Ielts Reading Test 3 - Passage 2

Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 26, which are based on
Reading Passage 2 below.
British Universities Seek Quantity and Quality
A. Pity the poor British professor. Once upon the time in the halcyon 1960s, his
students were a privileged few, an academic elite drawn from the top four per
cent of the population. New university arrivals were literate and numerate; crime
against grammar were the exception rather than the rule. According to a new
comprehensive survey of British university faculty and staff, all that has
changed. They [incoming students] dont know how to write essays they just
assemble bits from the Internet, commended a disgruntled Oxford tutor. Even
the cream of candidates do not necessarily know how to use an apostrophe,
added another.
B. The decline in student competence parallels a dramatic increase in British
university and college enrolment over the past decade, spurred in recent years by
Prime Minister Tony Blairs push to get half of all young Britons a university
degree. As professors and business owners alike decry the quality of university
students and graduates, more than a few observers are questioning the wisdom of
packing ivory towers with the masses. Students themselves may begin to
question whether higher education is overvalued, with tuition rates set to rise
steeply next fall.
C. British universities and colleges are teeming with almost 2.5 million young
adults, a 12-fold increase of 1960s numbers, and up almost fifty per cent over the
past decade alone. A report published last month for the Association of Graduate
Recruiters found that almost half of the top 200 employers of university
graduates were unhappy with the calibre of candidates. The recent survey,
conducted by Oxford University and Universities & Colleges Admissions
Service (UCAS), listed a catalogue of complaints about freshmen which had led
in some cases to year-long courses being deferred by a year.
D. You are getting students going to higher education now who wouldnt have done
so 20 years ago, and in some ways thats a good thing, as it widens opportunity,
says Geoff Hayward, lecturer at Oxford Universitys educational studies
department. There were, he adds, genuine concerns about young people and
their capacity to benefit from higher education. Part of the problem, Mr.
Hayward says, lies in the way teenagers are taught in school, prepped
assiduously for exams at the expense of broader understanding . Despite the
students academic failings, the Oxford/UCAS survey did find they were more
tech-savvy and better at oral communication than their predecessors.
E. Nevertheless, concerns about the state of Britains university system are
deepening this year as its funding faces one of its biggest shake-ups in decades.
Following the lead of America , Australia, and New Zealand among others,
universities will introduce a new annnual 12,000 ($24,000), according to the
National Union of Students (NUS), making some think twice about whether to
study. Already, official figures show the number of university applicants fell this
year for the first time in six years, by 3.4 per cent.
F. Weve said all along that this policy will deter prospective students from going
to university, says Julian Nicholds, NUS vice president for education. About
13,000 fewer prospective students have applied this year, and that is only
attributable to the threat of debt in the future. For the government, the fall in
applicants in slightly awkward. Tony Blairs Labour administration has
committed itself to boosting the number of young people in high education to
fifty per cent by 2010. That might prove tricky if teenagers and their parents
are deterred by the burgeoning cost of study.
G. Alison Wolf, an expert at Kings College London and author of a book called
Does Education Matter, concedes that the added fees might make students
think twice but says the price increase wont turn them away. When a degree
has become as important as ours, all the evidence is that fees will not have an
impact because its still economically worthwhile to get a degree, says Ms.
Wolf. Estimates suggest will still earn as much as 400,000 ($800,000) more
over a lifetime than non-graduates. A little debt will be worth it in the long run,
she says.
H. Bill Rammell, higher education minister, says Blairs target of fifty per cent
enrolment is an economic and social necessity. He also points out that by
2012, an estimated 6.8 million graduate jobs will have been created, requiring
increasing numbers of university-educated workers. It is therefore crucial that

we are able to produce sufficient numbers of highly skilled, employable
graduates to fill those posts, says Mr. Rammell. Most industrialized countries
have targets to expand university numbers.
I. However, Wolf says the governments fifty per cent target is nuts. There is no
evidence that it is important for economic growth, she contends. Switzerland
is the richest country in Europe and has one of the lowest numbers of graduates.
A market-based society, she says, is capable of working out what kind of
workers it need without government-mandated quotas, which may end up
encouraging people to go to university who might do better pursuing vocational
endeavours. It would make more sense for society if lots of people didnt go to
university for the wrong reasons, she says, but as long as employers continue
to use degrees as a filter device for screening candidates, demand for degrees
will remain high.
Questions 14 17
The text has 9 paragraphs (A I). Which paragraph does each of the following
headings best fit?
14. Higher fees
15. Many employers unhappy
16. Governments push for numbers
17. Paying is worth it.
Questions 18 22
According to the text, FIVE of the following statements are true. Write the
corresponding letters in answer boxes 18 to 22 in any order.
A. Higher education is overvalued.
B. Certain students have had to postpone taking courses.
C. Students nowadays are better at using technology.
D. The number of university applications has declined this year.
E. The government wants 50% of young people in higher education.
F. Alison Wolf agrees with Julian Nicholds.
G. Bill Rammell agrees with Tony Blair.

H. Switzerland is following Britains example.
Questions 23 26
According to the information given in the text, choose the correct answer or
answers from the choices given.
23. University students nowadays are criticized for their lack of
A. mathematical ability.
B. essay writing ability.
C. criminal behaviour.
24. Geoff Hayward is concerned about
A. the quality of students.
B. the ability of students to communicate properly.
C. there being too much focus on examinations at schools.

25. Bill Rammell points out that
A. Britain doesnt have enough graduates.
B. there are 6.8 million graduates in Britain.
C. other countries want to increase the number of graduates.
26. Wolf believes
A. Switzerland is better than Britain.
B. market forces should determine how many people go to university.
C. employers use degrees to shorten lists of applicants.
ANSWER
Reading Passage 2, Questions 14-26
14. E
15. C
16. B
17. G
18. -22. IN ANY ORDER
23. A
24. A
25. C
26. B

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Reading Passage 2

increasing numbers of university-educated workers. It is therefore crucial that

G. Bill Rammell agrees with Tony Blair.

C. there being too much focus on examinations at schools.

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