The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland is the world's only rotating boat lift, built to reconnect two canals whose old link of 11 locks was removed in 1933. It was assembled in Derbyshire, rebuilt on site, and stays balanced because a boat displaces its own weight of water. Locks lift boats the last 11 metres because of a Roman wall.
The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (14-19) follow the passage from paragraph 2 to the last paragraph. The diagram labels (20-26) follow the boat's trip in order, from paragraph 6 to the final paragraph.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the passage yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: Watch the absolute words: 'for the first time', 'the only', 'varies'. Two of them are FALSE because the passage says the opposite, and two are NOT GIVEN because the passage simply has no information. Don't let 'first and only' in the opening line leak into statements about other things.
Question 14
Answer: FALSEParagraph 2, second and third sentences
Is the Wheel the first thing ever to connect the two canals?
Historically, the two canals had been joined near the town of Falkirk by a sequence of 11 locks
Question says → Passage says
linked… for the first time in their historyHistorically, the two canals had been joined / reconnecting the historic waterways
Why: The canals were joined before, by a flight of 11 locks that was dismantled in 1933. The Wheel reconnects them, so 'for the first time' is FALSE.
The trap: 'The world's first and only rotating boat lift' in paragraph 1 makes 'first' feel right. The Wheel is the first of its kind, but it isn't the first link between these canals.
Question 15
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 3
Did people object to the Wheel's design at the start?
Numerous ideas were submitted for the project… The eventual winner was a plan for the huge rotating steel boat lift
Question says → Passage says
the design of the Falkirk Wheela plan for the huge rotating steel boat lift
Why: Paragraph 3 says many designs were submitted and this one won. Nothing says anyone opposed the winning design, so it's NOT GIVEN.
The trap: A competition with rival ideas sounds like disagreement, but competing entries are not opposition to the chosen design.
Question 16
Answer: TRUEParagraph 4, first sentence
Was the Wheel first assembled where its parts were made?
The various parts of The Falkirk Wheel were all constructed and assembled, like one giant toy building set, at Butterley Engineering's Steelworks in Derbyshire
Question says → Passage says
initially put togetherconstructed and assembled
at the location where its components were manufacturedat Butterley Engineering's Steelworks in Derbyshire
Why: The parts were built and assembled at the same steelworks in Derbyshire, then taken apart and moved to Falkirk. 'Initially' fits, because it was put together again on site later.
The trap: The final assembly happened at Falkirk, which tempts some people into FALSE. The statement is about the first assembly, and that was in Derbyshire.
Question 17
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 4, last two sentences
Is the Wheel the only boat lift in the world with hand-bolted steel sections?
the steel sections were bolted rather than welded together. Over 45,000 bolt holes were matched with their bolts, and each bolt was hand-tightened.
Question says → Passage says
steel sections bolted together by handbolted rather than welded together… each bolt was hand-tightened
Why: The passage confirms the Wheel's bolts were hand-tightened, but it never compares this with other boat lifts. The 'only… in the world' part has no support, so it's NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Paragraph 1 does say 'first and only', but that's about being a rotating lift, not about the bolts. Don't carry the word across.
Question 18
Answer: FALSEParagraph 5, middle
Does the gondolas' weight change depending on the boat?
These gondolas always weigh the same, whether or not they are carrying boats.
Question says → Passage says
The weight of the gondolas variesalways weigh the same
Why: 'Always weigh the same' is the direct opposite of 'varies'. The water a boat displaces weighs exactly what the boat weighs, so the total never changes. FALSE.
The trap: Common sense says a heavier boat makes a heavier load, which is why people choose TRUE. Archimedes' principle, explained in the next sentences, is the point of the paragraph.
Question 19
Answer: TRUEParagraph 7, second sentence
Was the design shaped by an old monument near the site?
The Wheel could not be constructed to elevate boats over the full 35-metre difference between the two canals, owing to the presence of the historically important Antonine Wall
Question says → Passage says
took into accountcould not be constructed… owing to
a nearby ancient monumentthe historically important Antonine Wall, which was built by the Romans in the second century AD
Why: The Wheel only lifts boats part of the way because the Roman Antonine Wall is in the way. Changing the design because of the wall is 'taking it into account'. TRUE.
Diagram labelling (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 20-26
How to attack this block: Paragraph 6 describes the lift step by step, and the labels go in the same order. Every answer is a single noun, so drop adjectives like 'hydraulic' or 'Antonine'. Check singular or plural against the label's verb ('a pair of ___ are lifted', '___ raise').
