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Spelling System Reform Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Nov 21, 2025

The answers for "Spelling System Reform Reading Answers" include 13 questions and are part of the assessment framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Candidates are allotted 20 minutes to complete the reading responses concerning "Spelling System Reform." This portion of the IELTS reading exam consists of different question formats, such as writing no more than two words, matching the following statements with their example word, and determining whether the following statements agree with the information given.

The answers for "Spelling System Reform Reading Answers" offer a comprehensive overview of how English spelling is illogical and harms literacy, prompting proposals for phonetic reform to simplify reading and writing. However, large-scale reform faces resistance due to tradition, readability issues, existing texts, and the historical value encoded in current spellings. For additional practice with similar reading assessments, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Spelling System Reform Reading Answers

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Spelling System Reform Reading Answers

A.Our children are being beaten up by a crazy spelling system that appears to be loved by millions. They are being beaten up because they are constantly bombarded by unpredictable silent letters, double consonants that defy explanation, endless varieties of vowel combinations, and rules that are notoriously unreliable. They are forced to attempt to learn a system that is illogical, inconsistent, and - system that is illogical, inconsistent, and - worst of all - needlessly complicated. Not only are they physically beaten up. but many of them do end up with well-concealed scars on their psyches. At least one study has shown that using a system as irrational as ours may arrest the development of logical thinking. That's not just being beating up; it's child abuse exactly.

B.There's a social stigma attached to being a poor speller, although the only thing being a good speller makes one better at is spelling. It doesn't make one a better writer, a better poet, a more creative person with words. it doesn't make him understand the essence of the language better. Shakespeare would have been the exact same creative genius he was whether he was a good or bad speller. He was just lucky enough to have lived in a day when he was judged by the meaning of his words, rather than the placement of the letters within those words. In Shakespeare's day, most people's spelling was erratic; therefore, when he spelled words many different ways no one even noticed.

C.During the last 30 years or so, literacy in the English-speaking world has been declining at an alarming rate. It's not hard to guess why. During the rapid development of electronics in the past 40 years speech for the first time in the entire years, speech, for the first time in the entire course of history, has become a mass medium. The people, having discovered those electronic channels through which they can receive Information in their own language, are now circumventing the outdated writing system which has been the bottleneck in mass communication. And having alienated themselves from it, they have become less able and less willing to cope with its irrational complexities. In an attempt to correct this situation, the Federal Government of the United States initiated its "Decade of the '70's" program. During that ten-year period, both State and Federal governments have poured massive sums into programs designed to eradicate illiteracy not by re designing the outdated writing system, but by attempting to shape the minds of human beings into conformity with the system. This extravagant program achieved nothing. The drift to illiteracy continues as before, except that it now has reached the proportions of a crisis. For example, the United States Navy now complains that from 40% to 50% of today's recruits can't read the instruction manuals.

The Navy is plainly worried about the future. And they are not alone.

D.The problem in the English-speaking world is that the writing system has been shaped a bit, here and there. In the direction of Modern English, but the fact is that its spelling is based primarily on another language. Middle English, which hasn't been spoken in at least 400 years, and is no longer understood.

From the point of view of a technician, this problem is easily solved. All one needs to do is to design a writing system specifically for Modern English, so that all three elements in the chain of communication can function in harmony. The proposal is that we systematically and definitively wipe out all the anomalous spellings in English so that anyone looking at a word in print will immediately know how to pronounce it - and, conversely, anyone attempting to write English will be able to get every single spelling right the first time. In other words, proponents of English spelling reform want us to adopt a mostly phonetic orthography. Indeed, a certain amount of reform has happened all by itself over the years, as previously alternative spellings have worked their way into the dictionary as standard forms. Think of the word "catalog" , which was formerly spelled "catalogue" , or "draft", formerly spelled "draught".

E.On a relatively small scale, sensible spellings do sometimes replace less sensible ones. But the design of a new writing system is only a partial solution.

The major obstacle that confronts the orthographic reformer is the existing system itself, which, with all its scandalous lack of utility, happens to be an Investiture that seems to defy displacement. The first question that arises is how far such a reform would go. We could make a good start by simply removing letters that are never pronounced. Though could become tho, guard could become gard, foreign could become forin, doubt could become dout, Christmas could become Chrismas, and so on. We could also, perhaps, reduce the number of ways to write any particular sound — so the "ee" sound in street, for example, might always be written "ee", never "ea "

•" ie"

, "ei"

, "I", "e", or whatever. Although these changes would help, however, they would

save only a subset of the problems - and the more extensive the changes are, the more difficult they would be for the public to accept.

