Reading 2026-06 Test 6 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

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: Sleep

Historically, it was difficult to study sleep. Not much can be gleaned from observing recumbent persons and questionnaires are no use, because people remember little of their experience during sleep. The breakthrough came in the 1950’s with electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings of brain electrical activity, when it was confirmed that sleep is anything but dormant.

We need sleep for biological restoration. It promotes cell growth, regeneration and memory consolidation. By shutting down most of the body’s machinery, resources can be focused on repairing damage and development. When people are deprived of sleep for any reason, there is deterioration in performance, particularly on tasks requiring concentration, and eventually, behaviour becomes shambolic. The individual becomes progressively incoherent and irritable and, after a few days, may experience delusions and hallucinations. The disruptive effects of sleep deprivation have even been successfully used as a basis of persuasion in interrogation.

A vital part of sleep is dreaming, which happens most intensively during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We typically spend more than two hours each night dreaming, though this is often spread over four or five separate periods. Infants spend up to 50 per cent of their sleep time in REM sleep, which is understandable when one realises that REM sleep is the time used for brain development, as well as learning, thinking, and organising information. If people are woken when REM sleep commences, depriving them specifically of dream-sleep, the proportion of REM sleep increases once they fall asleep again to make up what was lost. This suggests that REM sleep is an essential aspect of sleep.

Sleep and sleep-related problems play a role in a large number of human disorders and affect almost every field of medicine. For example, problems like a stroke tend to occur more frequently during the night and early morning, due to changes in hormones, heart rate, and other characteristics associated with sleep. Sleep also affects some kinds of epilepsy in complex ways. REM sleep seems to help prevent seizures that begin in one part of the brain from spreading to other brain regions, while deep sleep may promote the spread of these seizures. Sleep deprivation can also trigger seizures in people with some types of epilepsy.

The neurons that control sleep interact strongly with the immune system. As anyone who has had the flu knows, infectious diseases tend to make people feel sleepy. This probably happens because cytokines, chemicals produced while fighting an infection, are powerful sleep-inducing substances. Sleep helps the body conserve energy that the body’s immune system needs to mount an attack.

Sleeping problems occur in almost all people with mental disorders, including those with depression and schizophrenia. People with depression, for example, often awaken in the early hours of the morning and find themselves unable to get back to sleep. The amount of sleep a person gets also strongly influences the symptoms of mental disorders. Sleep deprivation is an effective therapy for people with certain types of depression, while it can actually cause depression in other people. Extreme sleep deprivation can lead to a seemingly psychotic state of paranoia and hallucinations in otherwise healthy people, and disrupted sleep can trigger episodes of mania in people with manic depression.

Sleeping problems are common in many other disorders as well, including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer, and head injury. These sleeping problems may arise from changes in the brain regions and neurotransmitters that control sleep, or from the drugs used to control symptoms of other disorders. In patients who are hospitalised or who receive round-the-clock care, treatment schedules or hospital routines also may disrupt sleep. The old joke about a patient being awakened by a nurse so he could take a sleeping pill contains a grain of truth. Once sleeping problems develop, they can add to a person’s impairment and cause confusion, frustration, or depression. Patients who are unable to sleep also notice pain more and may increase their requests for pain medication. Better management of sleeping problems in people who have a variety of disorders could improve the health of these patients and their quality of life.

Insomnia is a widespread affliction. It is linked with conditions such as depression and chronic pain, but occurs also in otherwise healthy people. It is often due to temporary life circumstances, like trouble at work or anticipation of an exciting event, however, some people just have difficulty sleeping regardless of circumstances. What is interesting is that complaints of sleeplessness are often exaggerated, because people remember more easily the times they are awake during the night than the times they are asleep. When insomniacs are observed in a sleep lab, their EEG records often suggest that their sleep pattern is fairly normal, even though in the morning they maintain they hardly slept a wink. Various devices for monitoring one’s own sleep patterns are now marketed, for example mobile phone apps connected with forehead electrodes.

