IELTS Preparation:
READING 2
Let’s Read More!
Exam Tasks:
In the IELTS Reading Test, three of the tasks are:
 matching headings to paragraphs
 completing a summary
 short-answers to questions
Getting started
Look at the title, subtitle, photos and skim the first paragraph to get an overall idea of the passage.
The getaway blues
A formula explains why it takes so long to relax on holiday
A. With so much to do, going on holiday can be difficult.
First, there’s the flight to arrange, then the hotel or villa
to book and that’s before you’ve decided on the beach
outfit, evening wear or reading material.
multiplied by the level of stress caused by the
preparation, divided by the stress level of the holiday.
The result is the number of hours needed to recover.
F. Ms Jones points out that taking a holiday is no longer a
question of catching a bus to the nearest seaside resort.
Today’s lifestyles mean that going on holiday is a lot
more stressful. Now we have to organise foreign travel,
go on long difficult journeys and settle our home and
work matters before we go.
B. The whole year we dream about the long break from our
daily routine. But making our dream holiday a reality is
what makes the stress really start, so holidaymakers
have to relax a few days after they arrive. Even if the
surroundings are peaceful, there’s no quick way to forget
about work, the children’s schooling, the leaking roof and
all those other everyday problems we want to get away
from.
G. On top of this, we need to add possible conflict with
friends or family travelling with you and the psychological
pressures of high expectations. By the time we arrive at
our destination, we’re stressed out! So, according to Ms
Jones, the secret to a stress-free holiday is planning and
having realistic expectations. This means concluding
any unfinished work in the office and ensuring the
children are sufficiently entertained during the trip.
C. Susan Jones, psychologist, and regular TV and radio
commentator, says that stress caused by trying to
arrange a holiday, creates hormonal changes in the
body, including a change of mood. The result is that it
takes the body a lot of time to get back its hormonal
balance and become stress-free.
H. The results of a survey by Lloyds Bank has confirmed
Ms Jones’ theories. Today’s holidaymakers really are
stressed out. More than 83 per cent of people surveyed
admitted to being ‘severely stressed’ before going on
holiday. More than a quarter of people said they needed
the first few days of their holiday to recover. Some said
that they became so anxious that they left home without
making essential arrangements, such as feeding the cat
(11%), and cancelling the milk (12%). Amazingly, a tiny
minority of travelers (a little over 1%) actually forgot to
tell their bosses they were going on holiday.
D. The main point is that if we get stressed before our
holiday, we may not be able to relax enough to enjoy
ourselves – often for several days after our arrival. We
can suffer from anxiety, irritability and many more
serious psychological problems including mild
depression.
E. In fact there is a formula to calculate the amount of time
needed to recover from the stress of preparing for our
holiday. This formula, developed by Ms Jones,
calculates the time spent preparing for the holiday,
Source: London Evening Standard
1
IELTS Preparation:
READING 2
Skimming the text for main ideas
Skimming means reading quickly for a general understanding. It is not necessary to
understand every word you see.
Skim the text. You will notice highlighted sentences in paragraphs A-D. These are topic
sentences. They contain the main idea of each paragraph.
A topic sentence gives the general meaning and main idea of a paragraph.
It is important to identify the topic sentence and be able to summarise each paragraph.
Underline the topic sentences of paragraphs E - H.
1. Choose the sentences that best summarise paragraphs A - D. Make a .
Paragraph A
1. There are a lot of things to arrange in order to go on holiday. 
2. Holidays can be fun. 
Paragraph B
1. People always get sick on holiday. 
2. With so many things to worry about, it’s impossible to relax immediately on holiday. 
Paragraph C
1. It is easy to overcome hormonal changes in the body by having a relaxing holiday. 
2. The stress of arranging a holiday causes changes in the body that lead to moodiness. 
Paragraph D
1. If we get stressed on holiday, we might not be able to relax for several days. 
2. Most people go on holiday because of stress. 
Scanning for key words
When looking for specific information to answer questions, you need to scan the passage
to find key words. Look for synonyms as well as exact words that match.
A. Read these questions. Underline the key words and answer the questions.
Don’t use more than THREE words.
1. As well as selecting beach wear and formal clothes for the evening, what else may
holiday makers need to choose to take with them? ………………………………………….…………
2. In addition to irritability and slight depression, what other psychological condition can
people with stress suffer from? ………………………………………….…………
3. Which two media does Ms Jones work for? ………………………………………….…………
B. Complete the sentences by filling in the gaps. For each gap use an exact
word from the passage. Remember use no more than THREE words.
1. All year, we imagine how wonderful it would be to have a ……………………………. from our
daily working lives.
2. Ms Jones, a top psychologist, states that ……………………………. from arranging holidays
causes changes in the body.
3. The most important point is that being stressed before your vacation may mean it is
impossible for you to ……………………………. and enjoy yourself.
2
IELTS Preparation:
READING 2
Matching headings to paragraphs
You must find a paragraph heading from a list that matches the paragraph in the text.
Skim each paragraph and choose the correct heading from the list of headings.
Write the numbers i-x next to the paragraphs.
Paragraph
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Paragraph A
Paragraph B
Paragraph C
Paragraph D
Paragraph E
Paragraph F
Paragraph G
Paragraph H
……
……
……
……
……
……
……
……
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.
List of Headings
A mathematical model
Mental effects of holiday preparation stress
Statistics on holiday stress
Stressful dream holiday
Times have changed
Holiday preparation
A Caribbean dream holiday
Expensive medical treatment
Problems and solutions
An expert opinion on holiday stress
Completing a Summary
In the IELTS Reading test there are two ways to complete a summary.
1. You must complete the gaps with EXACT WORDS from the passage. (not synonyms)
2. You must take words from a given list.
Spelling is important. Never exceed the word limit.
Complete the summary. Choose no more than THREE words from the text for
each answer.
A leading ………………………………… has developed a simple mathematical formula to work out
the number of hours needed at the beginning of a holiday to recover from the preparation.
Because of the busy lives we lead today, taking a holiday is much more …………………………………
than it was in the past. However, if you want to have a ………………………………… holiday, you
should plan and have realistic expectations.
Short-answer questions
Focus on the keywords in the question. Use the EXACT words directly from the text.
Short-answer questions focus on a particular part of the passage.
The questions always follow the same order as the text.
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. What kind of change can we experience in our bodies due to stress?
2. What can we use to calculate how much holiday time we need to
recover from stress?
3. What kind of transport did people use to take to go to the seaside?
4. Which organisation conducted a survey about holiday stress?
3
…………………………..
…………………………..
…………………………..
…………………………..