp, dry particles of coffee.
(H) Caffeine is a stimulant that is present in coffee. It makes the nervous system more active, which is usually the desired effect. However, it can cause sleeplessness and therefore some consumers prefer to buy coffee without caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is available in all the regular coffee forms: whole beans, ground or instant. Caffeine is removed by soaking the beans in water, or by the use of solvents or carbon dioxide. The latter is thought to be the best method as it does not affect the flavour and there is no residue. To qualify as decaffeinated, coffee must contain less than 0.9% caffeine.

Questions 1–6

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

    Ripe coffee fruits are called cherries because of their colour.

    • A. TRUE
    • B. FALSE
    • C. NOT GIVEN
  2. 2

    The modern ‘wet method’ of curing is more efficient than the old ‘dry method’.

  3. 3

    Green beans are usually roasted before being exported.

  4. 4

    The roasting process improves both the smell and the taste of coffee.

  5. 5

    Arabica coffee is harder to grow than robusta coffee.

  6. 6

    The best instant coffee is a mix of arabica and robusta coffee.

Questions 7–13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 7–13 on your answer sheet.

The history of coffee
Coffee originally came from the area around the Red Sea.
Early (7) ________ suggest that coffee was grown in Yemen.
Europeans first heard about coffee from (8) ________.
Coffee drinking became a (9) ________ in Europe only after Pope Clement VIII drank some of it.
People such as painters and (10) ________ began to get together in cafés in major European cities.
Today coffee is grown only in tropical regions to avoid damage caused by (11) ________.
In coffee cultivation, the (12) ________ is generally done manually.
Decaffeinated coffee
Most people like the fact that coffee contains a stimulant, but this leads to problems for others.
Using carbon dioxide is the ideal way of removing caffeine because it maintains the (13) ________ of the coffee.

