Self-driving cars could make roads safer (most crashes involve human error), free up travel time, and let older and disabled people travel independently. Shared automated cars could replace most private ones, but because each car would be used more, it would wear out faster, so production may not fall. Reliability, liability and public trust are still to be solved.
Section matching (14-18) uses five of the seven sections, one each. The summary (19-22) runs through B, C and D. Questions 23-24 are in B, and 25-26 in F.
Matching information (sections A-G)
Questions 14-18
How to attack this block: C has the car parked for 90% of its life, and B the benefits for individuals (safety, free time, independence). E is about choosing the right vehicle for each trip. G estimates that the problems can be solved within 10 years. D reasons that production might not fall at all.
Question 14
Answer: CSection C, second sentence
Which section says how much of the time a car sits unused?
At present, the average car spends more than 90 percent of its life parked.
Question says → Passage says
the amount of timemore than 90 percent of its life
when a car is not in useparked
Why: 'Not in use' is a paraphrase of 'parked', and 'more than 90 percent of its life' is the amount of time. That figure sets up C's point that shared cars could meet demand with far fewer vehicles.
The trap: Section E says most of the seats in most cars are unoccupied for most of the time. That's about empty seats while the car is being driven, not about the car standing still.
Question 15
Answer: BSection B
Which section lists several ways self-driving cars help the individual traveller?
it may be possible to be productive, to socialise or simply to relax… older or disabled travellers - may be able to enjoy significantly greater travel autonomy
Question says → Passage says
several advantagessafety / free the time people spend driving for other purposes / greater travel autonomy
individual road-userspeople / older or disabled travellers
Why: Section B gives three benefits that land on the person in the car: fewer crashes caused by human error, free time to work, socialise or relax, and independence for older or disabled travellers. That's 'several advantages' for 'individual road-users'.
The trap: Section C opens with 'Beyond these direct benefits', which tells you C has moved on to society as a whole: car-sharing and fewer vehicles. Those aren't benefits to the individual.
Question 16
Answer: ESection E, first paragraph
Which section talks about picking the right vehicle for each journey?
drivers will have the freedom to select one that best suits their needs for a particular journey, rather than making a compromise across all their requirements
Question says → Passage says
the opportunity of choosingthe freedom to select
the most appropriate vehicleone that best suits their needs
for each tripfor a particular journey
Why: Every part of the item has a partner: opportunity = freedom, choosing = select, most appropriate = best suits, each trip = a particular journey. People would pay for access to a range of vehicles instead of owning one.
The trap: Section C also talks about not owning your own car, through car-sharing, but it says nothing about choosing a different vehicle to match the trip.
Question 17
Answer: GSection G, first sentence
Which section estimates how long it will take to solve the problems?
there are many challenges that need to be addressed but, through robust and targeted research, these can most probably be conquered within the next 10 years
Question says → Passage says
a number of problemsmany challenges
overcomeconquered
an estimate of how long it will takemost probably… within the next 10 years
Why: 'Most probably' makes it an estimate, and 'within the next 10 years' is the time it will take. 'Conquered' is a stronger word for 'overcome'.
The trap: Section F is where the hurdles are actually listed, and it even uses 'overcome'. But F gives no timescale. The time estimate only comes in G.
Question 18
Answer: DSection D, last paragraph
Which section suggests driverless cars might not change how many vehicles get made?
each vehicle would be used more intensively, and might need replacing sooner. This faster rate of turnover may mean that vehicle production will not necessarily decrease.
Question says → Passage says
may have no effect onwill not necessarily decrease
the number of vehicles manufacturedvehicle production
Why: Section D first says we might need far fewer cars, then turns it around: cars would do twice the mileage, wear out sooner and need replacing. So production 'will not necessarily decrease', which is the 'no effect' idea.
The trap: Section E says automation 'may boost production' of smaller vehicles. That's a change in the type of car, and 'boost' means more, so it isn't 'no effect'. Read D to the end: its first half says the opposite.
Summary completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 19-22
How to attack this block: Two answers use both words: the cause behind most collisions, and the schemes that become workable in cities (hyphenated or not). The Michigan figures give the other two: a 43% drop in ownership, and each car's yearly mileage doubling.
Question 19
Answer: human errorSection B, first paragraph
What do the Transport Research Laboratory figures say most crashes are partly caused by?
more than 90 percent of road collisions involve human error as a contributory factor
Question says → Passage says
most motor accidentsmore than 90 percent of road collisions
are partly due toinvolve… as a contributory factor
Why: 'Contributory factor' means one of the causes, so 'partly due to' is the right paraphrase. The thing that contributes is 'human error', which fits the two-word limit exactly.
