IELTS General Training Reading Practice Test 16

SECTION 1 — Questions 1–14

Read the text below and answer Questions 1–7.

Carrington Transport: Concession Travel Cards

Carrington Transport offers four concession cards, which give reduced or free travel on all our buses and trains within the Carrington region. Concession cards cannot be used for journeys that continue beyond the region unless stated below.

A Student Card
Available to full-time students aged 16 to 25 at any school, college or university in the Carrington region. The card gives 50% off all single and return fares, at any time of day. It is valid for one academic year, from 1 September to 31 August, and costs $15. To apply, complete the online form and upload a recent photo and a letter from your place of study confirming that you are a full-time student. The card will be posted to you within ten working days.

B Senior Card
Available to residents of the Carrington region aged 65 or over. The card is free and gives free travel on weekdays after 9.30 am and at any time at weekends and on public holidays. Before 9.30 am on weekdays, holders pay half the normal fare. The card is also accepted on trains to the neighbouring Westvale region. Applications must be made at one of our Travel Centres, where you will need to show proof of your age and address. Your photo will be taken at the centre. The card is valid for five years.

C Jobseeker Card
Available to people who are registered as unemployed with the Carrington Employment Service. The card gives 50% off all fares and is designed to help you travel to interviews and training courses. It is free, and you can apply online or at a Travel Centre. You will need a letter from the Employment Service, which must be less than one month old. The card is valid for three months, and can be renewed as long as you are still registered.

D Companion Card
Available to people with a disability who need another person to travel with them. The card allows one companion to travel free of charge with the card holder, who pays the normal fare or uses their own concession card. The companion does not need to be the same person each time. To apply, download the form from our website and ask your doctor to complete the second page. The card is free and must be renewed every three years.

Questions 1–7

Look at the four concession cards, A–D, in the text above.

For which card are the following statements true?

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, next to Questions 1–7.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

Read the text below and answer Questions 8–14.

Brookfield Shopping Centre: Click & Collect Lockers

Brookfield's Click & Collect lockers make it easy to pick up your online orders from more than forty of our stores, at a time that suits you.

How it works
When you shop online with a participating store, choose "Collect at Brookfield" at the checkout. When your order is ready, usually by the next day, you will receive an email with a six-digit code and a QR code. Enter the code or scan the QR code at the locker screen, and the door of your locker will open.

Where and when
The lockers are on Level 1, next to the entrance from the North Car Park. While most shops in the centre open at 9 am, the lockers are available from 6 am to 11 pm every day, including public holidays, so you can collect your order on the way to or from work.

Collecting your order
Your order will be kept in the locker for three days. If it is not collected within that time, it will be returned to the store, and you will receive a full refund. If you are unable to collect the order yourself, you can forward the email to a family member or friend, who can then use the code to open the locker. You do not need to show any identification.

Charges
The service is free for orders over $30. For smaller orders, there is a charge of $2.

Large and chilled items
Items longer than 60 cm, and orders that need to be kept cold, cannot be placed in the lockers. These can be collected from the Customer Service Desk on the ground floor between 9 am and 6 pm.

Questions 8–14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?

Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

SECTION 2 — Questions 15–27

Read the text below and answer Questions 15–21.

Fernhall Furniture: Your Probation Period

Welcome to Fernhall Furniture. All new employees, whatever their role, start with a probation period of six months. This is a chance for you to find out whether the job suits you, and for us to make sure that you have the support you need to do it well. Please read this guide carefully.

Your first week
In your first week, you will be given a tour of the site and complete our safety training, which covers fire procedures, the safe use of machinery and the rules for working in production areas. You must complete the training before you are allowed to work in these areas. You will also be given a learning log, in which you should record the training you receive and any problems you meet during your probation.

One-month check-in
After about four weeks, you will have an informal meeting with your line manager. This is not an assessment. It is an opportunity to talk about how you are settling in and to agree any further training you need. Please bring your learning log to this meeting.

Three-month review
At three months, you will have a formal review with your line manager. Before the meeting, your manager will complete a review form, rating your performance in three areas: attendance, quality of work and teamwork. You will be given a copy of the form at least two days before the meeting, so that you can prepare your comments. If any concerns are raised, your manager will set clear targets for the remaining three months.

Final review
The final review takes place in your fifth month, so that a decision can be made before your probation ends. Your manager will recommend one of three outcomes: that your job is confirmed, that your probation is extended, or that your employment is ended. An extension can be for a maximum of three months, and the reasons for it will always be given to you in writing. The recommendation must be approved by a member of the HR team before it takes effect.

Leaving during probation
During your probation, either you or Fernhall Furniture can end your employment by giving one week's notice. Once your job has been confirmed, the notice period increases to four weeks.

Questions 15–21

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

The probation period at Fernhall Furniture

Stage	Details
First week	Tour of the site; 152 words must be completed before working in production areas; new staff receive a 162 words
One-month check-in	Not an assessment; discuss how you are settling in and any extra 172 words
Three-month review	Manager rates attendance, quality of work and 182 words ; you receive the form at least 192 words before the meeting
Final review	Possible outcomes: job confirmed, probation extended, or employment ended. Reasons for an extension are given 202 words . The decision must be approved by a member of the 212 words

Read the text below and answer Questions 22–27.

