Professor Peter Smith reports on how common bullying is in British schools, what it does to victims and bullies, and why schools have moved from denying it to tackling it. He sets out what works: a clear policy, curriculum work, help for likely victims, and better playground supervision.
The headings (27-30) cover A to D in order. The multiple choice (31-34) goes from A to D, one question per section. The summary (35-39) is all in E, in order, and 40 asks about the whole passage.
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: Only four headings are needed from seven. A has survey figures but nothing about bullying increasing. C is about what schools say, and D explains what changed their approach. The video heading is a distractor taken from section E.
Question 27
Answer: ivSection A, second and third sentences
Which heading fits section A?
A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying
Question says → Passage says
ResearchA survey I conducted
how common bullying isup to a quarter of pupils / about one in twenty-five
in British schoolsin British primary schools… in secondary schools
Why: After listing forms of bullying, A gives survey figures for primary and secondary schools. Research on how often it happens is heading iv.
The trap: Heading iii (reasons for the increased rate of bullying) tempts because A has numbers. But the figures show how common bullying is, not that it's rising, and no reasons are given.
Question 28
Answer: viSection B
Which heading fits section B?
Bullying is clearly unpleasant, and can make the child experiencing it feel unworthy and depressed.
Question says → Passage says
The effect of bullyingcan make the child experiencing it feel unworthy and depressed
on the children involvedVictimised pupils… children who persistently bully
Why: B covers effects on both sides: victims feel depressed and have relationship problems later, and bullies are more likely to become violent. 'Children involved' covers both groups, so heading vi.
The trap: If you only think of victims, you might doubt the heading, but 'involved' is chosen to include the bullies too.
Question 29
Answer: vSection C, second and third sentences
Which heading fits section C?
Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem. 'There is no bullying at this school' has been a common refrain
Question says → Passage says
The reaction from schoolsschools would often deny the problem / more schools are now saying
about bullyingThere is no bullying at this school
Why: C is about what schools say: they used to deny bullying, and now more admit it and point to a policy. Schools' responses are heading v.
The trap: Heading ii (the failure of government policy) might tempt because C says little help was available. But C never blames the government. It's about how schools reacted.
Question 30
Answer: viiSection D, first sentence
Which heading fits section D?
Three factors are involved in this change.
Question says → Passage says
DevelopmentsThree factors / a number of resources to help tackle bullying have become available
a new approach by schoolsthis change / we have a clear policy for dealing with it
Why: 'This change' refers back to C, where schools moved from denial to having a policy. D then gives the three causes: awareness, new resources and proof that they work. Heading vii.
The trap: Heading iii (reasons for the increased rate of bullying) also gives reasons, but D explains why schools changed their approach. Bullying isn't increasing; in Norway and Sheffield it fell.
Multiple choice
Questions 31-34
How to attack this block: Each question has one section. Look for traps that twist numbers: one in 25 isn't 'very common', and 'halved' is about bullying, not the number of schools. 'As adults' means in later life, not dealing with adults.
Question 31
Answer: BSection A, last sentence
What did the survey find about British secondary schools?
There was less bullying in secondary schools, with about one in twenty-five suffering persistent bullying
Question says → Passage says
less bullying than in primary schoolsless bullying in secondary schools
Why: Paragraph A compares the two: primary up to a quarter, secondary less, with one in 25 persistent cases. B.
The trap: C (persistent bullying very common) twists the figure. One in 25 is low. D tempts because of 'particularly recalcitrant', but that describes the persistent cases, not indirect forms.
Question 32
Answer: DSection B, last sentence
What happens to children who are bullied?
Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships as adults
Question says → Passage says
Children who are bulliedVictimised pupils
may have difficulty forming relationshipsmore likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships
in later lifeas adults
Why: 'More likely' matches 'may', and 'as adults' is 'in later life'. D.
The trap: B (relating to adults) swaps the meaning of 'as adults'. The passage means when they grow up, not difficulties with grown-ups. A is wrong too: suicide is 'thankfully rare' and no 'twice as likely' figure is given.
Question 33
Answer: DSection C, first two sentences
What does the writer think the claim 'There is no bullying at this school' showed?
Until recently, not much was known about the topic, and little help was available to teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem.
Question says → Passage says
a lack of knowledgenot much was known about the topic
and resourceslittle help was available to teachers
reflectedas a consequence
Why: 'As a consequence' links the denial to its cause: too little knowledge and too little help. That's D.
The trap: A (no longer true in many schools) misreads the writer, who says the claim was 'almost certainly untrue' even back then. C (lack of concern) is never suggested: the cause given is lack of knowledge, not not caring.
Question 34
Answer: ASection D, near the end
What did the Norwegian research find?
In Norway, after an intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved.