Reading Passage 2: Born To Trade

(A) Humans are born to trade and we don’t need shops or money to do it—the heart of commerce is an instinctive ability for what anthropologists call “reciprocity”. This is an ability to exchange goods of equal worth, and it evolved as the brains of our ancient ancestors and societies became more complex, allowing individuals to keep a running tally of their interactions with others. Evidence from modern hunter-gatherers leaves little doubt that the exchange of food and favours is innate, as is the ability to keep track of the credits and debits that accrue as a result. Combine this skill for mental book-keeping with even the most basic material culture, and trade inevitably follows.
(B) Once trade gets off the ground, the economic benefits quickly make it irresistible. But exchanging tools, food and other essentials of life in a barter economy is a far cry from the shopping mall. Modern consumerism extends beyond subsistence and utilitarianism to encompass everything from Gucci handbags and BMW convertibles to valuable paintings. Clearly, the worth of such goods is not inherent but resides in certain intangible qualities that we invest in them. When did humans start holding these goods in such high esteem?
(C) All the archaeological evidence for the flowering of consumer culture has up to now pointed to a date of around 40,000 years ago. That’s when early modern humans started making increasingly intricate bone and stone tools, carving patterns into rocks and creating representational art such as carved figurines, jewellery and cave paintings. However, discoveries in Africa are pushing the origins of consumerism much further back into human prehistory. A few years ago, reports began to emerge of discoveries made at the Blombos Cave, a site of ancient human habitation in South Africa. Christopher Henshilwood and colleagues from the University of Bergen in Norway dated thousands of pieces of ochre from the cave, and many of them proved to be more than 100,000 years old — before the time that early humans moved out of Africa. Ochre, a coloured clay that comes in various shades from red to black, does not occur naturally around Blombos and must have been imported from quarries at least 30 kilometres away, either directly by Blombos residents or through trade. Although ochre can be used to dry and preserve (cure) animal hides, the researchers are convinced the Blombos ochre had a symbolic purpose. For a start, it is predominantly red—any of the other colours available would have done for curing—and the surfaces of the clay had been scraped in a way that indicates they were used to yield pigment for dyes.
(D) An even more intriguing discovery from Blombos was of 41 beads dating from 76,000 years ago, found in clusters and made from the shells of a tiny mollusc. These cannot be natural deposits, argue the researchers, as each cluster contains shells of a similar size and colour with consistently placed holes. What’s more, all the beads display a pattern of wear suggesting friction from rubbing against thread, clothes or other beads. The previous oldest find of beads in Africa dates back to just 45,000 years ago. And it seems the Blombos people’s taste for beautiful items was not an isolated phenomenon. Jessica Thompson of Arizona State University in Tempe has described finding shell fragments from a site in Tanzania that she believes may represent debris from bead manufacture. They are at least 45,000—and possibly 280,000—years old. Although there is no evidence of how the ancient beads were used, their modern counterparts are often traded. So it looks as though our taste for jewellery and art is much older than we thought.
(E) But why did we come to value these objects in the first place? In many animal species, individuals signal their genetic fitness by showing off with attention-grabbing adornment. Some researchers think that in humans, consumer products play a similar role. Archaeologist Aimee Plourde, from the University of California, also argues that even in egalitarian societies, some people are more successful than others. Among our ancestors, superior skills in areas such as hunting, crafts, environmental knowledge and contact with neighbouring groups would have brought respect—in other words, prestige. And because prestige brings social benefits, people would want to show off their talents. The best way to do this would be through demonstrating possession of material items that are hard to fake. ‘A good hunter, for instance, could advertise his skills by wearing the tooth of an animal that is elusive or dangerous,’ says Plourde. The benefits of prestige would also lead to competition to acquire it. As a result, the value and variety of prestige goods would spiral and there would be a parallel increase in the ranking of social systems. If Plourde is correct, prestige goods form a direct link between our innate drive for trade and the development of structured, hierarchical societies. They are arguably the first step on the road to modern civilisation, paving the way for agriculture and urbanisation. We may not be impressed by beads any more, but their modern equivalents have the same fascination. Nobody believes the guy who spends €670,000 on a Bugatti Veyron car does so because he needs to travel at 250 mph. We all know in today’s consumer society he’s buying an exclusive status symbol.

Questions 14–18

Reading Passage 2 has five sections, A–E.

Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i–vii, in boxes 14–18 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings
i The desire to make expensive jewellery
ii The clues that indicate ancient items were decorative
iii Querying the changes in the value of traded items
iv A natural human talent
v How status can be gained from ownership of goods
vi Recent finds alter theories about when consumerism started
vii Changes in research methods
  1. 14

    Choose the correct heading for Section A.

  2. 15

    Choose the correct heading for Section B.

  3. 16

    Choose the correct heading for Section C.

  4. 17

    Choose the correct heading for Section D.

  5. 18

    Choose the correct heading for Section E.

Questions 19–21

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

Write the correct letter in boxes 19–21 on your answer sheet.

  1. 19

    In section A, ‘reciprocity’ refers to our ancestors’ ability to

    • A. keep written records of different goods traded
    • B. monitor the balance between goods given and received
    • C. produce more materials for trading purposes
    • D. make money from trading goods and services
  2. 20

    What is said about the ochre found at Blombos Cave?

    • A. It is of a type only found in this particular area.
    • B. It has all been dyed to give the same shade of red.
    • C. It has been perfectly preserved despite its age.
    • D. It appears it was selected for its colour.
  3. 21

    What made the researchers realise the purpose of the beads found at Blombos Cave?

    • A. They are of many different shapes and sizes.
    • B. They were found in large numbers, clustered together.
    • C. They have patterns in many different colours.
    • D. They have holes and markings suggesting they were joined together.

Questions 22–26

Complete the summary using the list of words, A–J, below.

Write the correct letter, A–J, in boxes 22–26 on your answer sheet.

