The Meaning of Volunteering – IELTS Reading Answers

The passage The Meaning of Volunteering is a valuable IELTS General Training Reading text that tests a variety of skills. It includes question types such as sentence completion, multiple choice, and matching information, which assess your ability to locate specific details, understand the main ideas, and interpret practical content. This guide provides complete answers, keyword locations, and effective strategies for each question type, helping you approach the passage confidently and maximize your score.

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The Meaning of Volunteering IELTS Reading Passage

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

A Volunteering, as some people consider mistakenly, is a plethora of people from all walks of life as well as activities, but data from the other side of the world suggest otherwise. For example, a survey on who participated in volunteering by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom (UK) showed that people in higher income households are more likely than others to volunteer. In England and Wales, 57% of adults with gross annual household incomes of £75.000 or more, have volunteered formally In the 12 months prior to the survey date. They were almost twice more likely to have done so than those living in households with an annual income under £10.000.

B As well as having high household incomes, volunteers also tend to have higher academic qualifications, be in higher socio-economic groups and be in employment. Among people with a degree or postgraduate qualification, 79 per cent had volunteered informally and 57 per cent had volunteered formally in the previous 12 months. For people with no qualifications the corresponding proportions were 52 per cent and 23 per cent at all. However, voluntary work is certainly not the exclusive preserve of the rich. Does the answer not lie perhaps in the fact that the rich tend to have money to allow them the time to become involved in voluntary work compared to less well-off people?

C A breakdown in the year 2000 of the range of volunteering activities taken from The Australia Bureau of Statistics gives an idea of the scale of activities in which people are typically involved. Eleven sectors are given ranging from Community and Welfare, which accounted for just over a quarter of the total hours volunteered in Australia, to Law/ justice/ politics with 1.2 percent at the other and of the scale. Other fields included sport/ recreation, religious activities and education, following at 21/1 per cent, 16.9 and 14.3 percent of the total hours. The data here also seem to point to a cohort of volunteers with expertise and experience.

D The knock-on effect of volunteering on the lives of individuals can be profound. Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world; and, hence, equips them for the future.

E Initially, young adults in their late teens might not seem to have the expertise or knowledge to impart to others that say a teacher or agriculturalist or nurse would have, but they do have many skills that can help others. And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit of their fellow human beings, and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community no matter how many volunteers are involved is immeasurable.

F Employers will generally look favorably on people who have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee. So to satisfy employers’ demands for experience when applying for work, volunteering can act as a means of gaining experience that might otherwise elude would-be workers and can ultimately lead to paid employment and the desired field.

G But what are the prerequisites for becoming a volunteer? One might immediately think of attributes like kindness, selflessness, strength of character, ability to deal with others, determination, adaptability and flexibility and a capacity to comprehend the ways of other people. While offering oneself selflessly, working as a volunteer makes further demands on the individual. It requires a strength of will, a sense of moral responsibility for one’s fellow human beings, and an ability to fit into the ethos of an organization. But it also requires something which in no way detracts from valuable work done by volunteers and which may seem at first glance both contradictory and surprising: self interest.

H Organizations involved in any voluntary work have to be realistic about this. If someone, whatever the age is going to volunteer and devote their time without money, they do need to receive something from it for themselves. People who are unemployed can use volunteer work as a stepping-stone to employment or as a means of finding out whether they really like the field the plan to enter or as a way to help them find themselves.

I It is tempting to use some form of community work as an alternative to national service or as punishment for petty criminals by making the latter for example clean up parks, wash away graffiti, work with victims of their own or other people. Thus may be acceptable, but it does not constitute volunteer work, two cardinal rules of which are the willingness to volunteer without coercion and working unpaid.

The Meaning of Volunteering IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1-6

1  a description of what does not satisfy the criteria for volunteer work

2 the impact of voluntary work on the development of individuals

3 the requirement for both selflessness and self-interest in volunteers

4 various areas in which people volunteer

5  the benefit of voluntary work for the young

6 a mistaken view of volunteering

Questions 7-10

7 The ONS survey was done to find out

A why people undertook volunteering.

B how many people participated in volunteering.

C how many rich people did volunteer work.

D which people were involved in volunteering.

8 The ONS survey found that people with university qualification were

A as likely to volunteer as those with no qualifications.

B more likely to volunteer than those with no qualifications.

C less likely to volunteer than those with no qualifications.

D the only group likely to do formal volunteer work.

9 It is suggested that rich people volunteer as a result of having

A clearer goals.

B fewer children.

C more spare time.

D greater guilt.

10 Volunteer work benefits people by teaching them how to

A function in system.

B communicate clearly.

C deal with failure.

D overcome shyness.

Questions 11-13

11 One of the requirements of being a volunteer is being able to

12 Volunteering can be used as a way for the unemployed to

13 Employers in general tend to

A consider workers with volunteer work experience as asset.

B gain a very well paid job.

C gain access to a job in a field of interest.

D benefit most from volunteer work.

E understand how people behave.

F want much younger workers.

The Meaning of Volunteering IELTS Reading Answers With Explanation

Let’s now review the answers to the questions from the passage in the reading section, The Meaning of Volunteering IELTS Reading Answers, and assess your improvement for a high IELTS Reading band score.

1 Answer: I

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph I , line 1 – line 4

Answer explanation: The mentioned lines from Paragraph I says that “It is tempting to use some form of community work as an alternative to national service or as punishment for petty criminals by making the latter for example clean up parks, wash away graffiti, work with victims of their own or other people.Thus may be acceptable, but it does not constitute volunteer work, two cardinal rules of which are the willingness to volunteer without coercion and working unpaid.” So, a description of what does not satisfy the criteria for volunteer work, which is one should do the work willingly and will be unpaid, is given in this paragraph. Hence the answer is I.