Fernhall Furniture: Using AI Tools at Work

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which can write text, summarise documents and create images, can save time in many jobs. However, they also bring risks, particularly to the privacy of our customers and the accuracy of the information we publish. This policy explains how AI tools may be used at Fernhall Furniture.

Approved tools
The company provides one approved AI assistant, which is available to all office staff through the staff portal. This tool has been set up so that the information you enter is stored securely and is not used to train other AI systems. You may use it freely for everyday tasks, such as checking the spelling and grammar of internal emails, or producing a short summary of notes from an internal meeting.

Tasks that need approval
Some tasks are allowed, but only if your line manager agrees beforehand. These include using the approved tool to write any text that will be seen by people outside the company, such as product descriptions, packaging text or replies to customers. This is because AI tools sometimes produce information that sounds convincing but is incorrect, and every piece of public text must be checked by a person who knows the subject. The same rule applies to creating images with AI for use in advertising or on our social media accounts.

What is not allowed
You must never enter personal information about customers or colleagues, such as names, addresses or health details, into any AI tool, including the approved one. You must also not enter our designs or details of products that have not yet been launched. Personal AI accounts, such as free online chatbots, must not be used on company computers or for any company work, even for tasks that would be allowed on the approved tool.

If something goes wrong
If you think you may have entered information that should not have been shared, report it to the IT Help Desk immediately. You will not be disciplined for reporting a mistake promptly.

Questions 22–27

Classify the following uses of AI as

• A allowed
• B allowed only with a manager's agreement
• C not allowed

Write the correct letter, A, B or C, next to Questions 22–27.

SECTION 3 — Questions 28–40

Read the text below and answer Questions 28–40.

A view from the top: the work of the tower crane operator

A In any growing city, the most visible sign of construction is the tower crane. Standing high above the building sites, with their long horizontal arms, or jibs, these cranes lift steel, concrete, glass and machinery to the upper floors of new buildings. Each one is controlled by a single person, working alone in a small cab at the top. It is one of the most responsible jobs on any building site, and one of the least understood.

B The working day begins with a climb. On most tower cranes, the only way to reach the cab is by a ladder inside the crane's tower, or mast. On a tall crane, the cab may be 50 metres or more above the ground, and the climb can take twenty minutes or longer, with platforms at regular intervals where operators can rest. Some newer cranes are fitted with small lifts, but these are still uncommon. Because the climb is so long, most operators stay in the cab for the whole of their shift, which may last eight or ten hours. They take food and drink up with them, and many cabs are now fitted with heating, air conditioning and even a small toilet.

C Before any lifting begins, the operator carries out a series of checks. These include testing the brakes and the controls, and making sure that the safety systems are working. Every modern tower crane has a computer system that measures the weight of each load and its distance from the mast. The further a load is from the mast, the less the crane can safely lift, and if the operator tries to lift too much, the system will automatically stop the movement. Operators also check the wind speed, which is measured by an instrument called an anemometer, mounted on the highest point of the crane.

D Wind is the operator's greatest concern. Each crane has a maximum wind speed set by its manufacturer, which is often around 70 kilometres per hour. Above this speed, lifting must stop. However, the safe limit is often much lower for loads with a large flat surface, such as wall panels or sheets of glass, which can catch the wind like a sail. At the end of each shift, the operator releases the brake that stops the jib from turning. This allows the crane to turn freely in the wind, like a weathervane, so that the jib always points in the direction that puts the least pressure on the structure. A crane left with its brake on in a storm would be at much greater risk of damage.

E Perhaps the most surprising thing about the job is how often the operator cannot see what they are lifting. When a load is being lowered into a building, or behind another structure, it may be completely out of sight. In these situations, the operator relies entirely on a signaller, a trained worker on the ground who gives instructions by radio. The two must trust each other completely, and many operators say that a good signaller is the most important person on the site. Where radio is not possible, signallers use an agreed set of hand signals, which every operator learns during training.

F Training to become an operator usually takes several months. In most countries, operators must hold a recognised licence, which involves both written tests and practical assessments. Many begin by working as signallers or operating smaller cranes, and some companies now use simulators, similar to those used to train pilots, so that new operators can practise difficult lifts without any risk. Experienced operators say, however, that the most important skills cannot easily be taught. These include the ability to judge how a load will swing, and the concentration needed to make hundreds of precise movements in a single day.

G The job also has its difficulties. Operators spend long hours looking down through the floor of the cab, which can cause pain in the neck and back, and the isolation does not suit everyone. In response, a few construction companies have begun testing systems that allow operators to control cranes from a cabin on the ground, using cameras and screens. Supporters say this would remove the need for the climb and make it easier to share the work between operators. Many operators remain unconvinced, however. They argue that sitting in the cab allows them to feel how the crane is moving in the wind, in a way that no screen can reproduce.

Questions 28–32

The text has seven paragraphs, A–G.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A–G, next to Questions 28–32.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

Questions 33–37

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?

Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

Questions 38–40

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.