What is Dyscalculia – IELTS Reading Answers for Academic Reading

Preparation for the IELTS Academic Reading test is incomplete until you practice passages like ‘What is Dyscalculia IELTS Reading Answers’. It not only develops critical reading skills, which are crucial for success but also acquaints you with the wide range of topics they might encounter. Therefore, you gain the competence and self-confidence necessary to perform well on the test and beyond.

The Academic Reading passage, What is Dyscalculia, is an IELTS reading passage that consists of 17 questions. Each task in the IELTS passage is divided into several sets of questions.

So, 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.

The question types found in this passage are:

• Sentence Completion (Q. 1-4)
• True/False/Not Given (Q. 5-10)
• Matching Features (Q. 11-17)

Check Out – Essential Skills for IELTS Reading Test

Reading Passage 

What is Dyscalculia?

When you look at a morning newspaper or check a news webpage, numbers are everywhere: the date is 12th September; it’s 16°C in London; England lose 2-1 at football; the time is 12:30. But for people with dyscalculia, dealing with numbers presents a particular everyday difficulty. Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty in mathematics. It was originally uncovered by Kosc — a Czech researcher — after research into damage to parts of the brain involved in mathematical cognition. Dyscalculia can have two causes: brain damage — ‘acquired dyscalculia’— and developmental dyscalculia — dyscalculia from birth. Whichever the cause, dyscalculia has three features: problems with mathematics; problems with mathematics only, not other areas of learning; and the assumption that these problems are rooted in brain activity.

Unlike dyslexia — difficulties with words, dyscalculia has been relatively little studied until recently. Very little is known about its causes, prevalence, or how to treat it. Estimates indicate that between 3% and 6% of the population could be affected. The figures refer to children who only have difficulties with maths but have good or excellent performance in other areas of learning. People with dyscalculia have difficulty with the most basic aspects of numbers and mathematics, but this does not mean that the person affected has difficulty with higher mathematical reasoning or arithmetic. In fact, the evidence from brain-damaged dyscalculic people shows that an individual might suffer dyscalculia but can even show great ability in abstract mathematical reasoning.

Dyscalculia appears to be related to an ability shared between humans and many other animals. This is called ‘subitising’ and is the capacity to count the number of objects by briefly looking at them. Subitising seems to be an innate skill present in humans from birth and is a useful survival skill for humans and animals: there is a big advantage in being able to count how many predators or prey there are. Experiments with babies show that we are able to count at a very early age: if a baby sees a doll put behind a screen, then another doll is also put behind the screen, the baby expects to see two dolls when the screen is removed. Babies will look longer at things they didn’t expect to see, so if the screen is removed, and the baby sees only one doll or three dolls, she stares at this unexpected sight longer, proving our ability to count from infancy. Dyscalculia could be explained by the lack of this innate capability. Genetic causes could include known genetic disorders such as Fragile X syndrome. However, as well as genetic factors, there could also be environmental causes such as drinking alcohol during pregnancy, which can result in underdevelopment of the brain.

There are many signs of dyscalculia, including some well established and some less well researched. There are a number of symptoms that we are relatively certain of. Firstly, counting: whilst dyscalculic children can learn the sequence of numbers — 1,2, 3, 4, 5, etc., they have difficulty counting backwards or forwards, particularly in twos or threes. Secondly, they find learning and remembering number facts difficult and often lack confidence even when they have the right answer. They can’t use rules correctly either; for instance, they may know that 4 +2=6 but not be able to see that 2 + 4 = 6 or understand the concept of addition. Thirdly, they have problems with numbers with zeros and don’t understand that the numerals 10, 100, and 1,000 are as ten, one hundred, and one thousand. Fourthly, dyscalculic children may not be good at using the time. Concepts of speed or temperature may be difficult for them to fully understand. Finally, they may have problems in understanding directions or in following a map.