2 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1 – line 4

Answer explanation: The specified lines from Paragraph D says that “Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world; and, hence, equips them for the future.” So, this paragraph tells that the impact of voluntary work on the development of individuals is that it fosters independence, makes one capable to deal with various situations and brings people in touch with reality. Hence the answer is D.

3 Answer: G

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 4 – line 8

Answer explanation: The quoted lines from Paragraph G says that “While offering oneself selflessly, working as a volunteer makes further demands on the individual. It requires a strength of will, a sense of moral responsibility for one’s fellow human beings, and an ability to fit into the ethos of an organization. But it also requires something which in no way detracts from valuable work done by volunteers and which may seem at first glance both contradictory and surprising: self interest.” These sentences point out that there is a need for both selflessness and self-interest in volunteers. Hence the answer is G.

4 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 3 – line 6

Answer explanation: The given lines from Paragraph C says that “Eleven sectors are given ranging from Community and Welfare, which accounted for just over a quarter of the total hours volunteered in Australia, to Law/ justice/ politics with 1.2 percent at the other and of the scale. Other fields included sport/ recreation, religious activities and education, following at 21/1 per cent, 16.9 and 14.3 percent of the total hours.” As Paragraph C discusses various areas in which people volunteer like community and welfare, sport/recreation, etc, the answer is C.

5 Answer: E

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The mentioned lines from Paragraph E states that “And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit of their fellow human beings, and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community no matter how many volunteers are involved is immeasurable.” So the benefit of voluntary work for the young is that they are energetic and enthusiastic. Hence the answer is E.

6 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 1 – line 2

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph A says that “Volunteering, as some people consider mistakenly, is a plethora of people from all walks of life as well as activities, but data from the other side of the world suggest otherwise.” So a mistaken view of volunteering that is explained in this paragraph is that it involves people from different sections of life and activities. Hence the answer is A.

7 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 2 – line 4

Answer explanation: The extracted lines from Paragraph A says that “For example, a survey on who participated in volunteering by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom (UK) showed that people in higher income households are more likely than others to volunteer.” As the survey was conducted to find out who participated in volunteering, the answer is D.

8 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph B , line 2 – line 5

Answer explanation: The specified lines from Paragraph B says that “Among people with a degree or postgraduate qualification, 79 per cent had volunteered informally and 57 per cent had volunteered formally in the previous 12 months. For people with no qualifications the corresponding proportions were 52 per cent and 23 per cent at all.” The survey also pointed out that other than people with higher income, people with higher education like degree-holders or postgraduates, participated around 27% more than people with no qualification. Hence the answer is B.

9 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 5 – line 7

Answer explanation: The mentioned lines from Paragraph B says that “However, voluntary work is certainly not the exclusive preserve of the rich. Does the answer not lie perhaps in the fact that the rich tend to have money to allow them the time to become involved in voluntary work compared to less well-off people?” This points out that rich people volunteer more often as they have more time to spare. Hence the answer is C.

10 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The specified lines from Paragraph D says that “Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems.” These lines point out that volunteering teaches people how to deal in different situations and function in different systems. Hence the answer is A.

11 Answer: E

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The quoted lines from Paragraph G says that “One might immediately think of attributes like kindness, selflessness, strength of character, ability to deal with others, determination, adaptability and flexibility and a capacity to comprehend the ways of other people.” This clarifies that one of the requirements of being a volunteer is being able to comprehend the ways of other people, that is, understand how people behave. Hence the answer is E.

12 Answer: C

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F says that “So to satisfy employers’ demands for experience when applying for work, volunteering can act as a means of gaining experience that might otherwise elude would-be workers and can ultimately lead to paid employment and the desired field.” So volunteering can act as a means of gaining experience for the unemployed to gain a paid job in a field of interest (desired field). Hence the answer is C.

13 Answer: A

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The given lines from Paragraph F says that “Employers will generally look favorably on people who have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee.” As volunteers are mostly team players and willing to work, they are considered as assets by the employers. Hence the answer is A.

Tips to Ace The Meaning of Volunteering IELTS Reading Answers 

Let us check out some quick IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ to answer the types of questions in the Reading Answers. 

Multiple Choice (MCQ):

• Read the question carefully and underline keywords to know exactly what is being asked.
• Scan the passage for synonyms or paraphrases of the keywords rather than looking for exact words.
• Eliminate obviously wrong options first to narrow down your choices.
• Pay attention to qualifiers like always, sometimes, usually, only; they can change the correct answer.
• Check all options carefully before selecting your answer, even if the first one seems correct.

Matching Information:

• Skim the passage first to understand the general idea of each paragraph.
• Look for keywords and their synonyms in both the questions and the text.
• Pay attention to pronouns or linking words (e.g., it, they, this) that indicate the correct match.
• Eliminate options that do not fully match the paragraph’s main idea.
• Double-check your matches to ensure each piece of information corresponds to the correct paragraph.

Sentence Completion

Sentence Completion questions test your ability to find specific information in the passage and complete sentences accurately using words from the text.

• Underline keywords in the sentence and locate synonyms in the passage.
• Predict the missing word type (noun, verb, adjective) before searching.
• Use words directly from the passage unless instructed otherwise.
• Check grammar to ensure the sentence remains correct after inserting the word.
• Watch word limits carefully; do not exceed the maximum number of words allowed.

The Meaning of Volunteering passage is excellent practice for improving scanning and comprehension skills. Reviewing the answers, keyword locations, and explanations helps you enhance accuracy and approach the IELTS GT Reading test with greater confidence. Keep practising with more IELTS Reading Recent Actual Tests  and answers on IELTSMaterial.com to improve your speed, accuracy, and overall performance.

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