F.Since we've already programmed our brains to work under the current, flawed system simplified spellings would be at least initially - much harder for all the hundreds of millions of English readers to read. There's also that little matter of what to do with the billions of books, magazines, web sites, and other documents that already use the "old" spelling. Then there are those who point out that a word's spelling gives important clues to its etymology, meaning, and relationship to other words. So even though the "a" in the word real is not pronounced, It serves the important function of showing the word's connection to the word " reality" , in which the " a" is pronounced. Lose that letter, and the words no longer appear to have anything to do with

each other. Thus, at least some of the peculiarities of English spelling exist for entirely legitimate, and still useful, historical reasons.

G.Sir Winston Churchill opposed a spelling reform bill in British parliament in 1949. He felt that changing the appearance of words would "mess up the language of Shakespeare" If Mr. Churchill had understood the detrimental effect that needlessly complex spelling has on literacy, he would have realized that unreformed spelling ruins the language of Shakespeare because it prevents an extra 10% of the population from being literate enough to read.

That may be too high a price to pay.

Questions 14 - 20

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet write

TRUE - if the statement is true

FALSE - if the statement is false

NOT GIVEN - if the information is not given in the passage.

14. The presence of unpronounced letters sometimes serves to connect meanings of words.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “So even though the ‘a’ in the word real is not pronounced, it serves the important function of showing the word’s connection to reality…”

Keywords: unpronounced letter, connection, meaning

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 4–6

Explanation: The paragraph clearly states that silent letters can show relationships between words, proving this statement true.

15. Some people already used new spelling systems to write books and magazines.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The passage talks about existing books using old spelling and the challenge of changing them, but never says anyone already uses new spelling systems.

16. The problem lies not with the system of spelling but with the method of teaching.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “The problem… is that the writing system… is based on another language… and is no longer understood.”

Keywords: problem, writing system

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Lines 1–4

Explanation: The passage clearly blames the spelling system itself, not teaching methods; therefore the statement contradicts the text.

17. Simplified spelling would not be immediately successful because we have grown accustomed to the flawed system.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “Since we’ve already programmed our brains to work under the current, flawed system, simplified spellings would… be harder… to read.”

Keywords: programmed brains, harder to read

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 1–4

Explanation: The text explicitly states that familiarity with the current system makes simplified spelling difficult at first.

18. The current spelling system may hinder children from developing logical thinking

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “Using a system as irrational as ours may arrest the development of logical thinking.”

Keywords: arrest development, logical thinking

Keyword Location: Paragraph A, Lines 8–10

Explanation: The passage directly states that the system can hinder logical thinking, making the statement true.

19. The program initiated by the Federal Government aimed at eliminating

Illiteracy.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “Programs designed to eradicate illiteracy…”

Keywords: eradicate illiteracy

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Lines 9–12

Explanation: The paragraph clearly states the goal of the program was to eradicate illiteracy.

20. Shakespeare was both a good writer and speller

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “He spelled words many different ways… no one even noticed.”

Keywords: spelled many ways

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Lines 6–8

Explanation: The text notes Shakespeare’s spelling was inconsistent, so the statement claiming he was a good speller is false.

Questions 21 - 23

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

21. Spelling reform is based on an essentially ………………… orthography

Answer: phonetic

Supporting statement: “Proponents… want us to adopt a mostly phonetic orthography.”

Keywords: phonetic orthography

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Lines 7–9

Explanation: The passage states that reform aims at phonetic spelling.

22. The spelling system we use today has a ………………… effect on people's literacy.

Answer: detrimental

Supporting statement: “…the detrimental effect that needlessly complex spelling has on literacy…”

Keywords: detrimental effect

Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Lines 3–5

Explanation: The writer describes the harmful effect of the system on literacy.

23. Churchill feared that a spelling reform hill would …………………… the language of Shakespeare.

Answer: mess up

Supporting statement: “Changing the appearance of words would ‘mess up the language of Shakespeare.’”

Keywords: mess up

Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Lines 1–3

Explanation: The passage quotes Churchill directly, confirming the missing phrase.

Questions 24-27

Match the following statements with their example word.

A. self-change over time

B. limited way to write

C. unpronounced letter

D. unpronounced letter works

24. Real

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “The ‘a’ in real… shows the word’s connection to reality.”

Keywords: unpronounced letter works

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 4–6

Explanation: The silent “a” functions to show etymological connection, matching D.

25. Christmas

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “Christmas could become Chrismas.”

Keywords: unpronounced letter

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Lines 4–6

Explanation: The silent “t” is unnecessary; therefore this is an example of unpronounced letters.

26. Catalogue

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “Catalog was formerly spelled ‘catalogue’.”

Keywords: changed over time

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Lines 10–12

Explanation: The spelling changed naturally over time, matching option A.

27. street

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “The ‘ee’ sound in street might always be written ‘ee’, never ‘ea’, ‘ie’, ‘ei’…”

Keywords: limited ways to write

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Lines 7–10

Explanation: This is an example of reducing spelling variations to one form.

Check IELTS reading samples:

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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