Reading 2026-07 Test 19 — 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: Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is an example of late modern architecture; it is admired internationally and treasured by the people of Australia.

In 1966 the Premier of New South Wales, Australia, announced an international competition for the design of an opera house for Sydney. It attracted more than 200 entries from around the world and was won by Jørn Utzon, a relatively little-known architect from Denmark. The story goes that during the judging of the competition, one judge, American architect Eero Saarinen, arrived in Sydney after the other three judges had started assessing the entries. He looked through their rejected entries and stopped at the Utzon design, declaring it to be outstanding.

It was Utzon's life and travels that had shaped his design for the Sydney Opera House. Though he had never visited the site, he used his maritime background to study naval charts of Sydney Harbour. His early exposure to shipbuilding provided the inspiration for the design of the roof, which is a series of curved 'shells' that look like the sails of a sailing ship billowing in the wind. From his travels to Mexico, he had the idea of placing his building on a wide horizontal platform.

Construction of the platform began in 1959, and throughout the early 1960s Utzon amended his original designs in order to develop a way to build the large 'shells' that cover the two main halls. The construction of the roof brought together some of the world's best engineers and craftsmen, devising innovative techniques to create a major visual impact in accordance with Utzon's vision. The design was one of the first examples of the use of computer-aided design for complex shapes.

Although Utzon had spectacular plans for the interior, he was unable to realise them. Cost overruns contributed to criticism of the project and, after a change of government, the Minister of Works began questioning Utzon's schedules and cost estimates. Payments to Utzon were stopped and he was forced to withdraw as chief architect in 1966. Following his resignation, there were protests through the streets led by prominent architect Harry Seidler and others, demanding that Utzon be reinstated as architect. However, Utzon was not reinstated and left Australia in 1966. He never returned, and new architects were appointed to complete the building in his absence. The original cost estimate for the Opera House was $7 million, with the completion date set for 26 January 1963. However, the Opera House was not formally completed until 1973, having cost $102 million.

Since its opening in 1973, Sydney Opera House has earned a reputation as a world-class performing arts centre and become a symbol of both Sydney and Australia. Situated at Bennelong Point on Sydney Harbour, it consists of a series of large precast 'shells' made of concrete, each composed of sections of a sphere of 75.2 metres radius, forming the roofs of the structure, set on a monumental platform. The building is 183 metres long and 120 metres wide at its widest point. It is supported on 588 concrete piers, which are sunk approximately 25 metres below sea level.

Although the roof structures are commonly referred to as 'shells', they are precast concrete panels supported by concrete ribs. The 'shells' are covered with 1,056,006 white and cream-coloured tiles manufactured in a factory in Sweden that generally produced stoneware tiles for the paper-mill industry. The design solution and construction of the shell structure took eight years to complete, and the development of the special ceramic tiles took over three years. Apart from the tiles covering the 'shells', the building's exterior is mostly clad with granite quarried in Australia.

Contrary to its name, Sydney Opera House includes multiple performance venues. It is among the busiest performing-arts centres in the world, holding over 1,500 performances each year. It hosts a large number of performing-arts companies, including the four resident companies: Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

With its grand setting and cathedral-like atmosphere, the Concert Hall is Sydney Opera House's most prestigious performance space. The largest of all interior venues, it delivers outstanding acoustics thanks to its high ceiling and wood panelling. There is a sizeable outdoor forecourt from which people ascend to the main entrance. The steps, which lead up from the forecourt to the main performance venues, are nearly 100 metres wide.

In 1999 Utzon was re-engaged to develop a set of design principles to act as a guide for future changes to the building. All of this design work he did from his base in Europe. These principles help to ensure that the building's architectural integrity is maintained. The first alteration to the exterior was the addition of a new colonnade, which shades nine large glass openings in the previously solid exterior wall. This Utzon-led project, completed in 2006, enabled theatre patrons to see the harbour for the first time from the theatre foyers. The design also incorporates the first public lift and interior escalators to assist less-mobile patrons.

Since 2007, the cultural, heritage and architectural importance of Sydney Opera House has been protected by its inclusion on the World Heritage List.

