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Cambridge 10 Test 1 opens with Stepwells, an evocative description of the architecturally ornate water structures of north-western India and their recent restoration. Passage 2 shifts to the data-heavy world of European Transport Systems 1990–2010, with statistics on freight, road haulage and the prospects for rail. Passage 3, The psychology of innovation, looks at why so few companies are genuinely creative despite heavy investment in idea generation.
The question mix is varied and demanding. Passage 1 combines five True/False/Not Given, three short-answer questions and a five-gap table — the table is the trap, as the words must come exactly from the passage. Passage 2 layers eight headings onto five True/False/Not Given, so plot the paragraph order before guessing. Passage 3 finishes with multiple choice, sentence endings and five Yes/No/Not Given. The Yes/No section is where opinion versus fact distinctions matter most.
Spend sixteen minutes on Stepwells, twenty on Transport, and twenty-one on Innovation, leaving three minutes to copy answers cleanly. Stepwells lasted a millennium because their builders thought in stages, scanning ahead before each course of stone — do the same with each block of questions.
New to this skill? Read the Reading question types guide for tactics, scoring rules, and frequency analysis across Cambridge 10–20. Or browse all Reading practice tests.
Looking for written strategy? See the IELTS Blog for in-depth posts.