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IELTS Academic Level B2

⏱️ Suggested Time: 18 Minutes

Teenagers, Technology, and the Shrinking Attention Span

Master factual evaluation, hedging interpretation, and trap-avoidance strategies in academic texts.

Teacher Guidance

• Direct students to spend exactly 10 minutes skimming and scanning the text before attempting any questions.
• Dedicate the final 8 minutes to dissecting distractor traps using the structured Answer-Evidence-Why keys.

Learner Instructions

• Read the text once to map the core focus of paragraphs [A] through [D] without translating individual terms.
• Tackle the 10 questions sequentially; beware of exact word matches that distort the author's cautious stance.

Academic Reading Passage ~240 words

According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey of US teens, 95% said they have access to a smartphone. 46% said they are online almost constantly, compared with 24% in 2014–15.

In a 2023 Pew Research Center survey of 1,453 US teens and parents, 38% of teens said they spend too much time on their smartphone. 44% said that not having their phone at least sometimes makes them feel anxious.

Gloria Mark, a researcher at the University of California, Irvine, reports that when she first measured attention on screens, around 2004, people stayed on one screen for about two and a half minutes on average. In studies from 2016 to 2020, the average was 47 seconds.

I think these figures show how habits have changed. However, it seems they cannot prove that phones cause anxiety or poor concentration.

⚠️

Strategy Alert: Why Word-Matching Fails IELTS distractors deliberately replicate exact keywords (e.g., parents, anxiety, concentration) in incorrect options. Always cross-check the logical relationship and grammatical qualifications (such as proves versus cannot prove) rather than relying on identical vocabulary.

📝 Comprehension Practice (Questions 1–10)

Part 1: Questions 1–3 (Yes / No / Not Given)

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading passage? Select: YES if the statement agrees with the claims; NO if the statement contradicts the claims; NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks.

1. The proportion of adolescents using the internet almost continuously in 2022 had approximately doubled since the 2014–15 survey.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Parents experience higher degrees of anxiety than their teenage children when separated from smartphones.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. According to Gloria Mark's data, people stayed on one screen for longer in 2016 to 2020 than in 2004.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Part 2: Questions 4–5 (Multiple Choice)

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

4. In Paragraph B, what is the author's primary objective in citing the 44% statistic?

____ A. To prove that most teenagers are capable of regulating their digital habits independently. ____ B. To demonstrate that academic performance is deteriorating across secondary schools. ____ C. To report how many teens at least sometimes feel anxious without their phones. ____ D. To illustrate how parental restrictions successfully lower tension in the household.

5. Which statement best represents the writer's perspective regarding mobile technology and focus in Paragraph D?

____ A. Technological devices should be banned in classrooms to restore baseline cognitive focus. ____ B. Changing habits do not prove that phones cause anxiety or poor concentration. ____ C. Researchers have conclusively proven that screen interaction causes irreversible neurological harm. ____ D. The figures show that teens' habits have not really changed.

Part 3: Questions 6–7 (Matching Information)

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

6. A comparison of screen focus duration measured across two distinct historical periods.

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

7. The cautionary assertion that statistical links do not establish a definite cause-and-effect relationship.

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

Part 4: Questions 8–10 (Summary Completion)

Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from Paragraph D of the passage for each answer.

The writer thinks that these figures show how [Question 8] have changed, but that it seems they cannot [Question 9] that phones cause anxiety or poor [Question 10] .

Question 8 ____

One word from Paragraph D

Question 9 ____

One word from Paragraph D

Question 10 ____

One word from Paragraph D

Reading: Teenagers, Smartphones, and Attention Spans

Teenagers, Technology, and the Shrinking Attention Span

Teacher Guidance

Learner Instructions

📝 Comprehension Practice (Questions 1–10)

Part 1: Questions 1–3 (Yes / No / Not Given)

Part 2: Questions 4–5 (Multiple Choice)

Part 3: Questions 6–7 (Matching Information)

Part 4: Questions 8–10 (Summary Completion)

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