The Case For Mixed Ability Classes IELTS Reading Answers

Sep 29, 2023

The case for mixed ability classes IELTS Reading Answers is a topic of academic reading topic which includes 13 questions. Is there a psychologist in the building? IELTS Reading Answers topic generates 2 types of questions: fill in the blanks and choose correct options. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. Candidates can further enhance their reading skills by going through IELTS reading practice papers available on the website. Candidates can use IELTS reading topics like The case for mix ability classes IELTS Reading Answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The case for mixed-ability classes

A
Picture this scene. It's an English literature lesson in a UK school, and the teacher has just read an extract from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with a class of 15-year-olds. He's given some of the students copies of No Fear Shakespeare, a kid-friendly translation of the original. For three students, even these literacy demands are beyond them.

B
Another girl simply can't focus and he gives her pens and paper to draw with. The teacher can ask the No Fear group to identify the key characters and maybe provide a tentative plot summary. He can ask most of the class about character development, and five of them might be able to support their statements with textual evidence. Now two curious students are wondering whether Shakespeare advocates living a life of moderation or one of passionate engagement.

C
As a teacher myself, I'd think my lesson would be going rather well if the discussion went as described above. But wouldn't this kind of class work better if there weren't such a huge gap between the top and the bottom? If we put all the kids who needed literacy support into one class, and all the students who want to discuss the virtue of moderation into another?

D
The practice of 'streaming', or 'tracking', involves separating students into classes depending on their diagnosed levels of attainment. At a macro level, it requires the establishment of academically selective schools for the brightest students, and comprehensive schools for the rest. Within schools, it means selecting students into a 'stream' of general ability, or 'sets' of subject-specific ability. The practice is intuitively appealing to almost every stakeholder.

E
I have heard the mixed-ability model attacked by way of analogy: a group hike. The fittest in the group take the lead and set a brisk pace, only to have to stop and wait every 20 minutes. This is frustrating, and their enthusiasm wanes. Meanwhile, the slowest ones are not only embarrassed but physically struggling to keep up. What's worse, they never get a long enough break. They honestly just want to quit. Hiking, they feel, is not for them.

F
Mixed-ability classes bore students, frustrate parents and bum out teachers. The brightest ones will never summit Mount Qomolangma, and the stragglers won't enjoy the lovely stroll in the park they are perhaps more suited to. Individuals suffer at the demands of the collective, mediocrity prevails. So: is learning like hiking?

G
The current pedagogical paradigm is arguably that of constructivism, which emerged out of the work of psychologist Lev Vygotsky. In the 1930s, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of targeting a student's specific 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD). This is the gap between what they can achieve only with support - teachers, textbooks, worked examples, parents and so on - and what they can achieve independently. The purpose of teaching is to provide and then gradually remove this 'scaffolding' until they are autonomous. If we accept this model, it follows that streaming students with similar ZPDs would be an efficient and effective solution. And that forcing everyone on the same hike - regardless lof aptitude would be madness.

H
Despite all this, there is limited empirical evidence to suggest that streaming results in better outcomes for students. Professor John Hattie, director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute, notes that 'tracking has minimal effects on learning outcomes'. What is more, streaming appears to significantly - and negatively affect those students assigned to the lowest sets. These students tend to have much higher representation of low socioeconomic class. Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets. The overall result is that the smart stay smart and the dumb get dumber, further entrenching the social divide.

I
In the latest update of Hattie's influential meta-analysis of factors influencing student achievement, one of the most significant factors is the teachers' estimate of achievement. Streaming students by diagnosed achievement automatically limits what the teacher feels the student is capable of. Meanwhile, in a mixed environment, teachers' estimates need to be more diverse and flexible.

J
While streaming might seem to help teachers effectively target a student's ZPD, it can underestimate the importance of peer-to-peer learning. A crucial aspect of constructivist theory is the role of the MKO - 'more knowledgeable other' - in knowledge construction. While teachers are traditionally the MKOs in classrooms, the value of knowledgeable student peers must not go unrecognized either.

K
I find it amazing to watch students get over an idea to their peers in ways that I would never think of. They operate with different language tools and different social tools from teachers and, having just learnt it themselves, they possess similar cognitive structures to their struggling classmates. There is also something exciting about passing on skills and knowledge that you yourself have just mastered, a certain pride and zeal, a certain freshness to the interaction between 'teacher' and 'learner' that is often lost by the expert for whom the steps are obvious and the joy of discovery forgotten.

L
Having a variety of different abilities in a collaborative learning environment provides valuable resources for helping students meet their learning needs, not to mention improving their communication and social skills. And today, more than ever, we need the many to flourish - not suffer at the expense of a few bright stars. Once a year, I go on a hike with my class, a mixed bunch of students. It is challenging. The fittest students realize they need to encourage the reluctant. There are lookouts who report back, and extra items to carry for others. We make it - together.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 27-30
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Question 27. The writer describes the Romeo and Juliet lesson in order to demonstrate

how few students are interested in literature.
how a teacher handles a range of learning needs.
how unsuitable Shakespeare is for most teenagers.
how weaker students can disrupt their classmates' learning.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...It's an English literature lesson in a UK school, and the teacher has just read an extract from Shakespeare's Romeo and…”
Keywords: English literature lesson, UK school, teacher, Shakespeare's Romeo, Juliet, 15-year-olds
Keyword Location: para A, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, it's an English literature lesson in a UK school, and the teacher has just read an extract from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with a class of 15-year-olds. He's given some of the students copies of No Fear Shakespeare, a kid-friendly translation of the original.

