Marketing Advice for New Businesses and Working Time Regulations – IELTS Reading Answer

The Reading Module of the IELTS can be the top-scoring category with diligent practice. To achieve the best results in this section, you must understand how to approach and answer the different Question types in the Reading Module.

By solving and reviewing Sample Reading Questions from past IELTS papers, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark.

The General passages, Marketing Advice for New Businesses & Working Time Regulations, are part of an IELTS General reading test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. This page contains – Marketing Advice for New Businesses & Working Time Regulations IELTS reading answers and its passage for you to practice.

The question types found in these passages are:

• Short Answer Type Question (Q. 15-20)
• Sentence Completion (Q. 21-27)

Reading Passage

Marketing Advice for New Businesses

If you’re setting up your own business, here’s some advice on getting customers.

Know where your customers look

Your customers aren’t necessarily where you think they are. So if you’re advertising where they’re just not looking, it’s wasted money. That’s why it pays to do a bit of research. Every time someone contacts your company, ask them where they found out about you. And act on this information so you’re advertising in the right places.

Always think like a customer

What makes your customers tick? Find out, and you’re halfway to saying the right things in your advertising. So take the time to ask them. A simple phone or email survey of your own customers, politely asking why they use you, what they really like and what they don’t, is invaluable.

Make sure customers know you’re there

If a customer can’t see you, they can’t buy from you. There are loads of opportunities to promote your business — print, press, direct mail, telemarketing, email and the internet — and using a mix of these increases your chances of being seen (and remembered).

Ignore your customers and they’ll go away

It sounds obvious, but companies that talk to their customers have much better retention rates than those that don’t, so it’s worth staying in touch. Capture your customers’ email addresses upfront. Follow up a transaction to check they’re happy with the service and, if possible, send them updates that are helpful, informative and relevant.

Know what works (and what doesn’t)

Do what the professionals do, and measure all your advertising. That’ll tell you what you’re doing right – and where there’s room for improvement. You never know, it might just throw up some information that could change your business for the better.

Remember word-of-mouth: the best advertising there is

A recent survey found that consumers are 50% more likely to be influenced by word-of-mouth recommendations than by TV or radio ads. So your reputation is your greatest asset. If your current customers are impressed with your company, they’ll be more inclined to recommend you to others. On the flip side, if they experience bad service they probably won’t complain to you – but you can be sure they will to their friends.

Questions 15-20

15 Some ………………………… will help you to discover the most effective places to advertise.

16 A ………………………… of your customers will show you how they feel about your company.

17 A ………………………… of forms of advertising will make it more likely that potential customers will find out about you.

18 lf you can, provide customers with useful ………………………… about your business.

19 Measuring the effects of your advertising can give you ………………………… that will improve your business.

20 Success in finding new customers largely depends on your ………………………… .

Working Time Regulations for Mobile Workers

These rules apply to drivers and crew of heavy goods vehicles or public service vehicles. The rules limit the amount of time that can be worked. Those defined in the Regulations as being self-employed are currently not covered by the Regulations.

What are the limits?

• An average of 48 hours’ work per week.
• In any single week up to 60 hours can be worked so long as the 48-hour average is maintained.
• Night work is limited to 10 hours per night, unless there is a workforce agreement to work longer.
• Statutory annual leave and any sick leave and/or maternity/paternity leave counts as working time.

What counts as work?

In general, any activity performed in connection with the transport operation counts as work, for example, driving, loading/unloading and those checks that are the responsibility of drivers, such as checking lights, brakes, etc. There are a number of periods of time that do not count as work, for example, travelling between home and your normal place of work, lunch or other breaks and periods of availability.

Periods of availability are periods of time during which the mobile worker is not required to remain at their workstation but is required to be available for work, the foreseeable duration of which is known about in advance, for example:

• Delays at a distribution centre.
• Reporting for work then being informed that no duties are to be undertaken for a specified period.
• Accompanying a vehicle being transported, for example by train.

A period of availability can be taken at the workstation. Providing the worker has a reasonable amount of freedom (e.g. they can read and relax) for a known duration, this could satisfy the requirements of a period of availability.

Situations when a period of time should not be recorded as a period of availability:

• Hold-ups due to congestion, because the driver would be stopping and starting the vehicle.
• Frequently moving up within a queue (e.g. waiting within a queue to load or unload) every other minute.

Questions 21-27

Working Time Regulations for Mobile Workers

These apply to people working on lorries, buses, etc.

They don’t apply to 21 …………………….…… workers.

Maximum working hours: 60 hours a week, provided the 22 …………………….…… is no more than 48 hours.

Night work can be more than 10 hours with the 23 …………………….…… of the workers.

Work includes driving, loading and unloading, and carrying out various 24 …………………….…… of the vehicle.

Periods of availability include:

going on a 25 …………………….…… or other form of transport with a vehicle

a period at the workstation when the driver has some 26 …………………….…… might count as a period of availability

Periods of availability exclude:

time spent stopping and starting the vehicle when 27 …………………….…… causes delays being in a queue, e.g. in order to load or unload.

Marketing Advice for New Businesses & Working Time Regulations Reading Answers With Explanation

Read further for the explanation part of the reading answers.

15 Answer: Research

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, line 2-line 3

Answer explanation: In the given location, it is given that “So if you’re advertising where they’re just not looking, it’s wasted money. That’s why it pays to do a bit of research.”. This means that one needs to do some research in order to help people discover the most effective places to advertise. Hence, the answer is ‘research’.