1
Utzon was famous for his work before he designed the Opera House.
2
Utzon's design was favoured by the four judges of the competition from the beginning.
3
Utzon's knowledge of boats gave him the idea for parts of the Opera House.
4
Utzon was impressed by the opera houses he had seen in Mexico.
5
Utzon changed his designs in the 1960s after construction began.
6
Seidler defended Utzon's role as architect.
7
Utzon went back to Australia in 1973 for the opening of the Opera House.
8
Final cost:
9
Over a million tiles from
10
[What] from Australia covering the outside walls
11
[How many] performing arts companies have their home base at the Opera House
12
A large [what] at the foot of a wide staircase
13
Openings made the [what] visible from foyers

Reading Passage 2: Early Approaches to Organisational Design

Determining the ‘best’ type of organisational structure for a particular situation has long been an important task for managers in all types of organisations. All structures have advantages and disadvantages and managers face the challenge of developing the most appropriate design for changing circumstances.

The Classical Approach

Early management writers attempted to approach organisational design using a set of principles that would make an organisational structure perform efficiently in most situations, independent of external conditions and internal objectives. The sociologist Max Weber and management writers Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol were major contributors to this so-called classical approach. They believed that the most efficient organisations had a legalised formal and hierarchical structure called a ‘bureaucracy’. Members of the organisation were guided by a sense of duty to the organisation and by a set of rational rules and regulations. According to Weber, such organisations were characterised by the specialisation of tasks, appointment by merit, and an impersonal climate.

Today the word ‘bureaucracy’ sometimes has negative connotations. Early management writers, however, commended bureaucracy as an organisational design for its rationality, rules for decision-making, clear chain of command, and promotion of people based on ability and experience, rather than favouritism or whim. Weber also believed that clearly specified authority and responsibility made performance easier to evaluate and reward.

Criticism of the Classical Approach

Weber, Taylor and Fayol developed their theories when organisations that resembled this bureaucratic model were modern and efficient. It became evident, however, that some of the major advantages of the bureaucratic structure could become disadvantages if the theory were applied dogmatically. For example, the safeguards against favouritism could be rigidly imposed by adhering excessively to rules - resulting in both managers and subordinates becoming depersonalised.

The classical approach has been criticised from two major perspectives. First, the theory may not have a basis in reality. Have organisations like those described by Weber and the others ever existed? Second, it claims that organisations designed and managed according to bureaucratic principles will enjoy the predicted benefits. But critics argue that the world no longer fits the assumptions in Weber’s model (if it ever did), and so a bureaucracy might not yield beneficial results.

Early human relations researchers and behavioural scientists attempted to deal with the major inadequacy of the classical bureaucratic model: neglect of the human element. They argued that an industrial organisation has two objectives: economic effectiveness and employee satisfaction. They also wrote that the bureaucratic structure could be improved by permitting more subordinate participation in decision-making. Because these researchers tried to improve, and not reject the classical model, they are sometimes called neoclassical theorists and include Douglas McGregor, Chris Argyris and Rensis Likert.

The Neoclassical Approach

McGregor believed that the vertical division of labour that characterised bureaucratic organisations was derived from negative and false assumptions about workers which he called ‘Theory X’. Managers assume lower-level employees lack ambition and need orders to work effectively. The rigid formal hierarchy is designed to maintain managers’ power over subordinates. Decision-making takes place at upper levels of management while the decisions are carried out by people at lower levels. McGregor argued that organisations based instead on ‘Theory Y’ assumptions use their members’ potential. Theory Y assumes that most people find work satisfying, commit themselves willingly to organisational goals and seek responsibility. Members have more independence than in bureaucratic organisations and lower-level participation in decision-making is encouraged.

Argyris was concerned that managers in bureaucratic organisations had near-total responsibility for controlling their subordinates’ work. He argued that managerial domination makes subordinates passive and dependent, and decreases their sense of responsibility and self-control. Argyris argued for an alternative organisational design that acknowledged human needs and feelings, and increased workers’ satisfaction. Like McGregor, he favoured giving subordinates more independence and decision-making power to create a more informal organisational culture.