Diagnosing and treating dyscalculia is not straightforward as there are many reasons for being bad at maths, including poor teaching, lack of motivation, and inability to concentrate for long periods of time. An important result of present research will be to improve our methods for identifying children with dyscalculia. The treatment of the problem, however, is a different matter. Many people think that, because the cause of dyscalculia is in the brain, it can’t be treated. But this is a misunderstanding. Every time we learn a new fact or skill, our brain changes. Furthermore, if we practise a new skill extensively, the brain changes considerably. This is related to a property of the brain called ‘plasticity’, which simply means the ability of the brain to develop and change, particularly during childhood. Dyscalculia could be treated by experiences at home, providing an environment that encourages children to count. Schools could pay more attention to making sure children understand basic mathematical concepts before dealing with more advanced ideas; they should, for example, avoid teaching the division of fractions before ensuring children have understood the concept of division. Teaching maths through a multisensory approach using speech, sound, writing, and reading simultaneously has been shown to be a good approach. Finally, maths should be taught in short blocks of time, and lessons should build on what was taught previously.

Questions 1-4

1 A person with dyscalculia cannot solve basic …………………… problems.

2 The condition was first discovered by a researcher investigating …………………… to the brain.

3 Dyscalculia can be caused by injury to the brain, or it can be present ……………………

4 Other aspects of …………………… are not affected by dyscalculia.

Questions 5-10

5 There is not much information on how many people have dyscalculia.

6 People with dyscalculia are not able to do advanced maths.

7 Subitising means knowing how many things there are by counting them.

8 Experiments show that babies are able to count to four.

9 One explanation is that people with dyscalculia have not inherited a common ability.

10 Drinking alcohol during pregnancy may be linked to the development of dyscalculia.

Questions 11-17

Classify the following as typical of

A reasons for being bad at maths

B plasticity

C dyscalculia

D the treatment of dyscalculia

11 Limiting maths teaching to short periods ……………………

12 Being unmotivated to learn ……………………

13 The brain developing, especially when young ……………………

14 Not associating words about figures with numbers ……………………

15 Needing practice at telling the time ……………………

16 Using all the senses when doing maths ……………………

17 Poor concentration for longer lengths of time ……………………

Answers of What is Dyscalculia Reading Answers With Location and Explanations

Find detailed explanations and answers to What is Dyscalculia Reading Passage.

1 Answer: mathematics/math

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, Line 3

Answer explanation: In the provided line, it is said that “Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty in mathematics.”. This shows that a person with dyscalculia cannot solve basic math problems. Hence, the answer is ‘mathematics/math’.

2 Answer: damage

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, Line 4

Answer explanation: In the specified line, it is stated that “It was originally uncovered by Kosc — a Czech researcher — after research into damage to parts of the brain involved in mathematical cognition.”. From this line, it can be inferred that while researching damage to parts of the brain, Czech researcher, Kosc, discovered dyscalculia. Hence, the answer is ‘damage’.

3 Answer: (from) birth

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, Line 5

Answer explanation: In the corresponding line, it is mentioned that “Dyscalculia can have two causes: brain damage — ‘acquired dyscalculia’— and developmental dyscalculia — dyscalculia from birth.”. In other words, dyscalculia can be caused by injury to the brain (acquired dyscalculia), or it can be present from birth (dyscalculia). Hence, the answer is ‘(from) birth’.

4 Answer: learning

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, Line 6

Answer explanation: The given line of Paragraph 1 describes, “Whichever the cause, dyscalculia has three features: problems with mathematics; problems with mathematics only, not other areas of learning…”. It is clear that dyscalculia affects the ability of a person to solve mathematical problems and does not affect other forms of learning. Hence, the answer is ‘learning’.

5 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 2, Line 2-Line 3

Answer explanation: In the second paragraph, it is given, “Very little is known about its causes, prevalence, or how to treat it. Estimates indicate that between 3% and 6% of the population could be affected.”. It can be noted that very little is known about dyscalculia or there is less information on the number of people with this condition. Whatever percentage is known is just an estimate. As the statement agrees with the information in the passage, the answer is True.

