📌 IELTS Reading • 15-Minute Task

Neighbourhoods & Local History: Edinburgh

Explore how medieval roots and 18th-century design formed Scotland's historic capital.

📋 How to use this lesson

For the Teacher

Give your learners 15 minutes to complete the reading and answer the eight questions.

Check answers together by asking students to read aloud the exact sentence that gave them the clue.

For the Learner

First, read through paragraphs A to D once to see how the two neighbourhoods differ.

Next, read each question carefully and find the matching sentences in the text before you decide.

Magazine Feature • Local Heritage

Two Sides of One Historic City: Edinburgh's Old and New Towns

Paragraph A

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. According to Historic Environment Scotland, it has held this important role for more than 500 years. The city has a deep history, and in 1995 UNESCO decided to make both the Old Town and the New Town of Edinburgh a World Heritage Site together.

Paragraph B

The Old Town is the medieval part of the city, and UNESCO explains that it grew in a natural way from the 12th century onward. Rather than following an organized street pattern, buildings simply appeared where people needed them. Because of this slow, organic growth, the area has many narrow passages that people call closes and wynds.

Paragraph C

Across the valley sits the New Town, which is the newer part of the city. Historic Environment Scotland tells us that the New Town was designed in 1767, and UNESCO notes that builders worked on it between 1767 and 1890. Because of its careful layout and grand streets, Historic Environment Scotland calls it the largest and best-preserved example of Georgian town planning in the UK.

Paragraph D

Together, these two contrasting neighbourhoods form a remarkable urban area. Edinburgh World Heritage reports that the site has nearly 4,500 individual buildings. Furthermore, Historic Environment Scotland points out that more than 75 percent of the buildings in the site are listed, which means that they have special protection because of their architecture or their history.

Part 1

Questions 1–2: True / False / Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Choose:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. All building work on the New Town was completed before the end of the 18th century.

____ TRUE ____ FALSE ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Modern visitors usually find the Old Town's closes and wynds more appealing to walk through than the streets of the New Town.

____ TRUE ____ FALSE ____ NOT GIVEN

Part 2

Questions 3–4: Multiple Choice

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

3. What is the fundamental difference between the layouts of the Old Town and the New Town?

____ A. The Old Town expanded naturally over time, while the New Town followed an intentional plan. ____ B. The Old Town was built for trade, whereas the New Town was created only for government offices. ____ C. The Old Town was completed by UNESCO, while the New Town was laid out by individual builders. ____ D. The Old Town features wide Georgian passages, whereas the New Town consists of narrow wynds.

4. According to paragraph D, why are the majority of buildings in the World Heritage Site "listed"?

____ A. They are older than 500 years and require urgent structural restoration. ____ B. They receive special safeguard status due to their architectural or historical value. ____ C. They were constructed entirely by UNESCO during the 1995 preservation initiative. ____ D. They belong directly to the local government rather than private owners.

Part 3

Questions 5–6: Matching Information

The reading passage has four paragraphs, A–D. Which paragraph contains the following information?

5. the traditional local words used to refer to narrow pedestrian lanes

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

6. the estimated total count of separate buildings contained within the protected heritage site

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

Part 4

Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

7. In the United Kingdom, Historic Environment Scotland considers the New Town to be the largest and ____ example of Georgian town planning.

Type one or two words directly from paragraph C.

8. More than 75 percent of the properties across the site are officially ____ , which gives them special protection.

Type one word directly from paragraph D.

Reading: Edinburgh's Old and New Towns

Neighbourhoods & Local History: Edinburgh

📋 How to use this lesson

Two Sides of One Historic City: Edinburgh's Old and New Towns

Questions 1–2: True / False / Not Given

Questions 3–4: Multiple Choice

Questions 5–6: Matching Information

Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion

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