Likert shared the perspectives of McGregor and Argyris. In his research, he found that managers who encouraged their subordinates could motivate them more than traditional authoritarian managers. Likert based a model of four possible systems on these findings. In System 1 power and authority are distributed strictly according to the classical management subordinate relationship: a manager gives orders to lower-level members. In System 4 organisations, by contrast, there is extensive participation in decision-making and problem-solving groups. Some individuals in each group also belong to other work groups to ensure communication between them. System 4 represents Likert’s view of an ideal organisation.

Criticisms of the Neoclassical Approach

The neoclassical approach to organisational design compensates for limitations in the traditional classical model, but it has also been criticised. First, the neoclassicists share the classical assumption that there is one best way to design an organisation. They overlook environmental, technological, and other variables that might affect an organisation’s design, and overemphasise psychological and behavioural variables. Second, Theories X and Y oversimplify human motivation and neglect individual differences. Not everyone is motivated by the non-monetary aspects of work, nor is all work satisfying. Finally, the coordination of work groups to achieve organisational goals may be more difficult than the neoclassicists suggest, particularly when the objectives of lower-level employees are not consistent with those of upper-level managers.

14
According to the writer, which TWO of the following are characteristics of the classical approach to organizational design?
- A. a marked ranking order for employees
- B. giving importance to everyone's work
- C. the advancement of older workers
- D. a neutral working environment
- E. increased benefits for workers
15
According to the writer, which TWO of the following are criticisms of the classical approach to organizational design?
- A. too many guidelines are proposed
- B. certain practices become negative if they are implemented too strictly
- C. managers and workers are unable to co-operate with each other
- D. the administrative standards are unsuited to some work environments
- E. positive outcomes which were expected in the past would be unlikely today
16
According to the writer, which TWO of the following are aims of the neoclassical approach to organizational design?
- A. to ensure workers are treated as individual people
- B. to create a formal atmosphere in the workplace
- C. to change the methods of production
- D. to allow workers a greater say in what happens at the workplace
- E. to standardise the procedures for promotion of workers
17
According to the writer, which TWO of the following are criticisms of the neoclassical approach to organizational design?
- A. lt suggests that workers are involved in too many decisions
- B. The effects of some psychological factors are given low importance
- C. The effects of the workplace surroundings are ignored
- D. lt exaggerates the success of the organisations that use this approach
- E. lt assumes that all people work for enjoyment rather than financial gain.
18
The classical approach relied upon managers having incorrect views about workers.
- A. Max Weber
- B. Douglas McGregor
- C. Chris Argyris
- D. Rensis Likert
19
In the best organizational model, there is shared decision-making and interaction between teams at work.
20
In an efficient organisation, workers develop expertise in particular areas.
21
An organization must take into account the emotional demands of people.
22
The classical approach allowed workers’ skills to be assessed in a straightforward way.

Reading Passage 3: The Long View

The business of predicting the future has a long history. Several millennia ago in ancient Greece, people would consult Apollo, the god of prophecy, to learn if fortune favoured their chosen course of action. The tradition has changed considerably since then. Today, futurology is a science that drives a thriving business—its three main consumers being the military, big business and national governments. Modern futurists do not predict that a certain event will occur at a particular time. Instead they look at what is happening now to see what this may lead to further down the line. Alternatively, they start with a desired result and work out how people and organisations can be manoeuvred into realising that ambition.

The oil company Shell has been one of the major producers of future studies. It recently published a comprehensive study looking at how people may live in 2020 and 2050, given the type of energy which is purchased. Philip Watts from Shell says, 'This is not an exercise in prophecy. Rather it is designed to challenge our thinking so that we can make better choices in today’s business world.'

The short-term attitudes and bureaucracy of many governments can be frustrating to futurists, but this mutual wariness is slowly changing. The Scottish Parliament recently hosted a conference of 150 futurists from across the globe. The parliament is setting up a forum to look at where Scotland is heading in the next 20 years. Among the issues are demographics and economic competition within Europe and with Asia. It’s a first for the United Kingdom, although not for Europe—this strategy has already been put into practice in Finland.

