APIEReading: The Global Web of Submarine Cables
Submarine cables and the internet
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Submarine Cables: The Hidden Web 🌐
Explore how undersea cables keep global communications running, examine historical failures, and master IELTS Academic question types using hedged language.
How to use this lesson
For Teachers
Set an 18-minute timer for students to complete the reading passage and answer all 10 questions independently.
Review student responses together using the step-by-step evidence lines to highlight common IELTS reading traps.
For Learners
Read the passage (Paragraphs A to D) carefully before attempting any exercise below.
Answer all 10 questions in order, then check the evidence notes to see why each answer is correct.
Submarine cables and the internet
The International Telecommunication Union, or ITU, a United Nations agency, says that submarine cables carry over 99 percent of international data. The ITU also repeats a figure from the International Cable Protection Committee, or ICPC. The committee says that cables have an average of 150 to 200 faults around the world each year, so ships must make about three repairs every week.
The ICPC says that around 70 to 80 percent of these faults come from accidents with commercial fishing and ships' anchors. A 2009 report from the United Nations Environment Programme says that deep-ocean cables are no larger than 17 to 21 millimetres across, about the size of a garden hose. Near the shore, protective armour of wire makes a cable 40 to 50 millimetres thick.
The first telegraph cable across the Atlantic worked in August 1858. Queen Victoria sent a message of 98 words to President Buchanan of the United States. The Science Museum says that the cable failed within weeks, because the chief electrician raised the voltage and the insulation broke. In 1866, the ship Great Eastern laid a cable that worked.
I think the numbers show how much of daily life depends on a few thin cables, and it seems that people cause most of the damage by accident. The fault figures are averages from one committee, so I do not think they say how long an outage lasts, and the sources do not explain how a repair ship finds a break.
Key Data Sources
Reports from United Nations agencies like ITU, UNEP (2009), and industry body ICPC.
Cable Size
Cable thickness is measured in millimetres, and it changes with where the cable lies.
Historical Milestones
The first Atlantic cable of the 1850s did not last, and a later cable did.
Hedged Writing
Phrases like "I think" and "it seems" express cautious personal conclusions.
IELTS Reading Strategy: Writer's View (Yes / No / Not Given)
YES means the statement directly matches the writer's claim. NO means the statement contradicts what the writer says. NOT GIVEN means the topic is mentioned, but the exact information is missing from the text. Never guess based on outside knowledge!
✅ What to do
- • Scan for key facts, such as dates and measurements.
- • Read full sentences to understand meaning rather than matching isolated keywords.
- • Pay attention to cautious expressions like "it seems" or "averages".
⚠️ What to avoid
- • Do not choose an answer just because it repeats a word from the passage.
- • Do not assume an answer is TRUE if the passage omits key details.
- • Do not add numbers or dates that are not stated in the source text.
Sentence Pattern Example
"This machine is used for cutting thin sheets of metal."
Why this works: It clearly describes the purpose of an object using everyday vocabulary without unnecessary jargon.
Reading Comprehension Tasks
Complete the 10 IELTS-style questions below based on Paragraphs A to D.
Questions 1–3: Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage? Write YES, NO, or NOT GIVEN.
1. Submarine cables carry the vast majority of international data.
2. Commercial fishing and ship anchors cause only a small fraction of cable faults.
3. Repair ships usually take several days to reach the location of a broken cable.
Questions 4–5: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
4. According to Paragraph B, how does a deep-ocean cable compare to a cable near the shore?
5. Why did the first Atlantic telegraph cable stop functioning in 1858?
Questions 6–8: Matching Information
Which paragraph contains the following information? Select the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
6. A comparison between deep-sea cables and a common household item.
7. The average frequency of cable repair operations conducted worldwide.
8. The writer's observation regarding missing information about repair procedures and outage duration.
Questions 9–10: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
In August 1858, the first transatlantic telegraph cable became operational. During this time, Queen Victoria successfully transmitted a message consisting of
However, electrical damage destroyed the insulation after a few weeks. A fully functional cable was eventually laid in 1866 by the vessel known as
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