Attitudes to Language IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Attitudes to Language” is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 9 Academic Reading Test 3. This page gives the answers for Questions 1–13 with a short explanation of why each answer is right, so you can check your work and learn from every mistake. The question types are: Yes / No / Not Given, Summary Completion, One Choice.

Quick answers: Questions 1–13

Question	Answer
1	YES
2	NO
3	YES
4	NOT GIVEN
5	YES
6	YES
7	NO
8	YES
9	H
10	F
11	A
12	C
13	B

Questions 1–8: Yes / No / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
1	There are understandable reasons why arguments occur about language.	YES	The passage agrees with this statement.
2	People feel more strongly about language education than about small differences in language usage.	NO	The passage contradicts this statement.
3	Our assessment of a person’s intelligence is affected by the way he or she uses language.	YES	The passage agrees with this statement.
4	Prescriptive grammar books cost a lot of money to buy in the 18th century.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
5	Prescriptivism still exists today.	YES	The passage agrees with this statement.
6	According to descriptivists it is pointless to try to stop language change.	YES	The passage agrees with this statement.
7	Descriptivism only appeared after the 18th century.	NO	The passage contradicts this statement.
8	Both descriptivists and prescriptivists have been misrepresented.	YES	The passage agrees with this statement.

Questions 9–12: Summary Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
9	—	H	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
10	—	F	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
11	—	A	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
12	—	C	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 13–13: One Choice

Q	Question	Answer	Why
13	—	B	Option B is the one the passage supports.

Tips for these question types

• Yes / No / Not Given: these test the writer's opinion or claim. YES agrees with the writer, NO contradicts the writer, NOT GIVEN means the writer does not say.
• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• Multiple choice: eliminate options that are only partly right, and watch for words like only, always and never.
• Review every mistake. Find the exact sentence in the passage that proves the answer so you can spot the same trap next time.

FAQ

How many questions does this passage have? Attitudes to Language covers Questions 1–13, which is 13 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 9, Academic Test 3.

How should I use these answers? Attempt the passage under timed conditions first, then check your answers here and read the reason for every mistake.

Cambridge IELTS 9 Reading Test 3: all passages
Part 1: Attitudes to Language (you are here)  |  Part 2: Tidal Power  |  Part 3: Information Theory – The Big Idea

Next: Part 2 answers →

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