Bog-Standard Comprehensives Reading Answers

Jul 7, 2025

Bog-Standard Comprehensives Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Bog-Standard Comprehensives Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions, in total such as complete the summary below of the first four paragraphs of IELTS Reading Passage 2. Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each. State whether the statement is yes, no or not given according to the passage. Choose the appropriate letter A-D. Which one of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognize essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practicing these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1 BOG-STANDARD COMPREHENSIVES

Is it any wonder that there are teacher shortages? Daily, the press carries reports of schools going on four-day weeks simply because they cannot recruit enough teachers. But why? There is no straightforward answer. For a start, fewer students are entering teacher-training courses when they leave school. But can you blame young people after the barracking faced by the

teaching profession in the UK over the last decade? The attack, relentless in the extreme, has been on several fronts. Government inspectors, by accident or design, have been feeding the media a constant stream of negative information about the teaching establishments in this country. Teachers also come in for a lot of flak from politicians. And the government wonders why there are problems in schools.

The government's obvious contempt for the teaching profession was recently revealed by one of the most powerful people in government when she referred to schools as 'bog-standard comprehensives. Hardly the sort of comment to inspire parents or careers advisers seeking to direct young people's future. Would you want to spend your working life in a dead-end profession? The government doesn't seem to want you to either.

On the administrative side, most teachers are weighed down by an increasing flow of bureaucracy. Cynicism would have me believe that this stops teachers from fomenting dissent as they are worn out by useless administrative exercises. Most teachers must then also be cynics! Teacher bashing has, unfortunately, spread to youngsters in schools as the recent catalog of physical attacks on teachers will testify. If grown-ups have no respect for the teaching profession, young people can hardly be expected to think any differently. The circle is then squared when, as well as experienced, competent teachers are being driven out of the profession by the increased pressure and stress; fewer students are applying for teacher-training courses.

Increased salaries are certainly welcome, but they are not the complete answer to a sector in crisis. Addressing the standing of the profession in the eyes of the public is crucial to encourage experienced teachers to remain in the classroom and to make it an attractive career option for potential teachers once again. It might also be a good idea for the relevant ministers to go on

a fact-finding mission and find out from teachers in schools, rather than relying too much on advisers, as to what changes could be brought about to improve the quality of the education service.

Initiatives in the educational field surprisingly come from either politician who knows little about classroom practice or educational theorists who know even less, but are more dangerous because they work in the rarefied air of universities largely ignorant of classroom practice. Making sure that nobody without recent classroom experience is employed as a teacher-trainer at any tertiary institution would further enhance the teaching profession. If someone does not have practical experience in the classroom, they cannot in all seriousness propound theories about it. Instead of being given sabbaticals to write books or papers, lecturers in teacher-training establishments should be made to spend a year at the blackboard or, these days, the whiteboard. This would give them practical insights into current classroom practice. Student teachers could then be given the chance to come and watch the specialists in the classroom: a much more worthwhile experience than the latter sitting thinking up ideas far removed from

the classroom. Then we would have fewer initiatives like the recent government.

Proposal to teach thinking in school. Prima facie, this is a laudable recommendation. But, as any practicing teacher will tell you, this is done in every class. Perhaps someone needs to point out to the academic who thought up the scheme that the wheel has been around for some time. In the educational field, there is a surprisingly constant tension between the educational theorists and government officials on the one hand, who would like to see teachers marching in unison to some greater Utopian abstraction and, on the other, practicing teachers. Any experienced classroom practitioner knows that the series of initiatives on teaching and learning that successive governments have tried to foist on schools and colleges do not work.

Questions 14-20

Complete the summary below of the first four paragraphs of IELTS Reading Passage 2. Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each.

Is it surprising that there are (14).......... teachers? Schools do not have enough teachers, but what are the reasons for this? To begin with, fewer students are going into (15)..........after finishing school. But this is not the young people's fault. The (16)............of teaching has been under constant attack over the last ten years. The government's lack of respect for the profession is (17)..........Moreover, administratively, the flow of bureaucracy is (18).............Even pupils in schools have no respect for those who teach them, as a (19)...................series of assaults on teachers shows. The growing strain and stress mean that, as well as fewer applications for teacher-training courses, teachers who have experience and (20)................ are also being driven out.

14………….

