👩‍🏫 For the Teacher:

Guide your students through this reading activity within 15 minutes in class or for homework.

Use the detailed evidence notes under each question to verify answers with exact text references.

🎓 For the Learner:

First, read the four-paragraph passage about giving blood pinned in the section below.

Next, answer the 8 IELTS-style questions below in order to test your key reading skills.

Giving Blood: A Vital Global Contribution

Every year on 14 June, the World Health Organization (WHO) holds World Blood Donor Day. The main purpose of this special day is to thank people who choose to give their blood without receiving any money. It also serves as an important reminder to everyone that hospitals everywhere need a regular and safe supply of blood for their patients.

According to figures from the WHO, about 120 million blood donations were collected across the world in 2023. However, these donations are not gathered evenly. About 36 percent of all collected blood came from high-income countries, even though these wealthier nations are home to only 15 percent of the world's total population.

Hospitals use donated blood in several different ways. In high-income countries, doctors rely on it most often during heart surgery, after serious accidents, and while providing cancer treatment. In contrast, in low- and middle-income countries, healthcare workers use blood much more frequently to help women who suffer from unexpected problems during pregnancy.

NHS Blood and Transplant, a national blood service, explains that the whole appointment takes about an hour from start to finish. The blood donation itself runs for between 5 and 10 minutes. An automatic scale stops the collection bag when it holds 470 millilitres, and right before that step, trained staff test a drop of blood from the donor's finger.