16 Answer: Survey

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 4

Answer explanation: In the mentioned line, it is given that “A simple phone or email survey of your own customers, politely asking why they use you, what they really like and what they don’t, is invaluable.”. This shows that a survey of the customers will help the business to understand how they feel about the company and so these surveys are invaluable. Hence, the answer is ‘survey’.

17 Answer: mix

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 3, line 2

Answer explanation: In the cited location, it is stated that “There are loads of opportunities to promote your business — print, press, direct mail, telemarketing, email and the internet — and using a mix of these increases your chances of being seen (and remembered).”. It can be concluded that a mix of forms of advertising, like print, press, direct mail, telemarketing, email and the internet, will help potential customers to find out about the business. Hence, the answer is ‘mix’.

18 Answer: updates

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 4, line 3

Answer explanation: In the fourth paragraph, it is specified that “…if possible, send them updates that are helpful, informative and relevant.”. In other words, sending useful updates and information about the business will prove to be beneficial. Hence, the answer is ‘updates’.

19 Answer: information

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 5, line 1 & line 3

Answer explanation: In the mentioned paragraph, it is stated “Do what the professionals do, and measure all your advertising. …it might just throw up some information that could change your business for the better.”. It can be pointed out that measuring the effects of advertising, like most professionals, can give information that will improve the business. Hence, the answer is ‘information’.

20 Answer: Reputation

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 6, line 1-line 2

Answer explanation: Through reference lines like, “A recent survey found that consumers are 50% more likely to be influenced by word-of-mouth recommendations than by TV or radio ads. So your reputation is your greatest asset.”, it can be concluded that success in finding new customers largely depends on the reputation of the company as most people believe in the recommendations made by TV or radio ads. Hence, the answer is ‘reputation’.

21 Answer: self-employed

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, line 3

Answer explanation: In the cited line, it is stated that “Those defined in the Regulations as being self-employed are currently not covered by the Regulations.”.  Based on this reference, it can be concluded that the working time regulations do not apply to self-employed people. Hence, the answer is ‘self-employed’.

22 Answer: Average

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Section 2, point 1

Answer explanation: In the quoted line, it is stated that “An average of 48 hours’ work per week.”. This statement indicates that the maximum work duration is 60 hours a week, with an average of 48 hours, which should not be exceeded. Hence, the answer is ‘average’.

23 Answer: agreement

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Section 1, point 3

Answer explanation: The mentioned portion specifies that “Night work is limited to 10 hours per night, unless there is a workforce agreement to work longer.”. It is indicated that the duration for working at night can be more than 10 hours but with the agreement of the workers. Hence, the answer is ‘agreement’.

24 Answer: checks

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 1

Answer explanation: In Paragraph 2, it is mentioned that “In general, any activity performed in connection with the transport operation counts as work, for example, driving, loading/unloading and those checks that are the responsibility of drivers, such as checking lights, brakes, etc.”. It means that any activity, like driving, loading and unloading, and carrying out various checks of the vehicle is included under work. Hence, the answer is ‘checks’.

25 Answer: train

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 3, point 3

Answer explanation: In the specified section, it is noted that “Accompanying a vehicle being transported, for example by train.”. Based on the reference, it can be concluded that going on a train or other form of transport with a vehicle is considered under periods of availability. Hence, the answer is ‘train’.

26 Answer: Freedom

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 4

Answer explanation: In the indicated paragraph, it is reported that “A period of availability can be taken at the workstation. Providing the worker has a reasonable amount of freedom (e.g. they can read and relax) for a known duration, this could satisfy the requirements of a period of availability.”. It can be inferred that a period at the workstation when the driver has some freedom is included as a period of availability. Hence, the answer is ‘freedom’.

27 Answer: congestion

Question type: Notes Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 5, point 1

Answer explanation: In the quoted line, it is given “Hold-ups due to congestion, because the driver would be stopping and starting the vehicle.”. It can be deduced that delays due to congestion while starting and stopping the vehicle is not considered as a period of availability. Hence, the answer is ‘congestion’.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in the above Reading Passages

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the “Marketing Advice for New Businesses & Working Time Regulations,” IELTS Reading Answers passages

Sentence/Summary Completion:

Sentence/Summary Completion is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to fill in a gap in a sentence/summary with a word or phrase from the passage.

To answer sentence completion questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the sentence carefully: This will give you an idea of the type of word or phrase that is missing.
• Scan the passage for the keywords: The keywords in the sentence can help you to identify the correct word or phrase.
• Read the sentence with the missing word or phrase: This will help you to see how the word or phrase fits into the sentence.
• Check your answer: Once you have filled in the gap, make sure that your answer makes sense in the context of the sentence.

Short Answers

IELTS reading short answer questions consist of open-ended questions which will require you to answer within 1 to 3 words based on the reading passage.

• Read the questions first, then the text. It’s important that you understand what is being asked in the questions before looking at the text. You will then know the main ideas to look out for as you skim-read.
• The answers will be in order in the text. So, once you’ve found the answer to question 1, you’ll know that the answer to question 2 will come soon after, and so on.
• Don’t go over the word limit stated for your answers, for example, ‘NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.’
• Use only the actual words from the text for your answer. You may need to change the tense of any verbs you use to ensure your answer is grammatically correct.
• Most questions will contain synonyms or paraphrasing of the text, that is, the meaning will be the same but the wording slightly different.

Great work on attempting to solve the reading passage! To crack IELTS Reading in the first go, Try solving more of the recent IELTS reading passages here.

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