Eamonn Kelly, head of the San Francisco-based Global Business Network futurist group, was one of those who attended the conference. According to Kelly, 'There are many different tools a futurist can employ but essentially there are three main ingredients. First, there is the “science”, which can encompass everything from environmental studies to psychology. Then, there is the “craft”, which may include interviews and the creation of maps of cause and effect. Finally, there is the “art”, the intuitive ability to meld all this into a coherent whole.'

Dr James Canton is founder of the San Francisco-based Institute for Global Futures and has been an adviser to leading US companies. Like many futurists he started in the private sector but is also comfortable in academia and has an urge to change things for the better. 'A futurist is an alchemist who mixes the qualitative,' he says. 'He needs intuition and has to work with people from a range of academic backgrounds gathering primary evidence about what motivates people. Futurists are constantly discussing ideas with their peers, but they do not simply surf the net picking up on the latest fad.'

New Zealand futurist Robin Gunston says, 'I don’t believe you can train yourself to become a futurist. A certain amount of this is to do with how your brain is hard-wired and we know this is difficult to change. Futurology requires extensive life experience and a broad education to test theories against. Much of modern teenage culture is about me, what I want and what the world owes me— that does not make it easy to see different kinds of futures and pose the hard questions about how we will get there.'

Those best able to respond to futurists are the most agile. 'Large corporations beholden to shareholders and governments burdened by bureaucracy are often simply too slow. Asian companies tend to be better prepared because they take a longer perspective. Sony, for example, is very forward looking,' Canton says. 'There will be sunset and sunrise nations and corporations, in terms of prosperity in the 21st century. The winners will be those corporations and governments which conduct future studies and take steps to become future-proofed.'

According to Alan Beckley, a former West Mercia chief inspector and past president of the Police Futurists International (PFI), getting public bodies in the UK future-proofed could be a long process. 'People are concerned about the methodology and the reliability of future studies,' he says. 'They are more likely to follow their political masters than go to them and say, “We have done this scenario, and this is what we should do”.' However, as the Scottish Parliament has shown, there are a few examples of government exercises. Also, in 2003 Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) published for the first time its strategic thinking for the next decade. This document was drawn up with the help of in-house and outside futurists. FCO minister Bill Rammell says, 'We do occasionally look further ahead than the next ten years on issues such as demographics. But the period chosen for the strategy was deliberately a decade. Even assumptions about technology get very shaky beyond that.'

American futurist Steve Brant stresses the importance of remembering that the road ahead has yet to be chosen. 'People can create the future they want using various points of leverage,' he says. 'We have much more influence over what the future will be like than many of us realise.' Futurists used to be like firefighters—they tried to work out what to do if things went wrong. Now, the aim of this profession is to imagine the best possible future for society and start creating it today.

23
Flexible organisations are in a better position to make use of futurology
- A. Philip Watts
- B. Dr James Canton
- C. Robin Gunston
- D. Alan Beckley
- E. Bill Rammell
- F. Steve Brant
24
Predictions about any period beyond the next ten years cannot be trusted
25
Only certain people are suited to becoming futurists
26
Future studies are designed to inform current commercial decisions
27
Futurology involves a broad exchange of information but is not influenced by every new idea
28
People are not aware of the extent to which they can determine the future
29
A lack of confidence in futurology affects how widely it is used
30
A report by Shell considered the impact of various kinds of ________ on future lifestyles.
31
The Scottish parliament has decided to use futurists to advise on ________ from Asian and other European countries.
32
Dr James Canton is similar to other futurists in that he began his career in the ________.
33
Britain’s FCO sometimes studies developments in areas like ________ beyond 10 years.
34
Which THREE of the following statements are true according to the passage?
- A. Present-day futurology can focus on achieving a particular outcome
- B. Futurists recognise that most governments have already made long-term plans
- C. The world’s first futurology conference was hosted by Finland.
- D. Futurists need to talk to people from various areas of expertise.
- E. Futurists should carry out internet research to keep up with popular trends.
- F. Aspects of modern culture prepare people well for a career in futurology.
- G. Conducting future studies can affect whether a company continues to be successful.

