Green roofs: reading answers and analysis
Green roofs save energy, reduce flooding, shelter wildlife, clean the air and can grow food, and gardening is even prescribed for anxiety and depression. London, San Francisco and Toronto lead the way, helped by policy and, in North America, newer buildings that carry more weight. Investors still need economic arguments ('natural capital'), and new versions include blue, brown and solar roofs.
Questions 1-13 · 13 marks · 4 question blocks
Where the answers sit
The paragraph matching (1-5) uses D twice. The summary (6-9) is in A and B. The two choose-TWO blocks say which paragraph to use: C for 10-11 and E for 12-13.
Questions 1-5
D holds two items: the practical hurdles (new skills, drainage, safety, planning) and the need for economic arguments to win over investors. Toronto's policies from the 1990s are in C, living walls and street-tree drainage in B, and 'replicate the success stories' at the end of E.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | — |
| 2 | C | — |
| 3 | E | — |
| 4 | B | — |
| 5 | D | — |
Questions 6-9
The first two gaps come from A's list of benefits: the costs saved, and what roofs can grow. The last two come from B: the activity doctors prescribe, and the physical problem green space helps people avoid.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | energy | — |
| 7 | food | — |
| 8 | gardening | — |
| 9 | obesity | — |
Questions 10-11
C says newer buildings can hold greater weight, so they store more water on the roof, and deeper soil means a wider range of plants. Using water economically sounds similar, but the passage is about keeping and spreading enough water, not saving it.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 10-11 | C and D(in either order) | — |
Questions 12-13
In E, brown roofs maximise biodiversity and some green roofs are combined with solar panels. Blue roofs hold rainwater on the building for longer, which isn't about wet climates or supplying other buildings.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 12-13 | A and D(in either order) | — |
The questions most people get wrong
D. 'Economic arguments are still the most important' for persuading investors. It's the second answer in D after question 1.
E tempts because blue roofs hold water. They keep water on the roof in heavy rain rather than draining it, which has nothing to do with supplying other buildings.
Doctors prescribe time spent 'gardening outdoors', so the one-word answer is 'gardening'.
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The full Cambridge 18 Test 4 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 18, Test 4, Reading Passage 1. The passage name belongs to Cambridge University Press. No passage text or question wording is reproduced on this page. The answers are published for self-marking, and the analysis is our own.