The trap: Don't write 'error' alone, which loses the meaning, or 'contributory factor', which is the 'partly' part, not the cause.
Question 20
Answer: car sharingSection C, third sentence
Also accepted: car-sharing
What kind of schemes become more workable, especially in towns and cities?
Automation means that initiatives for car-sharing become much more viable, particularly in urban areas with significant travel demand.
Question says → Passage says
schemes forinitiatives for
more workablemuch more viable
especially in towns and citiesparticularly in urban areas
Why: The summary sentence is a near copy: schemes = initiatives, workable = viable, towns and cities = urban areas. The words after 'initiatives for' fill the gap. Both 'car-sharing' and 'car sharing' are accepted.
The trap: 'Shared automated vehicles' in the next sentence means the same thing, but it's three words, so it breaks the limit.
Question 21
Answer: ownershipSection D, last paragraph
According to Michigan, what could drop by 43 percent?
automated vehicles might reduce vehicle ownership by 43 percent
Question says → Passage says
a 43 percent drop inreduce… by 43 percent
___ of carsvehicle ownership
Why: The summary turns the verb 'reduce' into the noun 'drop', and 'vehicle' becomes 'of cars' after the gap. So only 'ownership' is needed.
The trap: 'Vehicle ownership' is within the word limit, but 'a drop in vehicle ownership of cars' says vehicle twice. Check the words after the gap before you copy two words.
Question 22
Answer: mileageSection D, last paragraph
What would be twice as high for each car every year?
but that vehicles' average annual mileage would double as a result
Question says → Passage says
the yearlyannual
on averageaverage
twice as highdouble
Why: 'Yearly' and 'on average' are already in the summary, standing in for 'annual' and 'average'. 'Twice as high' = 'double'. What's left is 'mileage'.
The trap: 'Annual mileage' is two words, but 'the yearly annual mileage' repeats itself. 'Turnover' comes next in the passage, but that's the result, and the summary uses it in its own next sentence.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 23-24
How to attack this block: B gives the individual benefits: time for work, friends or rest, and independence for older or disabled travellers. Cost savings, parking and pollution sound likely but aren't in the passage.
Question 23-24
Answer: C and D (in either order)Section B, second paragraph
Which two benefits of automated vehicles does the writer actually mention?
it may be possible to be productive, to socialise or simply to relax… those who are challenged by existing mobility models - such as older or disabled travellers - may be able to enjoy significantly greater travel autonomy
Question says → Passage says
doing something other than drivingto be productive, to socialise or simply to relax
find driving physically difficultchallenged by existing mobility models - such as older or disabled travellers
travel independentlygreater travel autonomy
Why: C: being free to work, socialise or relax is 'doing something other than driving'. D: older or disabled travellers getting 'greater travel autonomy' means people who struggle to drive could travel on their own. Autonomy = independence.
The trap: A is the trap: 'cost savings' appears in Section A, but those were savings for manufacturers from robots in factories, not for travellers. Fewer cars is in C and D, but pollution (E) and parking (B) are never mentioned.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 25-26
How to attack this block: F lists three hurdles. Two are in the options: working reliably in any traffic, weather or road conditions, and getting communities to trust automated vehicles. Road infrastructure, the pace of change and redundant drivers aren't mentioned.
Question 25-26
Answer: A and E (in either order)Section F
Which two challenges to developing automated vehicles does the writer mention?
ensuring that the vehicle works reliably in the infinite range of traffic, weather and road situations it might encounter… for communities to trust and accept automated vehicles
Question says → Passage says
the general public has confidence incommunities to trust and accept automated vehicles
adapt to various different driving conditionsworks reliably in the infinite range of traffic, weather and road situations
Why: Section F names three hurdles: technical, regulatory and societal. The technical one, working in every kind of traffic, weather and road situation, is E. The societal one, getting communities to trust the vehicles, is A. Public = communities, confidence = trust.
The trap: D tempts because F mentions 'road situations', but that's the car coping with roads as they are, not building new infrastructure. C borrows the idea that drivers aren't essential, but the passage links that to liability, not to compensating anyone. B: G says change is coming, but never mentions managing its pace.
D tempts because the car must cope with 'road situations', but that's the vehicle adapting (E), not building new infrastructure.
Words from this passage worth keeping
on the horizon(A)
likely to happen soon
contributory factor(B)
one of the things that helps cause something
autonomy(B)
the ability to act independently
viable(C)
able to work successfully in practice
intensively(D)
a lot, with heavy use
turnover(D)
the rate at which things are replaced
hurdles(F)
problems that must be solved before progress is possible
liability(F)
legal responsibility for something, such as an accident
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The full Cambridge 15 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 15, 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.