The fact that a third of our life is spent in sleep would, in itself, be sufficient justification for studying it scientifically. The discovery that it is not just a passive state, but a highly active process of profound biological and psychological importance, has led to great efforts in recent decades to further our understanding of it. Despite that, we are far from unravelling all of sleep’s mysteries.

1
Sleep is used to restore the body and cells, and strengthen the ________.
2
With little sleep, people operate worse, especially when ________ is needed.
3
REM sleep is when dreaming occurs; important especially for ________, who need a lot of REM sleep for their brains.
4
If REM sleep is lost, the body increases the ________ of REM sleep in the next sleep to make it up.
5
Strokes are more common during or after sleep, and ________ and other seizures can both be caused and prevented by sleep.
6
Sleep is closely associated with the ________, as cytokines produced while the body fights infectious disease induce sleepiness.
7
Sleeping when sick helps people save the ________ to fight infections.
8
A lack of sleep can both help and hinder people suffering from depression.
- A. TRUE
- B. FALSE
- C. NOT GIVEN
9
Better sleep routines can help people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease.
10
People who are sleep-deprived actually have a better tolerance to pain.
11
In spite of media reports, insomnia is not a common problem.
12
Insomniacs often sleep more than they realise.
13
Overuse of mobile phone apps can cause insomnia in some people.

Reading Passage 2: Urban Planning in Singapore

British merchants established a trading post in Singapore in the early nineteenth century, and for more than a century trading interests dominated. However, in 1965 the newly independent island state was cut off from its hinterland, and so it set about pursuing a survival strategy. The good international communications it already enjoyed provided a useful base, but it was decided that if Singapore was to secure its economic future, it must develop its industry. To this end, new institutional structures were needed to facilitate, develop, and control foreign investment. One of the most important of these was the Economic Development Board (EDB), an arm of government that developed strategies for attracting investment. Thus from the outset, the Singaporean government was involved in city promotion.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, the government realised that, due to limits on both the size of the country’s workforce and its land area, its labour-intensive industries were becoming increasingly uncompetitive. So an economic committee was established which concluded that Singapore should focus on developing as a service centre, and seek to attract company headquarters to serve South East Asia, and develop tourism, banking, and offshore activities. The land required for this service-sector orientation had been acquired in the early 1970s when the government realised that it lacked the banking infrastructure for a modern economy. So a new banking and corporate district, known as the ‘Golden Shoe’, was planned, incorporating the historic commercial area. This district now houses all the major companies and various government financial agencies.

Singapore’s current economic strategy is closely linked to land use and development planning. Although it is already a major city, the current development plan seeks to ensure Singapore’s continued economic growth through restructuring, to ensure that the facilities needed by future business are planned now. These include transport and telecommunication infrastructure, land, and environmental quality. A major concern is to avoid congestion in the central area, and so the latest plan deviates from previous plans by having a strong decentralisation policy. The plan makes provision for four major regional centres, each serving 800,000 people, but this does not mean that the existing central business district will not also grow. A major extension planned around Marina Bay draws on examples of other ‘world cities’, especially those with waterside central areas such as Sydney and San Francisco. The project involves major land reclamation of 667 hectares in total. Part of this has already been developed as a conference and exhibition zone, and the rest will be used for other facilities. However the need for vitality has been recognised and a mixed zoning approach has been adopted, to include housing and entertainment.

One of the new features of the current plan is a broader conception of what contributes to economic success. It encompasses high-quality residential provision, a good environment, leisure facilities and exciting city life. Thus there is more provision for low-density housing, often in waterfront communities linked to beaches and recreational facilities. However, the lower housing densities will put considerable pressure on the very limited land available for development, and this creates problems for another of the plan’s aims, which is to stress environmental quality. More and more of the remaining open area will be developed, and the only natural landscape surviving will be a small zone in the centre of the island which serves as a water catchment area. Environmental policy is therefore very much concerned with making the built environment more green by introducing more plants – what is referred to as the ‘beautification’ of Singapore. The plan focuses on green zones defining the boundaries of settlements, and running along transport corridors. The incidental green provision within housing areas is also given considerable attention.

