B2CEFRReading18 min

Reading: Online Learning and Digital Trends

Online learning and digital classrooms

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IELTS Academic Reading Target: B2 Level Time: 18 minutes

Who Studies Online: Recent Data and Real Limits

In this lesson, you will read about official digital learning statistics and answer 10 IELTS test questions based strictly on the text.

How to use this lesson

For the teacher:

Give learners 18 minutes to read through the four paragraphs and solve questions 1 to 10 on their own.

After they finish, verify their answers by comparing their choices directly with the line-by-line evidence provided under each question.

For the learner:

First, spend about 3 minutes reading paragraphs A to D to get a clear picture of the facts.

Next, answer each question in order and check that your choice matches the exact wording in the text.

Reading Passage

Participation and Access in Online Education

Paragraphs A–D

A Eurostat, the statistics office of the European Union, asked people about the three months before its 2025 survey. It found that 17.3% of internet users in the EU took an online course. Ireland had the highest share at 29.6%, followed by Finland at 29.3% and the Netherlands at 28.5%.

B Eurostat also counted people who took an online course or used online learning materials. This combined share was 34.8% in 2025, which is 1.4 percentage points more than in 2024, when it was 33.4%.

C The 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report of UNESCO looked at online learning in the COVID-19 school closures. It says that distance learning had a potential reach of over 1 billion students. However, it failed to reach at least half a billion students, which is 31% of students worldwide and 72% of the poorest. UNESCO says the shift to online learning mostly affected the poorest and people in rural areas.

D These facts seem to show that online learning is fairly common among people in the EU, and I think the UNESCO numbers suggest that it helps mainly people who can get online. The Eurostat figures cover only internet users in the EU, so the facts here do not show how many people in total study online or how well they learn.

Questions 1–3: Yes / No / Not Given

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

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. In 2025, less than a fifth of internet users across the European Union participated in an online course.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. The distance learning arrangements during the pandemic were able to connect with every student across the globe.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. Governments gave more financial help for electronic equipment to rural schools than to city schools during school closures.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Questions 4–5: Multiple Choice

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

4. According to paragraph B, how did the combined share of people taking an online course or using online learning materials change from 2024 to 2025?

____ A. It increased by 1.4 percentage points. ____ B. It dropped below 33.4% across the European Union. ____ C. It reached 34.8 percentage points higher than the 2024 baseline. ____ D. It remained unchanged from the previous year.

5. In paragraph D, what main reservation does the writer express about relying on the Eurostat survey?

____ A. It gathered information from households that had no internet connectivity. ____ B. It fails to disclose overall student numbers or the actual quality of learning. ____ C. It shows that students in Finland studied more effectively than students in Ireland. ____ D. It demonstrates that online courses failed to attract learners in rural regions.

Questions 6–7: Matching Information to Paragraphs

Which paragraph contains the following information? Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

6. A direct comparison of online course attendance across named European nations.

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

7. A note of caution pointing out that the data does not reveal how effectively people study.

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

Questions 8–10: Summary Completion

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

During emergency closures, distance teaching had an estimated capability described as a [Question 8] exceeding one billion pupils. However, hundreds of millions were left behind, and the disruption fell hardest on the [Question 9] and families residing in rural areas. Furthermore, European findings should be interpreted with care because the survey tracked only existing [Question 10] rather than measuring the entire society.

Question 8 (paragraph C):

____ (Your answer...)

Question 9 (paragraph C):

____ (Your answer...)

Question 10 (paragraph D):

____ (Your answer...)

Why this checking method works

When you answer IELTS questions, always point your finger to the exact line in the reading passage that confirms your decision.

Notice how each explanation pairs the answer with the exact words from paragraphs A to D. This habit helps you distinguish between true facts and details that are simply not mentioned.

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