Why certain objects are valued?
Some researchers argue that we may use ownership of desirable goods to demonstrate our strength and fitness as other (22) ________ use their attractive physical features.
Showing off one’s superiority is not a new phenomenon and even in ancient times successful people would have gained (23) ________ from this.
A desire for status could have led to an increase in the worth of prestige goods and to (24) ________ among people wishing to achieve this status.
It is thought that our natural desire to trade provided a basis for organised farming and (25) ________ development and finally resulted in the complex societies which can be seen today.
Whilst we do not value things such as beads nowadays, other items hold the same appeal for us and bring the same status as owning beads did for our (26) ________.
A competitiveness
B exploration
C trade
D settlements
E stability
F respect
G appearance
H ancestors
I species
J city

Reading Passage 3: Images and Places

A Human beings naturally become attached to places they visit or inhabit and these emotional attachments have become increasingly important in research on recreation sites and activities. Research into this phenomenon is called 'sense-of-place research'. This research has employed a variety of approaches to gauge people's feelings toward a place, including surveys and personal interviews, but so far has not used photo-based methods. However, Visitor Employed Photography (VEP), used to capture visitor perceptions of landscape and recreational quality, represents a potential innovation in sense-of-place research.
B A 'place' is a setting that we give meaning to based on the personal experiences, relationships and feelings we associate with it. A crucial distinction that needs to be made is between the more subjective concept of attachment and the symbolic 'meanings' or labels we use to describe the type of place a setting represents. Is, for example, a multiple-use forest area a wilderness? A playground? A workplace? Symbolic meanings are important in that they form the basis of our attachment to a place: we attribute meaning to our settings, and in turn become attached to the meanings (Stedman, 2003). All settings can have multiple meanings depending on how we encounter them. Some researchers suggest that, because meaning emerges through individual experience, for example 'my camping trip', place meanings are completely individualistic: a given setting such as a park will contain as many different meanings as there are people using the setting (Meinig, 1979). Others, however, (e.g. Greider & Garkovich, 1994) assert that meanings are based on social categories and therefore are shared by others within these categories. For example, farmers share certain meanings for a plot of land that are distinct from those of real-estate developers or hunters.
C Clearly, place attachment is built through familiarity with a place over a period of months or even years. Relph (1976) describes sense-of-place attachment as the steady accumulation of events within a setting; this creates 'home places'. According to this view, those who have participated fully in the life of the home or community, or have accumulated a series of everyday events in a setting, will have the strongest attachment to it. Extended residence in a place tends to make us feel toward it almost as a living thing, affecting our emotions in the same way as a family would (Ryden, 1993). However, Tuan (1977) notes that a sense of place may also develop quite rapidly in 'chosen places', where dramatic landscapes and intense experiences can lead to an immediate attachment. Indeed, many settings, especially those that attract visitors, may simultaneously exist as home places and chosen places.
D Clearly we are dealing with a complex phenomenon and photo-based research methods may help us to understand it better. In VEP, tourists are asked to take photographs. This technique has primarily been used to assess the perceptions of visitors to parks and recreation places. Haywood (1990) describes several benefits of VEP. Photography is an enjoyable, familiar activity to tourists which helps to sharpen observation and identify specific locations that are important. It can give clearer ideas on elements that are liked or disliked and also facilitates comparisons between places.
E However, several methodological issues need to be taken into account. First, who should take the photographs? VEP research typically involves visitors or tourists but, when applied to questions of attachment to a community, this approach has potential pitfalls. Chenoweth (1984) notes that research subjects may take photos that represent only a part of their entire recreational experience. This tendency probably relates to unfamiliarity with the setting. For example, when researchers assign the task of photographing a travel route with which respondents are not familiar, participants may save too many pictures and then use them all up at the end of their visit, even if there is no suitable material. Markwell (1997) noted an opposite tendency in his study of pictures taken on a nature tour: beginnings of excursions were over-represented, due perhaps to the initial novelty of the trip. Furthermore, Haywood (1990) suggests that compressing the photo-taking period into a single day (as he did in his work) may result in an over-representation of tourist icons rather than ordinary places. In contrast, Yamashita (2002), when focusing on local residents' perceptions of the qualities of the water around them, noted that residents may have more difficulty expressing visual appeal than visitors, precisely because they are insiders and less conscious of aesthetic qualities. When addressing complex attachment to landscape, we would expect, however, that familiarity ought to increase the validity of the items selected to represent sources of attachment. We also expect that photographs taken by local residents will represent a wider range of phenomena than pictures taken by transient visitors.
F But how should the photographs be interpreted? Goin (2001) notes that with every photo taken 'a fiction is created … but presents to the uninformed an overwhelming conviction of fact' (p. 363). By implication, what photos appear to be and what they really represent may be very different things, and some follow-up helps to uncover the intended meanings of the participant. Yamashita (2002) notes the utility of asking respondents to provide descriptions of each photo in a notebook or diary. These elaborations are helpful, but in cases of complex phenomena, an interview may help participants clarify their intentions (Markwell, 1997).

