B2CEFRReading18 min

The True Cost of Cheap Clothing

Fashion and the clothing industry

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IELTS Reading B2 • 18 Mins Academic Module • Unit 1

👕 The True Cost of Cheap Clothing

Investigate global data on apparel production, declining utilisation rates, and modern textile recycling limitations.

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Teacher's Note

Set a strict 7-minute reading timer for the passage before learners start answering questions.
Review answers using the evidence-based key below, focusing on the Not Given distinction.

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Learner's Note

Skim paragraphs A through D once to map out main topics, then solve questions 1 to 10 in order.
Locate the exact supporting sentence in the text before confirming your final choice.

Reading Passage

Approx. 250 words

A visual metaphor of a scale balancing massive clothing production on one side and textile waste on the other, flat vect

A 2017 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealed that global clothing production almost doubled in the span of 15 years. In 2000, roughly 50 billion garments were manufactured, but by 2015, this figure had surged past 100 billion units. This dramatic surge was driven primarily by a growing global middle class and the rapid expansion of fast fashion, which encourages frequent wardrobe updates.

The same report highlighted a troubling trend in clothing utilisation—the number of times an item of clothing is worn before it is discarded. Globally, clothing utilisation has fallen by 36% compared to 15 years ago, leaving massive quantities of clothes severely underutilised. In the United States, garments are worn for only about a quarter of the global average before being thrown away.

A diagram-like illustration showing the limited cycle of textile recycling, with a large pile of used clothes and only a

Recycling systems currently offer very little relief. Less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing, and only 13% of total material input is recycled in any form after use. A briefing published by the European Parliament echoed this precise reality, noting that only 1% of collected used garments are ever converted into new apparel.

Looking closely at these figures, it seems clear that consumers are purchasing more while wearing each piece fewer times. I think simple actions such as repair and reuse could certainly help ease the pressure on resources. Even so, these broad global figures cannot directly prescribe what an individual shopper ought to do in daily practice.

Practice Tasks (Questions 1–10)

Complete all four sections based directly on the passage above.

Questions 1–3: Yes / No / Not Given

Choose YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer, NO if the statement contradicts the claims, or NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks.

1. Global garment production roughly doubled between 2000 and 2015.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Consumers in the United States wear items of clothing more times than the worldwide average.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. The author says governments should put higher taxes on clothing brands.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Questions 4–5: Multiple Choice

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

4. Why does the author refer to the European Parliament briefing in paragraph C?

____ A. To argue that European legislation on textile recycling has completely failed. ____ B. To corroborate the finding that garment-to-garment recycling remains negligible. ____ C. To suggest that European citizens throw away fewer clothes than American consumers. ____ D. To illustrate the industrial machinery needed to process discarded garments.

5. What is the author’s primary view regarding broad data in paragraph D?

____ A. Global numbers prove that individuals are entirely blameless for industry waste. ____ B. Simple habits have proven incapable of saving resources. ____ C. Large-scale industry statistics cannot instruct an individual consumer how to act. ____ D. Shoppers will inevitably stop purchasing new clothing once they view the report.

Questions 6–8: Matching Information to Paragraphs

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

6. An explanation of how the utilisation of clothing is defined.

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

7. The two main causes behind the rapid growth in clothing manufacturing.

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

8. An acknowledgement that general industry statistics cannot offer concrete guidelines for every individual shopper.

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

Questions 9–10: Summary Completion

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

Drivers and Practical Responses

Between 2000 and 2015, clothing production surged past 100 billion garments per year. This sharp rise was triggered not only by a swelling global middle class, but also by the fast expansion of ____ (type answer...) (Question 9), which encouraged people to replace their wardrobes more frequently.

While recycling converts less than one percent of materials into brand-new garments, the author suggests that realistic actions such as ____ (type answer...) (Question 10) could lower overall environmental pressure, even if national statistics cannot direct every shopper's personal choice.

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