Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals – IELTS Reading Answers

The Reading section of the IELTS exam can be your highest-scoring section, but only if you practise diligently. To get the best results, you need to understand how to approach and answer the different types of questions. One of the best ways to prepare is to solve and review sample reading questions from past IELTS papers. This will help you get familiar with the different question formats and test your reading skills.

The Academic passage, ‘Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals’, is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on a passage. Let’s see how easy this passage is for you and if you’re able to make it in 20 minutes. If not, try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals is a part of an IELTS Academic reading test. The question types found in this passage are as follows:

• Multiple Choice Question (Q. 1-5)
• Yes/ No/ Not Given (Q. 6 – 9)
• Matching Sentence Endings (10 – 13)

Reading Passage

Education Cuts Counter Productive 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 College Dublin registered a sharp fall and has now gone from being just outside 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 its 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 undergraduate 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 calls for fees 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 students. Tapping deeper into the global education market world proves very lucrative and, as funding continues to be 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 double-edged 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 years 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 compete 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 fees and expenses, so it is clear to see how doubling the number would provide a massive boost for the 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 an 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 more short-sighted and counterproductive.

As for the calls to reintroduce university fees, these have met 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, promised to bring the city centre to a complete standstill and cause widespread disruption to business and services if the government approved 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 how well-off their parents are or what their backgrounds are. If the west allows fees to be reintroduced, universities 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 1 – 5

1 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.

2 What do those in charge of Irish universities attribute 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 the amount of third-level funding being made available by the government.
D Ireland’s poor reputation for educating its workforce.

3 Why does Hugh Brady think it is pointless for Irish Universities to try to compete with prestigious British and American ones?

A People would not be willing to 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.

4 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

5 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 prepared 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 6 – 9

6 The government’s decision to cut funding to universities is going to prove counterproductive to its own goals.

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

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

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

Question 10 – 13

10 Michael Carmody, head of the students’ union, is

11 The head of the Students, union

12 According to Michael Carmody,

13 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.

Check Out – Best IELTS Reading Books 2023

Answers to Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals Reading Answer with Location and Explanations 

1 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 1, lines 3-4

Answer explanation: The initial passage emphasizes that Trinity College Dublin experienced a significant decline, slipping from its previous position just outside the top 50 to 65th place in the world within a year. Similarly, University Dublin’s performance in the World University Rankings worsened, now standing at 13th place, a drop of 20 places from the previous year. These details suggest that the top three Irish Universities in the World University Rankings are positioned beyond the top 50, leading to the conclusion that option C is the correct answer.

2 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 1

Answer explanation: The 2nd paragraph states, “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.” It is clear that the authorities responsible for Irish universities link their ranking performance to a decrease in the availability of third-level funding from the government. Consequently, the answer is C.

3 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 4

Answer explanation: In the 4th line of 2nd paragraph, it is mentioned that 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. These statements suggest that Hugh Brady believes it is pointless for Irish Universities to strive to rival esteemed British and American institutions because not only are Irish universities experiencing funding cuts, but they are also not permitted to charge fees, in contrast to their British and American counterparts. Therefore, the answer is B.

4 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple choice questions

Answer location: Paragraph 3, lines 1-2

Answer explanation: In the 3rd paragraph, it is mentioned that another option open to Irish universities is to gain more of a foothold in the market for attracting foreign student. This implies that these institutions can attract a larger number of students from overseas to enroll in their courses, thereby generating additional funding, all without introducing fees. Therefore, the answer is C.

5 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple choice questions

Answer location: Paragraph 3, line 4

Answer explanation: In the fourth line of the third paragraph, it is noted that, “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. “ From this, we can infer that Ireland’s position in global rankings acts as a ‘double-edged sword’ since the universities’ tarnished reputation abroad also results in fewer international students willing to enroll, exacerbating their financial situation. Therefore, the answer is B.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in the Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals IELTS Reading Passage 

Now that you know the Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals reading answers with its explanation, let us check out some quick tips to answer the 3 question types in the Education Cuts Counter Productive to Long Term Goals IELTS reading answers.

Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are a common question type in the IELTS Reading test. They assess your ability to understand specific details, main ideas, and implied meanings from a variety of written passages. To answer MCQs effectively, follow these steps:

• Identify the key words in the first question.
• Begin reading the text from the start, actively searching for information that pertains to the question.
• Once you locate the key words or their synonyms in the text, look for the answer in the surrounding area.
• After identifying the answer, read the subsequent few lines of the text to verify its accuracy. Also, reread the question.
• Repeat this strategy for the remaining questions, starting from where you left off in the text.

Yes/No/Not Given

Yes/No/Not Given questions are a type of question in the IELTS Reading test that assesses your ability to distinguish between the writer’s claims and opinions, as well as identify information that is not explicitly stated in the passage. To answer these questions effectively, follow these steps:

• Understand the question: Carefully read the statement and identify the key elements it conveys.
• Locate relevant information: Scan the passage for the section that relates to the statement. Pay attention to synonyms and paraphrases of the keywords.
• Analyze the information: Read the relevant section thoroughly to understand the context and details.
• Compare the statement and passage: Determine whether the statement aligns with the writer’s claims or opinions.
• Distinguish facts from opinions: Identify whether the statement is addressing a factual claim or the writer’s opinion.
• Consider the context: Evaluate the statement within the broader context of the passage.

Matching Sentence Endings

Matching Sentence Endings is a question type in the IELTS Reading test that assesses your ability to connect incomplete sentences with their appropriate endings based on the information provided in the passage. To answer these questions effectively, follow these steps:

• Analyze the incomplete sentences: Read each incomplete sentence carefully and identify the key points it conveys.
• Scan for relevant information: Skim through the passage, searching for sections that relate to the incomplete sentences.
• Read relevant sections thoroughly: Once you’ve located relevant sections, read them carefully to understand the context and details.
• Match sentence endings: Based on the information in the passage, match each incomplete sentence with the ending that logically completes it.
• Verify grammar and meaning: Ensure that the completed sentence is grammatically correct and makes sense in the context of the passage.

Additional IELTS Reading Topics

Here are some of the latest IELTS Reading topics which are more popular and also these topics have recently appeared in the IELTS exam.

• A Workaholic Economy Reading Answers
• The Little Ice Age Reading Answers
• What’s So Funny Reading Answers
• The Scientific Method Reading Answers
• Numeration Reading Answers
• Delivering The Goods Reading Answers