Much of the environmental provision, for example, golf courses, recreation areas, and beaches, is linked to the prime objective of attracting business. The plan places much emphasis on good leisure provision and the need to exploit Singapore’s island setting. One way of doing this is through further land reclamation, to create a whole new island devoted to leisure and luxury housing which will stretch from the central area to the airport. A current concern also appears to be how to use the planning system to create opportunities for greater spontaneity: planners have recently given much attention to the concept of the 24-hour city and the cafe society. For example, a promotion has taken place along the Singapore river to create a cafe zone. This has included the realisation, rather late in the day, of the value of retaining older buildings, and the creation of a continuous riverside promenade. Since the relaxation in 1996 of strict guidelines on outdoor eating areas, this has become an extremely popular area in the evenings. Also, in 1998 the Urban Redevelopment Authority created a new entertainment area in the centre of the city which they are promoting as ‘the city’s one-stop, dynamic entertainment scene’.

In conclusion, the economic development of Singapore has been very consciously centrally planned, and the latest strategy is very clearly oriented to establishing Singapore as a leading ‘world city’. It is well placed to succeed, for a variety of reasons. It can draw upon its historic roots as a world trading centre; it has invested heavily in telecommunications and air transport infrastructure; it is well located in relation to other Asian economies; it has developed a safe and clean environment; and it has utilised the international language of English.

14
When Singapore became an independent, self-sufficient state it decided to build up its ________, and government organisations were created to support this policy.
15
However, this initial plan met with limited success due to a shortage of ________ and land.
16
It was therefore decided to develop the ________ sector of the economy instead.
17
In contrast to previous policies, there is emphasis on ________.
18
In addition, land will be recovered to extend the financial district and provide ________ as well as housing.
19
The government also plans to improve the quality of Singapore’s environment, but due to the shortage of natural landscapes it will concentrate instead on what it calls ________.
20
After 1965, the Singaporean government switched the focus of the island’s economy.
- A. TRUE
- B. FALSE
- C. NOT GIVEN
21
The creation of Singapore’s financial centre was delayed while a suitable site was found.
22
Singapore’s four regional centres will eventually be the same size as its central business district.
23
Planners have modelled new urban developments in other coastal cities.
24
Plants and trees are amongst the current priorities for Singapore’s city planners.
25
The government has enacted new laws to protect Singapore’s old buildings.
26
Singapore will find it difficult to compete with leading cities in other parts of the world.

Reading Passage 3: World Memory Championships

The Examinations School at Oxford University is where, last August, 34 contestants gathered at the World Memory Championships. It is an impressive historical venue, known for its austere yet grandiose setting of oak-paneled rooms, large Gothic windows, and looming portraits of eminent dukes and earls. It is here that generations of Oxford students have been tested in their final exams on their memory and knowledge, and it is here that these contestants were challenged to demonstrate their exceptional mnemonic abilities. Reciting poems, memorizing digit sequences, and recalling faces from photographs are just a few of the tasks that test the limits of human memory in this competitive setting.

They are using a technique known as the loci method, reportedly originating in 477 BC with the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos. He was able to memorize the guest list at a dinner by closing his eyes and recalling each individual around the table. The loci method, which was rediscovered and popularized by Simonides, has become an integral part of historical and modern memory training. This method involves associating items to be remembered with specific physical locations, creating a mental map that facilitates recall. After Simonides's discovery, the loci method became widely embraced across ancient Greece, serving as a fundamental technique for orators and scholars. It was so effective that it was incorporated into educational curricula and became a cornerstone of rhetorical training. Aristotle wrote favorably about it, recognizing its value and effectiveness. Later, a number of treatises on the art of memory were published in Rome, further cementing its importance and utility in memory training. This method not only aids in memorization but also enhances the ability to retrieve information by navigating through these mental loci, effectively walking through a structured memory palace.