6 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 2, Line 5

Answer explanation: In the specified line, it is stated that “People with dyscalculia have difficulty with the most basic aspects of numbers and mathematics, but this does not mean that the person affected has difficulty with higher mathematical reasoning or arithmetic.”. This shows that even though people with dyscalculia have problems in solving basic maths, it doesn’t mean that they cannot solve advanced/higher mathematical problems. As the statement contradicts the information in the passage, the answer is False.

7 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 3, Line 2

Answer explanation: In the mentioned paragraph, it is given that “This is called ‘subitising’ and is the capacity to count the number of objects by briefly looking at them.”. It can be concluded that subitising is the ability to count and know the number of objects present. As the statement agrees with the information in the passage, the answer is True.

8 Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: N.A.

Answer explanation: Although there is a reference to experiments with babies showing that they can count at a very early age in Paragraph 3, there is no mention of whether they can count to 4. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

9 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 3, Line 7

Answer explanation: In the above-mentioned paragraph, it is stated that “Genetic causes could include known genetic disorders such as Fragile X syndrome.”. It can be pointed out that one explanation of dyscalculia is genetic disorder like a fragile X syndrome rather than not inheriting a common ability. As the statement contradicts the information in the passage, the answer is False.

Tips to Solve the Question Types in What is Dyscalculia IELTS Reading Answers

As you now know the answers to the Reading Answers of What is Dyscalculia with explanation, let us look at some quick tips for answering the three types of questions in the passage.

Sentence Completion:

In the sentence completion of the IELTS Reading test, you will be asked to fill in the blanks in incomplete phrases with the relevant words or numbers.

• Read the instructions carefully. It will help you determine the word limit (no more than two, one word, etc) and important terms like ‘using words from the text’ or ‘from the text’. You have to follow these strictly.
• Read the incomplete sentences first. Also, think about keywords and how they could be represented by synonyms or paraphrasing.
• Locate where the information is by scanning quickly. If you can’t, move on.
• Study the reading text by using the skimming and scanning techniques. It will help to establish the answer quickly. When scanning for your answer, make sure you are thinking about paraphrasing and synonyms.
• The answers appear in the same order as the questions. Also, check your spelling and remember that your answer should be grammatically correct.

True/False/Not Given

In IELTS Reading, ‘True, False, Not Given’ questions are based on facts. Several factual statements will be provided to you, and it is up to you to determine whether or not they are accurate by reading the text.

To answer this type of question, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the question and identify the keywords – Before reading the material, have a look at your list of True, False, and Not Given questions.
• Scan the passage for synonyms or paraphrased words of the keywords – When you have highlighted the keywords, swiftly read the text to look for paraphrases or synonyms.
• Match the highlighted words in the questions with their synonyms in the text – Once you find both sets of keywords, cross-check them to find the answer.
• Identify the answer – If the facts match, the answer is TRUE, and in case it doesn’t match, it is FALSE. If you are unable to find the answer or unsure of it, mark it NOT GIVEN.

Matching Features:

In this type of question, you will have to match a list of options with the relevant set of statements. Some tips to answer matching features questions and obtain a high band in the IELTS Reading examination are given below:

• Read questions and underline or circle keywords. This will help you find out where you would have to read and find later. Also, focus on how often every detail or name is appearing in the passage.
• Scan the passage and look for information given in the features and questions.
• Skim through the areas that are surrounded by keywords and features in the passage.
• Don’t get confused in case the text has synonyms of the information that is originally present in the question.
• Keep in mind that answers will not be in an order as questions.

Also Check: 

• Dyslexia- IELTS Reading Answers
• Color on the Brain- IELTS Reading Answers
• Reed Bed- IELTS Reading Answers 
• IELTS Reading Tips and Techniques to Increase your Reading Speed
• The Secret of the Yawn- IELTS Reading Answers
• Ditching that Saintly Image – IELTS Reading Answer
• IELTS Pen and Paper Test: Everything You Need to Know
• The Evolutionary Mystery: Crocodile Survives- IELTS Reading Answer
• Useful IELTS Reading Articles, Website Resources and Material for Academic and General Training