Questions 27–32

Reading Passage 3 has six sections, A–F.

Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i–viii, in boxes 27–32 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings
i The relevance of time to the sense of belonging to a place
ii Making sense of photographic studies
iii The advantages of photography in sense-of-place research
iv Reasons for weak attachments
v A new approach to sense-of-place research
vi Defining the significance of places
vii Important considerations when using VEP
viii Local residents' feelings towards visitors

  1. 27 Section A

  2. 28 Section B

  3. 29 Section C

  4. 30 Section D

  5. 31 Section E

  6. 32 Section F

Questions 33–38

Look at the following observations (Questions 33–38) and the list of people below.

Match each observation with the correct person, A–G.

Write the correct letter, A–G, in boxes 33–38 on your answer sheet.

List of People
A Meinig
B Greider and Garkovich
C Ryden
D Tuan
E Haywood
F Markwell
G Yamashita

  1. 33. The sense of attachment to a place can happen quickly.

  2. 34. Limiting the amount of time available for taking photographs may result in a narrow range of images.

  3. 35. Members of a group tend to have a similar view of a place.

  4. 36. Given time, a place can have the same impact on us as people do.

  5. 37. Tourists should provide a written account of their photographs.

  6. 38. Each place means something different to each visitor.

Questions 39–40

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

Write the correct letter in boxes 39–40 on your answer sheet.

  1. 39. The 2002 study by Yamashita shows that local residents

    • A. appreciate the beauty of their surroundings
    • B. know their surroundings too well to appreciate them
    • C. consider water the most important aspect of their surroundings
    • D. dislike the negative impact of visitors on their surroundings

  2. 40. In the final paragraph, the writer states that photographs present

    • A. a factual account of a visit
    • B. an unreliable source for research
    • C. a clear picture of the visitor's feelings
    • D. an image that needs to be explained to others

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.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.
  26. 26.
  27. 27.
  28. 28.
  29. 29.
  30. 30.
  31. 31.
  32. 32.
  33. 33.
  34. 34.
  35. 35.
  36. 36.
  37. 37.
  38. 38.
  39. 39.
  40. 40.
Saved on this device — no account needed. Sign in on your progress page if you want it synced elsewhere.
Show answer key

Answer key

  1. 1. A

    The answer is TRUE because the passage says ripe coffee fruits are called 'cherries' as they turn a deep red when ripe, which explains their name.

  2. 2. C

    The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage describes the wet and dry methods but does not compare their efficiency.

  3. 3. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage states that green beans are packed for export and roasting is usually done in the country of import, not before export.

  4. 4. A

    The answer is TRUE because the passage says roasting develops the aromatic oils (which give aroma) and reduces acidity, improving the flavour of coffee.

  5. 5. A

    The answer is TRUE because arabica coffee grows on steep mountain slopes at high altitudes, which makes cultivation harder than robusta, which is grown on lower, easier slopes.

