Tests on TheEnglishLink.com are similar in format to the actual IELTS exam.  Like the IELTS, you must answer ALL the questions on this test, then click Save Answers to view your score.

You should spend 20 minutes on this test section.  The timer shows how much time you have used.  The test will not stop when the timer runs out.  You can take as much time as you need.

An IELTS Reading test has 3 sections.  Each reading passage is around 700 words and is followed by 13 or 14 questions.

First, you will see an article like this one.  You should not read the whole reading passage.  Just skim and scan to find the answers.  When you have answered ALL of the 14 questions that follow this article, click Save Answers to view your score.

Section 1
Questions 1 – 14

The Ozone Layer

Section 1
1         Ozone is a light blue gas that is poisonous to humans even in very small amounts.  It is produced by electrical discharges and has a distinctive, strong odour.  Lightning produces ozone naturally and high-voltage electrical equipment can produce ozone artificially.  Ozone can also arise at ground level as an emission of chemical reactions involving sunlight acting on pollution.  Ozone is utilised commercially as a bleaching agent and as a germicide to sterilise drinking water and swimming pools.

2         In the atmosphere, ozone is essential to our well-being.  It exists mainly in the stratosphere, and to a lesser extent in the troposphere and mesosphere, providing the earth with a layer of protection against the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun.  Without the protective ozone layer, the ultraviolet rays would kill most life on Earth.

3         Ozone is also a form of oxygen, the gas that gives life to all living things on our planet.  Molecules of oxygen contain two atoms while molecules of ozone contain three atoms.  This crucial difference is the deciding factor between life and death; oxygen gives life, but the inhalation of a small trace of ozone would be enough to kill any living being.  That being said, ozone has also been connected to the emergence of life on Earth because its ingredients so closely resemble oxygen’s life-giving recipe.

4         Earth’s atmosphere is like a warm, protective blanket shielding us from dangerous rays, holding oxygen and heat within it, and maintaining the delicate balance of conditions perfect for life and growth as we know it.  Alarmingly, as the ozone layer is depleted and the hole expands, the balance of life-sustaining conditions may begin to unravel.  Scientists are concerned about the effects these changes will have on the conditions which, so far, have allowed life on Earth to develop and thrive.  It is entirely possible that even minor changes to temperature, atmospheric conditions and radiation will have radical effects on all life on Earth.

5         In the 1970s, scientists began linking the hole in the ozone layer to the increasing number of skin cancer cases.  Human life, and in fact all life on earth, is particularly sensitive to the ultraviolet radiation known in scientific circles as UV-B, also called “biologically active” ultraviolet radiation.  UV-B radiation is most intense on mountaintops where there is less troposphere to absorb it and in tropical zones where the sun is at its most intense.  UV-B causes sunburn in the short-term, and for those who undergo long-term exposure or repeated sunburn, it can cause malignant melanoma, an often fatal form of skin cancer.

6         By comparing cancer statistics from different regions, scientists have calculated the risks of UV-B radiation, reporting the following estimations.  For every two percent decrease in the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere, there would be a ten percent increase in the number of non-malignant cases of skin cancer in the United States alone – around 25,000 more cases than are currently being reported.  Also, for the more distressing and serious cases of malignant melanoma, a two percent increase in different types of ultraviolet radiation would lead to a two percent increase in the mortality rate.

7         The incidence of skin cancer has been increasing in all countries around the world in the last several decades.  Scientists believe there are several reasons for the increase.  Firstly, as discussed, the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere and troposphere layers of the atmosphere has increased the amount of ultraviolet radiation, a direct cause of skin cancer. 

8         Secondly, in Western countries, fashion trends in the last few decades dictated that tanning the skin was beautiful and looked “healthy.” Therefore, more people have been prolonging their exposure to direct sunlight and voluntarily increasing their risk of skin cancer.  Two hundred years ago in England during the Victorian period, it was highly unfashionable to have tanned skin.  Peasants who toiled in the fields had tanned skin while "refined" ladies and gentlemen cultivated a pale, milky complexion.  This reason, and of course the modern propensity to reveal more skin area, have both contributed to the increase in skin cancer.

9         The third reason that more people are contracting skin cancer is the simple reason that people are living longer lives.  Skin cancer is a disease that is often causes by repeated and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, so it may take years for the damage to take effect.  Several hundred years ago, most people did not live past their forties or fifties and were therefore likely to die of other causes before skin cancer could develop.  Our longevity, therefore, has also caused the number of reported cancer cases to increase.

10        It is becoming increasingly clear that the ozone layer of our atmosphere which, from afar, may appear as a layer of poison within our atmosphere, is in fact partly responsible for life on earth.  It would be wise to protect it in order to protect ourselves and the future generations of our species.

This example shows you what to do. Example:                        Answer Paragraph 1                     viii The best title for Paragraph 1 is Appearance, Production and Use (viii) because those three topics are discussed in Paragraph 1.

Now answer Question 1.  Choose the best heading for Paragraph 2.