Question 20
Answer: gatesParagraph 6, second sentence
What pair of things is raised to seal off water from the canal basin?
Two hydraulic steel gates are raised, so as to seal the gondola off from the water in the canal basin.
Question says → Passage says
A pair ofTwo
are liftedare raised
shut out waterseal the gondola off from the water
Why: 'A pair of ___ are lifted' needs a plural noun, and 'two… gates are raised' gives it. One word only, so write 'gates'.
The trap: 'Gondola' is in the same sentence, but it's the thing being sealed, not the thing that does the sealing.
Question 21
Answer: clampParagraph 6, fourth sentence
What is removed so the Wheel can turn?
A hydraulic clamp, which prevents the arms of the Wheel moving while the gondola is docked, is removed, allowing the Wheel to turn.
Question says → Passage says
is taken outis removed
enabling Wheel to rotateallowing the Wheel to turn
Why: 'Taken out' is 'removed', and 'enabling… rotate' is 'allowing… turn'. The thing removed is the clamp. The diagram already has 'A', so a single noun fits.
The trap: 'Hydraulic' is the word just before it, but it's an adjective. The gap needs the noun.
Question 22
Answer: axleParagraph 6, middle
What do the hydraulic motors turn?
In the central machine room an array of ten hydraulic motors then begins to rotate the central axle.
Question says → Passage says
Hydraulic motors drivehydraulic motors then begins to rotate
Why: 'Drive' means make something move, and the motors rotate the central axle. One word, so 'axle'.
The trap: The axle then turns 'the outer arms', and people write 'arms'. The motors drive the axle directly, and the axle drives the arms.
Question 23
Answer: cogsParagraph 6, near the end
What set of parts in different sizes keeps the boat level?
Two eight-metre-wide cogs orbit a fixed inner cog of the same width, connected by two smaller cogs
Question says → Passage says
A range of different-sizedeight-metre-wide… two smaller
ensures boat keeps uprightkept in the upright position / ensuring that the gondolas always remain level
Why: The gearing system uses large cogs and smaller cogs, which is the 'range of different-sized' parts. 'A range of ___' needs a plural: 'cogs'.
The trap: 'Gearing' is the name of the system, but it's not a countable noun for the parts. The gap wants the parts themselves.
Question 24
Answer: aqueductParagraph 6, last sentence
Where does the boat go straight after reaching the top?
When the gondola reaches the top, the boat passes straight onto the aqueduct situated 24 metres above the canal basin.
Question says → Passage says
moves directly ontopasses straight onto
Why: 'Directly' is 'straight', and the place is the aqueduct. Check the spelling: aqu-e-duct.
The trap: 'Canal basin' is in the same sentence, but that's where the boat started, 24 metres below.
Question 25
Answer: wallParagraph 7, last sentence
What Roman structure does the boat go under through a tunnel?
Boats travel under this wall via a tunnel, then through the locks
Question says → Passage says
travels through tunnel beneathtravel under this wall via a tunnel
Romanbuilt by the Romans
Why: 'Beneath' is 'under', and what they go under is the wall. The diagram already says 'Roman', so you need just 'wall'.
The trap: Writing 'Antonine' gives a name, not the structure, and 'Antonine Wall' breaks the one-word limit.
Question 26
Answer: locksParagraph 7, first sentence
What lifts the boat the last 11 metres?
The remaining 11 metres of lift needed to reach the Union Canal is achieved by means of a pair of locks.
Question says → Passage says
raise boat 11 mThe remaining 11 metres of lift
to level of Union Canalneeded to reach the Union Canal
Why: The final 11 metres comes from a pair of locks. The diagram's verb is 'raise', not 'raises', so the gap needs the plural: 'locks'.
The trap: 'Lock' without the 's' is a common slip. The passage says 'a pair of locks', and the verb form confirms the plural.
The motors turn the axle, and the axle turns the arms. People who read one line too far write 'arms'.
Words from this passage worth keeping
navigability(Paragraph 1)
being usable by boats
dismantled(Paragraph 2)
taken apart
commemoration(Paragraph 2)
something that marks and honours an event
regeneration(Paragraph 2)
renewal and new growth of an area's economy
painstakingly(Paragraph 4)
with great care and attention to detail
robust(Paragraph 4)
strong and unlikely to break
diametrically opposed(Paragraph 5)
directly opposite each other
displace(Paragraph 5)
push aside and take the place of
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The full Cambridge 11 Test 1 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 1, Reading Passage 2. The passage and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full text, or sit the test on Langujet.