Question says → Passage says
declined by 50%bullying was halved
after an anti-bullying campaignafter an intervention campaign was introduced nationally
Why: 'Halved' is a 50% fall, and it came after the national campaign. A.
The trap: B takes half of 42 schools to get 21, but the halving is of bullying, not of the number of schools. C turns 'two-year period' into an 'optimum length', which the passage never claims.
Summary completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 35-39
How to attack this block: Section E lists the steps in the same order as the summary. Check grammar for each gap: a singular noun after 'a', plurals after 'detailed' and 'potential'. The last answer is two words.
Question 35
Answer: policySection E, first sentence
What is the most important thing the school should produce?
Evidence suggests that a key step is to develop a policy on bullying, saying clearly what is meant by bullying
Question says → Passage says
The most important stepa key step
produce a ___develop a policy
makes the school's attitude… quite clearsaying clearly what is meant by bullying
Why: 'A key step' becomes 'the most important step', and 'develop' becomes 'produce'. The gap follows 'a', so a singular noun: 'policy'.
The trap: 'Guidelines' is in the same sentence, but it's the next gap and it's plural, so it can't follow 'a'.
Question 36
Answer: guidelinesSection E, first sentence
Also accepted: explicit guidelines
What should the policy include about how the school will react?
giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it occurs
Question says → Passage says
detailedexplicit
how the school and its staff will react if bullying occurswhat will be done if it occurs
Why: 'Explicit' is close to 'detailed', and the noun after it is 'guidelines'. Write 'guidelines', plural. 'Explicit guidelines' is also accepted, but it doubles up with 'detailed', so the single word reads better.
The trap: 'Sanctions' is at the end of the same list, but it's one item inside the guidelines (what punishments will be used), not the whole set of instructions.
Question 37
Answer: curriculumSection E, middle
Also accepted: school curriculum
Through what else can action be taken?
There are ways of dealing with the topic through the curriculum, using video, drama and literature.
Question says → Passage says
action can be taken through theways of dealing with the topic through the
raising awarenessuseful for raising awareness
insufficient to bring about a permanent solutioncurriculum work alone may only have short-term effects
Why: 'Through the ___' copies 'through the curriculum'. The later lines about raising awareness and short-term effects confirm it.
The trap: 'Video', 'drama' or 'literature' are the tools used within the curriculum. Any one of them is too narrow for the gap.
Question 38
Answer: victimsSection E, second half
Who can be trained to be more self-confident?
Assertiveness training for pupils who are liable to be victims is worthwhile
Question says → Passage says
potentialliable to be
trained to be more self-confidentAssertiveness training
Why: 'Liable to be' means likely to become, so 'potential'. The gap needs a plural noun after 'potential': 'victims'.
The trap: 'Pupils' fits the grammar ('potential pupils of bullying') but makes no sense. And 'victim' without the s loses the mark.
Question 39
Answer: playful fightingSection E, near the end
What should supervisors learn to tell apart from bullying?
One helpful step is to train lunchtime supervisors to distinguish bullying from playful fighting
Question says → Passage says
members of staff are trainedtrain lunchtime supervisors
recognise the difference between bullying anddistinguish bullying from
Why: 'Distinguish… from' is 'recognise the difference between… and'. The words after 'from' are the answer: 'playful fighting', two words.
The trap: 'Conflicts' is in the next part of the sentence, but it's what supervisors break up, not what they tell apart from bullying.
Multiple choice
Question 40
How to attack this block: Pick the title that covers the whole movement of the passage: from schools denying or reacting to bullying, to policies that prevent it. Titles about parents or the media pick up a single word from one section.
Question 40
Answer: DWhole passage, especially Sections C and F
Which title best fits the whole passage?
With these developments, schools can expect that at least the most serious kinds of bullying can largely be prevented.
Question says → Passage says
crisis managementschools would often deny the problem / when it occurs we have a clear policy for dealing with it
preventioncan largely be prevented / How can it be prevented?
Why: The passage moves from schools denying or reacting to bullying, through new resources and policies, to the conclusion that serious bullying can largely be prevented. The introduction even asks 'How can it be prevented?'. D.
The trap: A (what parents can do) picks up one mention of parents being consulted on policy; the passage is about schools. B (the media) misreads 'video', which is a teaching tool, not a cause.
Write 'victims', plural, after 'potential'. 'Pupils' fits the grammar but not the meaning.
Words from this passage worth keeping
taunted(A)
insulted or mocked to upset someone
recalcitrant(A)
hard to deal with or change
refrain(C)
a statement that is repeated again and again
disseminated(E)
spread widely so everyone knows
sanctions(E)
punishments for breaking rules
assertiveness(E)
confidence to stand up for yourself
liable to(E)
likely to
substitute(E)
something used instead of something else
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 6 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 6, Test 4, Reading Passage 3. 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.