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1. FALSE
The passage says Utzon was not well-known before the Opera House; he was a 'relatively unknown Danish architect.'
2. FALSE
Only one of the four judges supported Utzon's design at first, not all four.
3. TRUE
Utzon got ideas for the Opera House from his knowledge of boats, as he 'grew up around boats' and used this experience in his design.
4. FALSE
Utzon was not impressed by the opera houses in Mexico; the passage says he found them 'uninspiring.'
5. TRUE
Utzon changed his designs after construction started in the 1960s, as the passage mentions he 'revised his plans several times.'
6. TRUE
Seidler defended Utzon’s role, saying he was 'the only one who could finish the building.'
7. FALSE
Utzon did not return to Australia for the opening in 1973; he 'never returned for the opening.'
8. 102 million
The final cost is given as '102 million.'
9. Sweden
The passage states there were 'over a million tiles from Sweden.'
10. granite
Granite from Australia was used to cover the outside walls.
11. four
Four performing arts companies have their home base at the Opera House.
12. forecourt
There is a large 'forecourt' at the foot of a wide staircase.
13. harbour
Openings made the 'harbour' visible from the foyers.
14. A / D
A (marked ranking order) and D (neutral working environment) are correct because the passage says classical design has a clear hierarchy and aims for neutrality. B is tempting but fails because it is not a feature of the classical approach.
15. B / E
B (practices become negative if too strict) and E (positive outcomes unlikely today) are correct; the passage says strict rules can be harmful and old benefits may not work now. D is tempting but fails because administrative standards being unsuited is not a main criticism mentioned.
16. A / D
A (treat workers as individuals) and D (allow workers a greater say) are correct; the passage says neoclassical design focuses on individuals and participation. B fails because creating a formal atmosphere is not a neoclassical aim.
17. C / E
C (workplace surroundings ignored) and E (assumes people work for enjoyment) are correct; the passage says neoclassical design ignores environment and wrongly assumes motivation. D is tempting but fails because exaggerating success is not a main criticism listed.
18. B
B (Douglas McGregor) is correct; he argued the classical approach was based on incorrect views about workers.
19. D
D (Rensis Likert) is correct; he believed the best model has shared decision-making and team interaction.
20. A
A (Max Weber) is correct; he said efficient organisations have workers with expertise in certain areas.
21. C
C (Chris Argyris) is correct; he said organisations must consider people's emotional needs.
22. A
A (Max Weber) is correct; the classical approach allowed straightforward assessment of workers’ skills.
23. B
B (Dr James Canton) is correct; he says flexible organisations can use futurology better.
24. E
E (Bill Rammell) is correct; he says predictions beyond ten years are unreliable.
25. C
C (Robin Gunston) is correct; he says only some people are suited to being futurists.
26. A
A (Philip Watts) is correct; he says future studies help with current business decisions.
27. B
B (Dr James Canton) is correct; he says futurology uses wide information but is not influenced by every idea.
28. F
F (Steve Brant) is correct; he says people do not realise how much they can shape the future.
29. D
D (Alan Beckley) is correct; he says lack of confidence in futurology limits its use.
30. energy
The report by Shell looked at the impact of different kinds of 'energy' on future lifestyles.
31. economic competition
The Scottish parliament uses futurists to advise on 'economic competition' from other countries.
32. private sector
Dr James Canton, like other futurists, started his career in the 'private sector.'
33. demographics
Britain’s FCO sometimes studies 'demographics' beyond 10 years.
34. A / D / G
A, D, and G are correct: the passage says futurology can aim for certain outcomes (A), requires talking to experts from different fields (D), and can affect a company’s future success (G). B is tempting but fails because most governments have not made long-term plans.

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Reading Passage 1: Sydney Opera House

Reading Passage 2: Early Approaches to Organisational Design

Reading Passage 3: The Long View

Answer sheet

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