One memory champion, Ed Cooke, can memorize the order of ten decks of playing cards in less than one hour or one deck of cards in less than one minute. Psychologists Elizabeth Valentine and John Wilding have teamed up with Eleanor Maguire to study how memory champions like Cooke operate differently from average individuals. Their collaboration aims to explore the neural underpinnings that might explain the exceptional memory skills exhibited by competitors in high-pressure environments such as memory championships. When the researchers analyzed the brain scans from the number memorization, they found that the memory champions were activating some brain regions that were different from those the control subjects were using. These regions are known to be involved in visual memory and spatial navigation.

To enable himself to memorize quickly, Ed Cooke has memorized a specific human being, verb, and object that he associates with every card in the deck. This detailed and highly personalized system allows him to rapidly encode and decode information during competitions. When Cooke commits a deck to memory, he does it three cards in one go, with every three-card group forming a composite picture of a person doing something to an object. This method not only enhances the memorization process but also makes the recall process faster and more efficient. He then places those images along a specific familiar path in his mind, creating a vivid mental journey that he can easily traverse. When it comes to recall, Cooke takes a mental walk along his route and translates the images into cards, effectively and efficiently converting his vivid mental images back into the specific order of the deck. This innovative approach to memory exercises showcases the extraordinary capabilities of mental athletes and the sophisticated strategies they employ to achieve their remarkable feats.

The term 'photographic memory' is frequently used to describe people with exceptional recall. Yet, most researchers agree there is no proof that such a memory truly exists. If it is indeed a myth, it highlights how learned strategies are often more effective than natural talent. The belief in 'photographic memory' remains a point of contention among the public and scientists alike. Despite the absence of solid scientific evidence, this myth endures, reflecting how society's fascination with remarkable memory tends to ignore the practical techniques and training that genuinely drive mnemonic success.

The most renowned of the naturals was the Russian journalist S.V. Shereshevski, who could remember long sequences of numbers learned decades before, as well as poems, strings of meaningless syllables, and nearly anything else he was asked to recall. Shereshevski also experienced synaesthesia, a rare sensory condition where the senses are interconnected, which significantly improved his memorization ability. His skills were not limited to these accomplishments; his remarkable memory covered an almost endless range of information, making him a figure of great interest and study. This synthetic trait not only made his memorization tasks easier but also more vivid and long-lasting. His case has been extensively examined, as it offers deep insights into the potential of human memory when enhanced by neurological variations.

K. Anders Ericsson, a well-known psychologist, claims that anyone can develop memory abilities comparable to those of memory champions through consistent practice and proper techniques. During two years of experimentation, S.V. increased his ability to recall numbers from seven to over eighty. This study led Ericsson to conclude that there is no such thing as an innately superior memory. When he revisited original case reports of natural memorizers, he discovered that their remarkable abilities were actually based on the use of specific techniques - sometimes unconsciously - combined with extensive practice. Strategists are usually outstanding at remembering only certain kinds of material, whereas naturals exhibit strong memory across many types of tasks and can retain those memories more easily.

27
a description of how a contestant remembers complex sequences
28
an example of how one person's memory was improved overtime
29
a description of a memorizing competition
30
a commonly held belief about memory that many experts say is unproven
31
a reference to the first recorded use of memorizing through location
32
a reference to an unusual condition which results in improved memory
33
A ____________________, an action, and a thing are assigned to consecutive cards in the pack.
34
Combining these images allows Cooke to memorise ____________________ at a time.
35
The mind pictures are then positioned on a ____________________.
36
The pack of cards is remembered by going for a ____________________ while the pictures are converted back into cards.
37
Valentine, Wilding and Maguire's experiment shows that the memory contestants
- A. used mainly for educational purposes.
- B. activated brain areas associated with visual and spatial memory.
- C. became widespread in ancient Greece for memorizing speeches and texts.
- D. the result of techniques and extensive practice.
- E. retaining a wide variety of tasks.
- F. benefited from additional cognitive abilities.
38
After Simonides discovered the loci method in 477 BC, it was
39
Ericsson finds out that natural memorisers are better than strategic memorisers at
40
According to K. Anders Ericsson, Shereshevski's skills were

