B2IELTS-style · Band 5.5–6.5Reading18 min

IELTS Reading: Why Bees Matter

Animals and wildlife

Add to my libraryFree for teachers. You sign in only when you add the lesson.

Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.

Unit 3 • Lesson 3 of 6 CEFR B2 • Academic Reading ⏱ 18 mins

🐝 Why Bees Matter

A targeted Cambridge IELTS-style reading practice analyzing biodiversity data, global agricultural impact, and cautious authorial perspective.

📋 Lesson Procedure Standard Guide

🧑‍🏫 For Teachers

• Allocate 18 minutes: 6 minutes for first-pass scanning of paragraphs A–D, followed by 12 minutes for answering items 1–10.

• Have students compare each submitted answer with the evidence line in the feedback shown after the answer to verify precise wording.

🧑‍🎓 For Learners

• Skim the four paragraphs quickly to underline numbers and dates before reading any of the test questions.

• Solve questions section by section, checking that your Summary Completion answers strictly use words copied from the text.

IELTS Academic Reading Passage

Why Bees Matter: Pollinators and Global Agriculture

Passage length: ~230 words

A In 2016, an assessment by IPBES found that about three out of four of the world's leading food crop types depend at least in part on pollination by animals such as bees. A 2007 study found that crops that depend on pollinators make up about 35% of global food production by volume.

B IPBES states that there are more than 20,000 species of wild bees. Honey bees are only a few of them.

C The 2016 IPBES assessment estimated that 16% of vertebrate pollinators are threatened with global extinction. Regional and national assessments often found that more than 40% of invertebrate species, notably bees and butterflies, were threatened locally.

D It seems that bees matter for many foods. However, I think we should be careful with big percentages, because they measure different things.

Part 1: Questions 1–3 • Yes / No / Not Given

3 Questions

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading passage? Choose YES if the statement agrees, NO if it contradicts, or NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

1. Crops that rely on pollinators make up roughly 35% of the world's food production by volume.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Managed honeybees make up the majority of the world's 20,000 documented bee species.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. Butterflies are facing a significantly higher risk of global extinction than wild bees.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Part 2: Questions 4–5 • Multiple Choice

2 Questions

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

4. What is the writer’s attitude in Paragraph D towards big percentages?

____ A. Confident that global collapse will occur immediately across all regions ____ B. Critical of researchers for ignoring local invertebrate populations ____ C. Cautious because big percentages measure different things ____ D. Dismissive of local extinction risks due to flawed measurement tools

5. According to IPBES, how do honey bees compare to wild bees?

____ A. Wild bees receive far more commercial investment than honeybees ____ B. Honey bees are only a few of the bee species ____ C. Honeybees are responsible for all 35% of harvested crop volume ____ D. Wild bees are less effective at pollinating than commercial varieties

Part 3: Questions 6–8 • Matching Information

3 Questions

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

6. A distinction between the percentage of crop varieties and the actual volume of food produced.

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

7. A reason for being careful with big percentages.

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

8. Specific data on regional threats facing invertebrate pollinator populations.

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

Part 4: Questions 9–10 • Summary Completion

2 Questions

Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in the boxes below.

Summary: The True Extent of Pollinator Dependence

Although about three out of four leading food crop types depend at least in part on pollination by animals, crops that depend on pollinators make up about 35 percent of global food (9) [Question 9] by volume. Moreover, honey bees are only a few of the more than 20,000 species of (10) [Question 10] bees.

9. Enter ONE WORD from Paragraph A for blank (9):

____

10. Enter ONE WORD from Paragraph B for blank (10):

____

💡

Teacher Insight: Signal Words in a Writer's Claims

Writers in IELTS readings often show how sure they are with small signal words. A sure writer might use "definitely" or "will"; a less sure writer might use "may", "perhaps" or "in some cases".

❌ Overly Direct / Absolute (Trap)

"Electric cars will definitely replace every other kind of car within a few years."

✅ Cautious / Measured

"Electric cars may become much more common over the next few years."

Guidance: Train students to look for these cautious signposts whenever answering inference questions about an author's viewpoint.

Add to my library