B2CEFRReading18 min

Reading: Remote Work and Future Office Trends

Remote work and the future of the office

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IELTS Academic Reading ⏱️ Suggested Time: 18 minutes

Remote Work and the Future of the Office

Read the official data from European and British statistical agencies, analyze the writer's cautious conclusions, and answer 10 IELTS-format questions.

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How to use this lesson

👩‍🏫 For the Teacher

• Give learners 18 minutes to read the passage and complete all 10 questions under test conditions.

• Have students check their answers using the evidence lines to see why the distractors are wrong.

🧑‍🎓 For the Learner

• Read the passage once to understand what each paragraph covers before looking at the tasks.

• Match every answer directly to the exact wording in paragraphs A to D instead of relying on memory.

Reading Passage

Remote Work and the Future of the Office

Eurostat, the statistics office of the European Union, says that about 1 in 20 employed people aged 20 to 64 in the EU (5.5%) usually worked from home in 2019. This share rose to 12.3% in 2020 and reached 13.5% in 2021.

The UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that 28% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working in the autumn of 2024. The figure comes from its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, which collected answers in October 2024.

The same ONS article compares groups. Between 10 April and 30 June 2024, 29% of workers aged 30 and over were hybrid working, compared with 19% of those aged 16 to 29. Working parents were more likely to work in a hybrid way (35%) than working non-parents (24%).

These facts seem to show that home working grew fast after 2019, and I think the British figures suggest that hybrid work is now common but not equally open to everyone. The facts here do not show whether people work better at home or in an office.

Questions 1–3

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the text?

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. The writer believes that hybrid working is equally available to all types of workers.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Research proves that employees working from home complete more tasks than those in office buildings.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. In 2020, over one-tenth of employed people aged 20 to 64 in the EU worked from home on a regular basis.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Questions 4–5

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

4. According to the ONS data collected between April and June 2024, which group recorded the highest percentage of hybrid workers?

____ A. Workers aged 16 to 29 ____ B. Working non-parents ____ C. Working parents ____ D. Workers aged 30 and over

5. In paragraph D, what does the writer cautiously suggest about remote and hybrid work?

____ A. Remote working will soon replace conventional office buildings entirely. ____ B. Hybrid working has become widespread, but access to it remains uneven. ____ C. Employees carry out assignments with greater efficiency when working at home. ____ D. More than 28% of all employees in Europe will work from home permanently.

Questions 6–7

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

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

6. A comparison of hybrid working rates between younger and older employees

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

7. The specific month and survey used to measure British hybrid working in autumn 2024

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

Questions 8–10

Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

8. According to official data from Eurostat, roughly 5.5% of working individuals aged 20 to 64 in the European Union [ 8 ] worked from home in 2019.

Answer for (8): ____ (Type one word...)

9. Figures assessing hybrid working in Great Britain were gathered through the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey during [ 9 ] 2024.

Answer for (9): ____ (Type one word...)

10. Although hybrid arrangements have spread widely across Great Britain, the writer concludes that this way of working is not [ 10 ] open to every category of worker.

Answer for (10): ____ (Type one word...)

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