  6. 6. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage says the best instant coffees are freeze-dried and made from arabica coffee concentrate, not a mix of arabica and robusta.

  7. 7. records

  8. 8. traders

  9. 9. trend

  10. 10. politicians

  11. 11. frost

  12. 12. picking

  13. 13. flavour

  14. 14. iv

    The answer is iv (A natural human talent) because the section explains that humans are born to trade and have an instinctive ability for reciprocity.

  15. 15. iii

    The answer is iii (Querying the changes in the value of traded items) because the section discusses how the worth of goods is not inherent but comes from intangible qualities we give them.

  16. 16. vi

    The answer is vi (Recent finds alter theories about when consumerism started) because the section describes new archaeological discoveries that push the origins of consumerism further back in time.

  17. 17. ii

    The answer is ii (The clues that indicate ancient items were decorative) because the section discusses the beads and ochre found at Blombos Cave and the evidence they were used for decoration.

  18. 18. v

    The answer is v (How status can be gained from ownership of goods) because the section explains how people use goods to show off their skills and gain prestige.

  19. 19. B

    The answer is B because the passage says reciprocity is the ability to exchange goods of equal worth and keep a running tally of interactions, meaning to monitor the balance between goods given and received.

  20. 20. D

    The answer is D because the passage says the ochre was predominantly red and the researchers believe it was selected for its colour.

  21. 21. D

    The answer is D because the beads have consistently placed holes and a pattern of wear, suggesting they were joined together.

  22. 22. I

  23. 23. F

  24. 24. A

  25. 25. J

  26. 26. H

  27. 27. v

    The answer is v (A new approach to sense-of-place research) because the section introduces Visitor Employed Photography as a new method in sense-of-place research.

  28. 28. vi

    The answer is vi (Defining the significance of places) because the section explains how we give meaning to places and discusses different views on how meanings are formed.

  29. 29. i

    The answer is i (The relevance of time to the sense of belonging to a place) because the section discusses how attachment is built through familiarity over time or can develop quickly in special places.

  30. 30. iii

    The answer is iii (The advantages of photography in sense-of-place research) because the section lists the benefits of using photography to understand people's feelings about places.

  31. 31. vii

    The answer is vii (Important considerations when using VEP) because the section discusses issues and challenges in using Visitor Employed Photography, such as who should take the photos and how time affects the results.

  32. 32. ii

    The answer is ii (Making sense of photographic studies) because the section talks about how to interpret photographs and the need for follow-up explanations to understand their meaning.

  33. 33. D

    The answer is D because the passage says a sense of place may also develop quite rapidly in 'chosen places', where intense experiences can lead to immediate attachment.

  34. 34. E

    The answer is E because the passage says compressing the photo-taking period into a single day may result in an over-representation of tourist icons rather than ordinary places, meaning a narrow range of images.

  35. 35. B

    The answer is B because the passage says meanings are based on social categories and shared by others within these categories, so members of a group tend to have a similar view of a place.

  36. 36. C

    The answer is C because the passage says extended residence in a place tends to make us feel toward it almost as a living thing, affecting our emotions like a family would.

  37. 37. G

    The answer is G because the passage says it is useful to ask respondents to provide descriptions of each photo in a notebook or diary.

  38. 38. A

    The answer is A because the passage says some researchers suggest a setting will contain as many different meanings as there are people using it, so each place means something different to each visitor.

  39. 39. B

    The answer is B because the passage says residents may have more difficulty expressing visual appeal than visitors because they are insiders and less conscious of aesthetic qualities, meaning they know their surroundings too well to appreciate them.

  40. 40. D

    The answer is D because the passage says what photos appear to be and what they really represent may be different, and some follow-up helps to uncover the intended meanings, so the image needs to be explained to others.

Want the full timed experience? Try the free full mock exam — real recalled questions, in the real exam interface.

Start mock exam →