IELTS Academic Reading – Task Type 9 – Classification

Task Description

What are candidates required to do?
This task type requires candidates to classify events, characteristics or other pieces of information in the passage into given categories; for example, events could be classified into historical periods, or characteristics into age groups mentioned in the passage. In a passage dealing with the history of the aeroplane, candidates might, for example, be asked to classify developments according to the twenty-year period in which they occurred; in a text dealing with current developments in the genetic modification of wheat they might be asked to classify experiments according to the laboratory where they were undertaken. Note that the items to be classified will form a coherent set.

How are candidates required to answer?
Categories are identified by letters, and candidates are asked to write the correct letter in the relevant box on their answer sheet. There will normally be a larger number of events, characteristics, etc than there are groups into which to classify them, so a number of questions may be answered with the same letter.

What skills are tested in this task type?
This task type is designed to test candidates’ ability to recognise relationships and connections between facts in the passage, and is most often used with texts dealing with factual information; for example descriptive texts. Candidates need to be able to skim and scan the passage in order to locate the required information and to read for detail.

Understanding the Task

To see an example of this task type please click on the link below

Examples of Task Type 9

To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the task yourself and analyse what you had to do to find the right answer.

Look at this Sample Task Type 9. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

Sample Task Type 9 Task (PDF)
Answers

Things to consider

Now look at these questions about how you approached the task and consider your answers.

1. How did you approach this task?
   
   
2. Did you then continue to work through the passage item by item?
   
   
3. Were the items found in order in the passage?
   
   
4. What skills did you use to complete this task?
   
   
5. How can you help your students to develop these skills?