Answer: SHORTAGE

Supporting statement: Is it any wonder that there are teacher shortages?

Keywords: teacher, shortages

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, the shortage of teachers is a surprising thing.

15………….

Answer: TEACHER-TRAINING

Supporting statement: For a start, fewer students are entering teacher-training courses when they leave school.

Keywords: fewer, teacher-training

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 3

Explanation: According to the text, the teacher training course has seen a decline in admissions as fewer students are enrolling in it.

16………….

Answer: PROFESSION

Supporting statement: But can you blame young people after the barracking faced by the

teaching profession in the UK over the last decade?

Keywords: profession, last decade

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 4-5

Explanation: According to the text, the teaching profession has faced disdain in the UK for the last ten years.

17………….

Answer: OBVIOUS

Supporting statement: The government's obvious contempt for the teaching profession was recently revealed by one of the most powerful people in government

Keywords: government's, profession

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, one of the most influential individuals in government recently exposed the government's open disdain for the teaching profession.

18………….

Answer: INCREASING

Supporting statement: On the administrative side, most teachers are weighed down by an increasing flow of bureaucracy.

Keywords: administrative, bureaucracy

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 1-2

Explanation: According to the text, an increasing amount of bureaucracy burdens the majority of teachers on the administrative side.

19………….

Answer: RECENT

Supporting statement: Teacher bashing has, unfortunately, spread to youngsters in schools as the recent catalog of physical attacks on teachers will testify.

Keywords: bashing, recent catalog

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The text states that, as evidenced by the current list of physical assaults on teachers, teacher-bashing has regrettably spread to children in schools.

20………….

Answer: COMPETENT

Supporting statement: as well as experienced, competent teachers are being driven out of the profession by the increased pressure and stress

Keywords: competent, pressure and stress

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 7-8

Explanation: The text mentions that many teachers are quitting the profession due to the increased level of stress and pressure they face in their work.

Questions 21-27

In boxes 21-27 on your answer Sheet, write

YES - if the statement agrees with the writer

NO - if the statement does not agree with the writer

NOT GIVEN - if there is no information about this

(21) More students are entering teacher-training courses.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: fewer students are entering teacher-training courses

Keywords: fewer, teacher-training

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 3

Explanation: The text states that fewer students who pass out of school opt for the teaching profession.

(22) The government is right to be surprised that there are problems in schools.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: Government inspectors, by accident or design, have been feeding the media a constant stream of negative information about the teaching establishments in this country.

Keywords: Government, negative

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 6-7

Explanation: According to the text, the government has no right to act surprised as they are also involved with the negative information about the teaching establishments being passed around.

(23) Teachers are too weighed down by administrative duties to stir up trouble.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The teachers may feel pressurised by the administrative duties, but no information about them stirring up troubles due to the same is mentioned in the text.

(24) All teachers are cynics.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No information about all the teachers being cynical is given in the text.

(25) Politicians are not as dangerous as educational theorists, who know even less than the

former about educational theory.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: Initiatives in the educational field surprisingly come from either politician who knows little about classroom practice or educational theorists who know even less, but are more dangerous

Keywords: educational theorists, dangerous

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 2

Explanation: According to the text, educational theorists are more dangerous as compared to politicians as they have no knowledge about classroom practices.

(26) Any experienced classroom practitioner knows that the initiatives on teaching and learning that governments have tried to impose on schools do not work.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: Any experienced classroom practitioner knows that the series of initiatives on teaching and learning that successive governments have tried to foist on schools and colleges do not work

Keywords: practitioner, initiatives

Keyword Location: Para 6, Line 7

Explanation: According to the text, it is clear that every professional classroom practitioner recognises that various teaching and learning programs that various governments have attempted to impose on schools and colleges have failed.

(27) The government's attitude with regard to teachers is of great interest to the general public.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No information regarding the government's attitude towards the teachers having any interest from the public.

Question 28

Choose the appropriate letter A-D.

Which one of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?

(A) Politicians and teachers.

(B) A profession undervalued.

(D) Teacher training needs improvement.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: Would you want to spend your working life in a dead-end profession?

Keywords: life, dead-end, profession

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The passage talks about the disdain and negative things that are now attached to the teaching profession it also questions whether anyone would like to choose a profession which is undermined by everyone.

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