BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 25

Table of Contents

ACADEMIC READING TEST 25 – PASSAGE – 2

ACADEMIC READING TEST 25

READING PASSAGE – 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

Education Cuts Counterproductive to long-term Goals

In this latest so-called league table of universities around the world, Irish institutes have performed comparatively poorly, with only one of the big three making progress in the right direction through the ranking. Arguably Ireland’s most prestigious university, Trinity Collage Dublin registered a sharp fall and has now gone from being just out side the top 50 in the world, placed in position 52 last year, to 65th twelve months later. University Dublin fared even worse in the World University Ranking, now lies in 13th place, some 20 places worse off than it was last year. The only good news, and it was hardly something to write home about, came by way of University College Cork’s modest rise from 184th to 181st place.

University presidents were quick to blame cutbacks for the slippage and have criticised the government and taking funding out the third level education, claiming that this will undermine as a reputation as a very well- educated workforce in the long term and damage the prospects for a meaningful economic recovery over this debt-ridden country.

UCD president Hugh Brady was quick to highlight the futility of Irish Universities’ attempts to compare with their British and American counterparts. Brandy points out that UK universities now charge under graduate students on average €10,000 per annum. In America the cost of university education can be even more excessive. Here in Ireland, third-level education is still free, but there are call for fee to be reintroduced, otherwise this year’ slide down the ranking is likely to be repeated again in 12 months’ time.

Another option open to Irish universities is to gain more of a foothold in the market for attracting foreign student. Tapping deeper into global education market world prove very lucrative and, as funding continues to pulled out of third-level education by the government, this is now seen as crucial for the same in this country. However, the Irish universities’ poor performance in the ranking is a doubled-edge sword; not only is it harming their international reputation, but in doing so, it is also making it more difficult to attract foreign fee-paying students for enrolment in year to come. And yet, without the funding such students provide, Irish universities will continue to plot a down course in the rankings. It is a vicious circle.

Ironically, in making it hard for local universities to complete on the global stage by cutting funding, the government is undermining its own policy agenda, which is to attract double the number of foreign students each year by 2018. The economics of policy are sound; Ireland currently attracts around 26,000 foreign students per annum. Each international student spends an average of €20,000 in fee and expenses, so it is clear to see how doubling the number would provide a massive boost for economy and much-needed funding for the universities themselves.

Moreover, in the long run, as these well educated and highly skilled international students hopefully depart Ireland with appositive impression of the country, they would open up new trading and investment opportunities as they returned to their home to native countries. This is obviously a very sensible government policy, which makes the government’s decision to divert funding away from education all moreshort-sighted and counterproductive.

As for the calls to reintroduce universities fees, these have met the understandable anger from both parents and students’ groups. The students’ Association of Ireland has threatened to organise a huge protest march should it get even the slightest hint that there Is some support in government circles for this proposal. Union president, Michael Carmody, promise to bring the city center to a complete standstill and cause widespread disruption to business and services if the government approve any plans for the reintroduction of fees. ‘We will not take this lying down’, he said.‘Ireland is not a classist society and we are very proud of that. Everyone has equal opportunity to attend third -level courses no matter hoe well-off their parents are or what their backgrounds is. If west allow fees to be reintroduced, university will become the preserve of an elite few; either that or, as is the case in Britain, students will be burdened with huge debts for the rest of their lives. No. We will not stand idly by and let this happen.

Questions 14-18

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

14 The top three Irish Universities
A. all performed very disappointingly in the global university league tables.
B. ranked the same or worse in the year’s World University Ranking than the previous year.
C. in the World University Rankings all are ranked outside of the top 50.
D. in the World University Rankings, from highest to lowest, are Trinity College, University College Cork and University College Dublin.

15 What do those in charge of Irish universities attributes their performance in the ranking to?
A. a build-up in the debt of the country.
B. a slippage in standards of teaching in third-level education.
C. a reduction in amount of third-level funding being made available by the government.
D. Ireland’s poor reputation for education its workforce.

16 Why does Hugh Brady think it is pointless for Irish Universities to try to complete with prestigious British and American ones?
A. People would not be willing pay as much in fee to attend an Irish University as they would British and American one.
B. Not only one Irish university facing funding cuts, but they are not allowed to charge fees, unlike their British and American counterparts.
C. Ireland’s performance in the university ranking has been a big blow to its reputation in the field of third-level education.
D. Fees are going to be reintroduced in Ireland, putting Irish universities under a significant burden of debt.

17 What can Irish universities do to more funding, with the exception of introducing fees?
A. lobby the government and call on it to change its funding policy.
B. attract more fee-paying domestic students.
C. entice more students from abroad to study the course they offer.
D. develop a better understanding of the global education market

18 Why is Ireland’s performance in global ranking is ‘double-edged sword’?

A Because it damages the reputation of Irish university both domestically an internationally

B Because the universities’ damaged reputation abroad also means fewer fee-paying international students will be prepare d to enroll, making their finical situation even worse.

C Because Irish universities cannot attract foreign investment in their facilities if their reputation Is undermined by their poor performance in the global rankings.

D Because the Irish students will look to be educated abroad at more reputable universities as fee-paying foreign students it their own third-level institutes are inadequate.

Question 19-22

Do the following statement agree with the information in Reading Passage 1? Write your answer.

YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in this passage

19 The government’s decision to cutfunding to universities is going to prove counter productive to its own goals.

20 The government’s targets of attracting an average of more than 50,000 foreign students each year by 2018 is an unsound policy.

21 Despite the fact that parents and children are unhappy about it, the call for student fees to be reintroduced is to be welcomed.

22 The protest march, were it to go ahead, would attract a large number of participants, such is the anger among students.

Question 23-26

Complete each sentence with the correct ending. A-F, below

23 Michael Carmody, head of the students’ union, is
24 The head of the Students, union
25 According to Michael Carmody,
26 Michael Carmody’s anger is

A cautiously optimistic about the effect a reintroduction of fees would have.

B believes Ireland’s system, unlike the UK’s, burden student with too much debt.

C believes Ireland had a system of third-level education which is at present, not elitist.

D were Ireland to introduce student fees, either students from poor families would be debt- burdened or they would be prevented from getting a third-level education at all.

E a refraction of frustration felt by parents an students’ group generally at the prospect of a reintroduction of fees.

F determined to react strongly in the face of any moves to reintroduced students’ fees.