Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

Multiple choice 
Sample task: 
Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write your answers in boxes 1-3 
on your answer sheet. 
1. Which is most at fault for the magnitude of the Titanic disaster? 
A. The ship 
B. The Titanic’s owners and builders 
C. Standard operating procedure 
D. The captain and crew 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
153 
2. The number of lifeboats on the Titanic … 
A. would have been sufficient if all boats had been filled to capacity
B. met the regulations for much smaller ships but not the Titanic 
C. had been designed in 1894 by the British Board of Trade 
D. could carry more people than required under the regulations 
3. The Titanic was … 
A. higher than the tallest buildings of her day 
B. divided into 16 watertight compartments 
C. unsinkable 
D. the most technologically advanced liner of her time 
 
 
 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
154 
Table completion 
Note: What is being tested is your ability to skim for specific information and 
understand gist and paraphrase. 
Sample task: Complete the table below using information from the reading 
passage. Write no more than three words for each answer. Write your answers in 
boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet. 
 
 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
155 
Sentence completion 
Note:
What is being tested is your ability to skim for general information read for 
details, and understand paraphrase in the incomplete sentences. 
Sample task: 
Complete the sentences below using words taken from the reading 
passage. Use no more than three words for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 
1-3 on your answer sheet. 
1. One positive outcome was that the inquiries into the Titanic disaster sought to 
improve safety procedures by initiating …(1)… 
2. The Titanic’s safety feature, which convinced most people that she wouldn’t 
sink, was her …(2)… 
3. Passenger ships across the North Atlantic Ocean had had an excellent safety 
record in the …(3)…