Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory - IELTS Reading Answers

Nehasri Ravishenbagam

13 min read

Updated On Jan 12, 2026

Ace your IELTS Reading test by practicing the ‘Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Answers’ with explanations and strategies. Also, learn to deal with different IELTS reading questions with the tips here and refine your reading strategy.

Passage for Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Answers
Questions for Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory Reading Answers
Answers and Explanations of Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Passage
How to Answer the Question Types in the Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory Reading Passage?

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It is easier to review mistakes when you’re dealing with just one passage, like ‘Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Answers’. Single-passage practice strengthens long-term learning by allowing you to compare questions with text, examine why an answer was incorrect, and comprehend how IELTS passages paraphrase information.

So, take the passage, Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory, below, and try more IELTS reading practice tests. We have provided explanations and tips for the answers to help you handle the three different types of reading questions here.

Passage for Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Answers

Go through the IELTS Academic Reading passage for ‘Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory’ Reading Answers from IELTS Cambridge 9 Test 2 given below.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.

Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory/Children with Auditory Problems

A Hearing impairment or other auditory function deficit in young children can have a major impact on their development of speech and communication, resulting in a detrimental effect on their ability to learn at school. This is likely to have major consequences for the individual and the population. The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss.

B A preliminary study in New Zealand has shown that classroom noise presents a major concern for teachers and pupils. Modern teaching practices, the organisation of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as air-conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teacher's voice. Education researchers Nelson and Soli have also suggested that recent trends in learning often involve collaborative interaction of multiple minds and tools as much as individual possession of information. This all amounts to heightened activity and noise levels, which have the potential to be particularly serious for children experiencing auditory function deficit. Noise in classrooms can only exacerbate their difficulty in comprehending and processing verbal communication with other children and instructions from the teacher.

C Children with auditory function deficit are potentially failing to learn to their maximum potential because of noise levels generated in classrooms. The effects of noise on the ability of children to learn effectively in typical classroom environments are now the subject of increasing concern. The International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE), on the advice of the World Health Organization, has established an international working party, which includes New Zealand, to evaluate noise and reverberation control for school rooms.

D While the detrimental effects of noise in classroom situations are not limited to children experiencing disability, those with a disability that affects their processing of speech and verbal communication could be extremely vulnerable. The auditory function deficits in question include hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD).

E Autism is considered a neurological and genetic life-long disorder that causes discrepancies in the way information is processed. This disorder is characterised by interlinking problems with social imagination, social communication and social interaction. According to Janzen, this affects the ability to understand and relate in typical ways to people, understand events and objects in the environment, and understand or respond to sensory stimuli. Autism does not allow learning or thinking in the same ways as in children who are developing normally.

Autistic spectrum disorders often result in major difficulties in comprehending verbal information and speech processing. Those experiencing these disorders often find sounds such as crowd noise and the noise generated by machinery painful and distressing. This is difficult to scientifically quantify as such extra-sensory stimuli vary greatly from one autistic individual to another. But a child who finds any type of noise in their classroom or learning space intrusive is likely to be adversely affected in their ability to process information.

F The attention deficit disorders are indicative of neurological and genetic disorders and are characterised by difficulties with sustaining attention, effort and persistence, organisation skills and disinhibition. Children experiencing these disorders find it difficult to screen out unimportant information, and focus on everything in the environment rather than attending to a single activity. Background noise in the classroom becomes a major distraction, which can affect their ability to concentrate.

G Children experiencing an auditory function deficit can often find speech and communication very difficult to isolate and process when set against high levels of background noise.

These levels come from outside activities that penetrate the classroom structure, from teaching activities, and other noise generated inside, which can be exacerbated by room reverberation. Strategies are needed to obtain the optimum classroom construction and perhaps a change in classroom culture and methods of teaching. In particular, the effects of noisy classrooms and activities on those experiencing disabilities in the form of auditory function deficit need thorough investigation. It is probable that many undiagnosed children exist in the education system with 'invisible' disabilities. Their needs are less likely to be met than those of children with known disabilities.

H The New Zealand Government has developed a New Zealand Disability Strategy and has embarked on a wide-ranging consultation process. The strategy recognises that people experiencing disability face significant barriers in achieving a full quality of life in areas such as attitude, education, employment and access to services. Objective 3 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is to 'Provide the Best Education for Disabled People' by improving education so that all children, youth learners and adult learners will have equal opportunities to learn and develop within their already existing local school. For a successful education, the learning environment is vitally significant, so any effort to improve this is likely to be of great benefit to all children, but especially to those with auditory function disabilities.