Question 28. What does the writer say about streaming in the third paragraph?

It has a very broad appeal.
It favors clever students.
It is relatively simple to implement.
It works better in some schools than others.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...As a teacher myself, I'd think my lesson would…”
Keywords: teacher myself, lesson, discussion
Keyword Location: para C, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, as a teacher myself, I'd think my lesson would be going rather well if the discussion went as described above.

Question 29. What idea is suggested by the reference to Mount Qomolangma in the fifth paragraph?

students following unsuitable paths
students attempting interesting tasks
students not achieving their full potential
students not being aware of their limitations

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...Mixed-ability classes bore students, frustrate parents and bum out teachers…”
Keywords: Mixed-ability classes, bore students, frustrate parents, bum out teachers, summit Mount Qomolangma, stragglers, lovely stroll, park
Keyword Location: para F, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, mixed-ability classes bore students, frustrate parents and bum out teachers. The brightest ones will never summit Mount Qomolangma, and the stragglers won't enjoy the lovely stroll in the park they are perhaps more suited to.

Question 30. What does the word 'scaffolding' in the sixth paragraph refer to?

the factors which prevent a student from learning effectively
the environment where most of a student's learning takes place
the assistance given to a student in their initial stages of learning
the setting of appropriate learning targets for a student's aptitude

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...The purpose of teaching is to provide and then gradually remove this 'scaffolding'…”
Keywords: purpose of teaching, scaffolding, autonomous, model, streaming students, similar ZPDs
Keyword Location: para G, line 4
Explanation: According to the writer, the purpose of teaching is to provide and then gradually remove this 'scaffolding' until they are autonomous. If we accept this model, it follows that streaming students with similar ZPDs would be an efficient and effective solution.

Questions 31-35
Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-I, below.
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet.

Is streaming effective?

According to Professor John Hattie of the Melbourne Education Research Institute, there is very little indication that streaming leads to 31 ...................... He points out that, in schools which use streaming, the most significant impact is on those students placed in the 32.................... especially where a large proportion of them have 33........... Meanwhile, for the 34............ there appears to be only a minimal advantage. A further issue is that teachers tend to have 35................ of students in streamed groups.

wrong classes
lower expectations
average learners
bottom sets
brightest pupils
disadvantaged backgrounds
weaker students
higher achievements
positive impressions

Question 31:

Answer: H
Supporting statement: “...What is more, streaming appears to significantly - and negatively affect those students assigned…”
Keywords: streaming, significantly, negatively affect, lowest sets, higher representation, low socioeconomic class
Keyword Location: para H, line 3
Explanation: According to the writer, What is more, streaming appears to significantly - and negatively affect those students assigned to the lowest sets. These students tend to have much higher representation of low socioeconomic class.

Question 32:

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “...What is more, streaming appears to significantly…”
Keywords: streaming, negatively affect, students, assigned, lowest sets
Keyword Location: para H, line 3
Explanation: According to the writer, What is more, streaming appears to significantly - and negatively affect those students assigned to the lowest sets.

Question 33:

Answer: F
Supporting statement: “...Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets…”
Keywords: Less significant, small benefit, lucky clever students, higher sets
Keyword Location: para H, line 5
Explanation: According to the writer, Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets. The overall result is that the smart stay smart and the dumb get dumber, further entrenching the social divide.

Question 34:

Answer: E
Supporting statement: “... Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets”
Keywords: less significant, small benefit, lucky clever students.
Keyword Location: para H, line 5
Explanation: According to the passage, talented students categorized into higher sets receive minimal benefits.

Question 35:

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...Streaming students by diagnosed achievement automatically…”
Keywords: Streaming students, diagnosed, achievement, limits, teacher feels
Keyword Location: para I, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, Streaming students by diagnosed achievement automatically limits what the teacher feels the student is capable of.

Questions 36-40
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet, write:
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Question 36. The Vygotsky model of education supports the concept of a mixed-ability class.

Answer: no
Supporting statement: “...In the 1930s, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of targeting a student's specific 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD)…”
Keywords: 1930s, Vygotsky, importance of targeting, student's specific 'zone, proximal development' (ZPD)
Keyword Location: para G, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, In the 1930s, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of targeting a student's specific 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD). This is the gap between what they can achieve only with support - teachers, textbooks, worked examples, parents and so on - and what they can achieve independently.

Question 37. Some teachers are uncertain about allowing students to take on MKO roles in the classroom.

Answer: not given
Explanation: No relevant information has been provided in the passage in order to support the said statement. Therefore, we can clearly conclude the statement as an invalid one.

Question 38. It can be rewarding to teach knowledge which you have only recently acquired.

Answer: yes
Supporting statement: “...It's an English literature lesson in a UK school, and the teacher has just read an extract from Shakespeare's Romeo and…”
Keywords: English literature lesson, UK school, teacher, Shakespeare's Romeo, Juliet, 15-year-olds
Keyword Location: para A, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, it's an English literature lesson in a UK school, and the teacher has just read an extract from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with a class of 15-year-olds. He's given some of the students copies of No Fear Shakespeare, a kid-friendly translation of the original.

Question 39. The priority should be to ensure that the highest-achieving students attain their goals.

Answer: no
Supporting statement: “...Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets…”
Keywords: Less significant, small benefit, lucky clever students, higher sets
Keyword Location: para H, line 5
Explanation: According to the writer, Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets. The overall result is that the smart stay smart and the dumb get dumber, further entrenching the social divide.