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1. memory
The answer is 'memory' because the passage says sleep helps to 'restore the body and cells, and strengthen the memory.'
2. concentration
'Concentration' is correct as the passage states people operate worse with little sleep, especially when concentration is needed.
3. infants
The answer is 'infants' because the passage explains REM sleep is important for infants, who need a lot of REM sleep for their brains.
4. proportion
'Proportion' is correct since the passage says if REM sleep is lost, the body increases the proportion of REM sleep in the next sleep.
5. epilepsy
The answer is 'epilepsy' because the passage mentions that epilepsy and other seizures can both be caused and prevented by sleep.
6. immune system
'Immune system' is correct as the passage links sleep with the immune system, saying cytokines produced during infection induce sleepiness.
7. energy
The answer is 'energy' because the passage says sleeping when sick helps people save the energy to fight infections.
8. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage states that a lack of sleep can both help and hinder people suffering from depression.
9. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct as the passage does not mention if better sleep routines help people with Parkinson’s disease.
10. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage does not say sleep-deprived people have better pain tolerance; in fact, lack of sleep usually makes pain worse.
11. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says insomnia is a common problem, not uncommon.
12. TRUE
TRUE is correct as the passage says insomniacs often sleep more than they realise.
13. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not mention mobile phone apps causing insomnia.
14. Industry
The answer is 'Industry' because the passage says Singapore decided to build up its industry after becoming independent.
15. Labour
'Labour' is correct as the passage states the initial plan met with limited success due to a shortage of labour and land.
16. Service
The answer is 'Service' because the passage says they decided to develop the service sector instead.
17. Decentralisation
'Decentralisation' is correct as the passage says there is now an emphasis on decentralisation, in contrast to previous policies.
18. Entertainment
The answer is 'Entertainment' because the passage says land will be recovered to provide entertainment as well as housing.
19. Beautification
'Beautification' is correct as the passage says the government will concentrate on beautification due to the shortage of natural landscapes.
20. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says the government switched the focus of the economy after 1965.
21. FALSE
FALSE is correct as the passage does not say the creation of the financial centre was delayed for a suitable site.
22. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not mention if the four regional centres will be the same size as the central business district.
23. TRUE
TRUE is correct as the passage says planners have modelled new urban developments in other coastal cities.
24. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says plants and trees are among the current priorities for city planners.
25. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct as the passage does not mention new laws to protect old buildings.
26. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage does not say Singapore will find it difficult to compete with leading cities; it suggests the opposite.
27. D
D is correct because it describes how a contestant remembers complex sequences, matching the section about memory techniques.
28. G
G is correct as it gives an example of how one person's memory improved over time, as described in the passage.
29. A
A is correct because it describes a memorizing competition, which is detailed in the passage.
30. E
E is correct as it mentions a commonly held belief about memory that many experts say is unproven.
31. B
B is correct because it refers to the first recorded use of memorizing through location, which is mentioned in the passage.
32. F
F is correct as it refers to an unusual condition that results in improved memory, as described in the passage.
33. human being
The answer is 'human being' because the passage says a human being, an action, and a thing are assigned to consecutive cards.
34. three cards
'Three cards' is correct as the passage says combining these images allows Cooke to memorise three cards at a time.
35. specific familiar path / familiar path
The answer is 'specific familiar path' or 'familiar path' because the mind pictures are positioned on a familiar path.
36. mental walk
'Mental walk' is correct as the passage says the pack of cards is remembered by going for a mental walk while converting pictures back into cards.
37. B
B is correct because the experiment showed that memory contestants activated brain areas associated with visual and spatial memory.
38. C
C is correct as after Simonides discovered the loci method, it became widespread in ancient Greece for memorizing speeches and texts.
39. E
E is correct because Ericsson found that natural memorisers are better at retaining a wide variety of tasks.
40. D
D is correct as K. Anders Ericsson said Shereshevski's skills were the result of techniques and extensive practice.

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Reading Passage 1: Sleep

Reading Passage 2: Urban Planning in Singapore

Reading Passage 3: World Memory Championships

Answer sheet

Answer key