I A number of countries are already in the process of formulating their own standards for the control and reduction of classroom noise. New Zealand will probably follow their example. The literature to date on noise in school rooms appears to focus on the effects on schoolchildren in general, their teachers and the hearing impaired. Only limited attention appears to have been given to those students experiencing the other disabilities involving auditory function deficit. It is imperative that the needs of these children are taken into account in the setting of appropriate international standards to be promulgated in future.

Questions for Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory Reading Answers

The IELTS Academic passage, Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory Reading Answers, consists of 13 questions, which showcase three different IELTS Reading question types. They are:

IELTS Reading Matching Information (Q. 1-6)
IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions (Q. 7-10)
IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions (Q. 11-12) & (Q. 13)

Questions 1-6

The Reading Passage has nine sections, A-I.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

1 an account of a national policy initiative

2 a description of a global team effort

3 a hypothesis as to one reason behind the growth in classroom noise

4 a demand for suitable worldwide regulations

5 a list of medical conditions which place some children more at risk from noise than others

6 the estimated proportion of children in New Zealand with auditory problems

Questions 7-10

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet.

7 For what period of time has hearing loss in schoolchildren been studied in New Zealand?

8 In addition to machinery noise, what other type of noise can upset children with autism?

9 What term is used to describe the hearing problems of schoolchildren which have not been diagnosed?

10 What part of the New Zealand Disability Strategy aims to give schoolchildren equal opportunity?

Questions 11-12

Choose TWO letters, A-F.

Write the correct letters in boxes 11-12 on your answer sheet.

The list below includes factors contributing to classroom noise.

Which TWO are mentioned by the writer of the passage?

A current teaching methods

B echoing corridors

C cooling systems

D large class sizes

E loud-voiced teachers

F playground games

11…………..

12…………..

Question 13

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

Write the correct letter in box 13 on your answer sheet.

What is the writer’s overall purpose in writing this article?

A to compare different methods of dealing with auditory problems

B to provide solutions for overly noisy learning environments

C to increase awareness of the situation of children with auditory problems

D to promote New Zealand as a model for other countries to follow

13…………..

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Answers and Explanations of Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Passage

Check out the ‘Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory' answers and assess your improvement for a high IELTS band score. This section will help you review the answers given, along with the key terms that are important for finding the answers.

Unlock Explanations

Question number	Answer	Explanation
1	H	According to paragraph H, “The New Zealand Government has developed a New Zealand Disability Strategy and has embarked on a wide-ranging consultation process.” The lines above indicate that the New Zealand government has launched a new project known as New Zealand Disability Policy. Strategy is often referred to as policy. As a result, the correct answer is ‘H.’
2	C	In paragraph C the description of the global team effort can be viewed through the lines “The International Institute Of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE), on the advice of the World Health Organisation, has established an international working party” The fact that the party is organised on an international level, or in other words, we can say globally, implies a global team effort. Hence, the correct answer is ‘C.’
3	B	Paragraph B states that “education researchers Nelson and Soli have also suggested that recent trends in learning often involve collaborative interaction of multiple minds and tools as much as individual possession of information.” Since the above lines show that the researchers’ view on the increase of classroom noise is only a suggestion, it suggests that there is no strong evidence to back up their assertion, making it a hypothesis. As a result, the correct response is ‘B.’
4	I	The last lines of paragraph I indicate that only limited attention appears to have been given to those students experiencing the other disabilities involving auditory function deficit. It is imperative that the needs of these children are taken into account in the setting of appropriate international standards to be promulgated in the future. The lines mentioned above denote that very little attention has been given to students with disabilities, and hence, there is a demand for appropriate international(worldwide) regulations. As a result, the correct answer is ‘I.’
5	D	In Paragraph D, there’s a line that mentions that “while the detrimental effects of noise in classroom situations are not limited to children experiencing disability, those with a disability that affects their processing of speech and verbal communication could be extremely vulnerable. The auditory functions in question include hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD).” The lines from paragraph D indicate that certain children with medical conditions such as ASD and ADD/ADHD are more affected by classroom noise than others. Hence, the correct answer is ‘D.’
6	A	According to Paragraph A “the New Zealand Ministry has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss.” As a result, the estimated proportion of children in New Zealand is 6 to 10%. Hence, the correct answer is ‘A’.
7	Two decades	In Paragraph A there’s a line which states that “The New Zealand Ministry has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss.” From the line mentioned above, we can infer that researchers took 20 years of time to study hearing loss in schoolchildren, which is two decades. Hence, the correct answer is ‘two decades.’
8	Crowd (noise)	Paragraph E mentions that “autistic spectrum disorders often result in major difficulties in comprehending verbal information and speech processing. Those experiencing these disorders often find sounds such as crowd noise and noise generated by machinery painful and distressing.” Since it is explicitly mentioned in the lines mentioned earlier that apart from machinery noise, children with autistic disorder find crowd noise troublesome. Hence, the correct answer is ‘crowd (noise).’
9	Invisible (disabilities/disability)	As per Paragraph G, “It is probable that many undiagnosed children exist in the education system with ‘invisible’ disabilities.” The words ‘undiagnosed children ‘exist in the education system with ‘invisible’ disabilities’ imply that many children who do not get diagnosed with the hearing problem but still suffer from it are referred to as students with ‘invisible’ disabilities. Hence, the correct answer is ‘invisible (disabilities/disability).’
10	Objective 3	As per Paragraph H, “Objective 3 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is to ‘provide the best education for disabled people’ by improving education so that all children, youth learners and adult learners will have equal opportunities to learn and develop within their already existing local school”. The lines mentioned above signify that Objective 3 of New Zealand’s policy strives to provide equitable learning opportunities to all students. Hence, the correct answer is ‘objective 3’.
11	A	According to Paragraph B, “a preliminary study in New Zealand has shown that classroom noise presents a major concern for teachers and pupils. Modern teaching practices, the organisation of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teacher’s voice.” From the ‘modern teaching practices’ and ‘contribute’, we can infer that the Modern teaching practices or, in other words, the current teaching method contributes to classroom noise. Hence, the correct answer is ‘A’.
12	C	The third line of Paragraph B states that “a preliminary study in New Zealand has shown that classroom noise presents a major concern for teachers and pupils. Modern teaching practices, the organisation of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teacher’s voice.” We can deduce from the terms mentioned above that children are unable to understand the teacher’s voice due to conditioning units, which can also be referred to as a cooling system. Hence, the correct answer is ‘C.’
13	C	The first line of passage A clearly mentions that the author will discuss the hearing impairment or other auditory function deficit in young children which can have a major impact on their development of speech and communication, resulting in a detrimental effect on their ability to learn at school. So, overall the author’s motive is to increase awareness of the situation of the children with auditory problems. Hence, the correct answer is ‘C’.

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How to Answer the Question Types in the Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory Reading Passage?

Given below are some IELTS exam preparation tips for band score of 8+ by helping you answer the types of questions in the ‘Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory’ Reading Answers.

Matching Information

Focus on the type of information, not topic words: These questions test whether a paragraph contains a policy, hypothesis, statistic, or appeal, so identify the information category before scanning.
Scan for signal language typical of each category: Words like ‘initiative’, ‘strategy’, ‘objective’ suggest policy; ‘suggested’, ‘may be due to’ indicate a hypothesis; ‘imperative’, ‘must point’ to demands or calls for action.
Ignore repeated themes and look for uniqueness: If several sections discuss noise, select the one that uniquely mentions the specific requirement in the question (e.g. percentages, international regulation).
Pay attention to introductory and concluding paragraphs: National data and prevalence figures often appear early (Paragraph A), while global recommendations and regulations usually appear at the end (Paragraph I).
Match ideas, not exact wording: For example, ‘worldwide regulations’ may be paraphrased as ‘international standards’ in the passage.

Short Answer Type Questions

Locate the paragraph first using keywords from the question: Names, locations (e.g. New Zealand), or policy titles help you quickly identify where the answer is found.
Lift the answer directly from the passage: Do not paraphrase; copy the exact word(s) or number used in the text.
Check word limits before writing: Even correct answers lose marks if they exceed two words or include unnecessary articles.
Be precise with time expressions and labels: Phrases like ‘two decades’ or ‘Objective 3’ must be written exactly as stated.
Avoid adding explanatory words: If the passage says ‘invisible disabilities’, writing ‘invisible hearing disabilities’ would be incorrect.

Multiple-Choice Questions

Read the question stem carefully before the options: Only select factors explicitly stated as contributing to classroom noise in the passage.
Locate the list-style sentence in the paragraph: Answers usually come from a sentence that lists several contributing causes separated by commas.
Eliminate options not mentioned verbatim or by clear synonym: If a factor is logical but not stated (e.g. playground games), it must be rejected.
Avoid options that are too narrow: If an option focuses on one country or one solution, check whether the passage has a broader awareness-raising aim.

To conclude, reading passages, such as Hearing Impairment or Other Auditory IELTS Reading Answers, and IELTS Reading recent actual tests are crucial. Practicing them with different effective reading techniques will help you read faster, identify your weak points, excel in comprehension questions, and prepare for your desired reading band score.

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