Cambridge IELTS 5 · General Training · Test 1 · Section 3
Lack of Sleep — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Lack of Sleep, Cambridge IELTS 5 General Training Reading Test 1 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Lack of Sleep answer key at a glance
Questions 28–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this section tests
This section is tested with Matching Information (Q28–35), True / False / Not Given (Q36–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–35: Matching Information
Strategy: Scan for the idea, not the exact words. The answer is a paragraph letter, and one paragraph may be used more than once unless the instructions say otherwise.
the different amounts of sleep that people require
“It is estimated that the average man or woman needs between seven-and-a-half and eight hours' sleep a night. Some can manage on a lot less. Baroness Thatcher, for example, was reported to be able to get by on four hours' sleep a night when she was Prime Minister of Britain”
Paragraph A gives the average need of 'seven-and-a-half and eight hours', notes 'Some can manage on a lot less' and cites Thatcher's four hours - varying requirements.
an investigation into the results of sleep deprivation
“Researchers in San Diego deprived a group of men of sleep between 3am and 7am on just one night, and found that levels of their bodies' natural defences against viral infections had fallen significantly when measured the following morning”
Paragraph C describes the San Diego study that deprived men of sleep and measured a significant fall in their 'natural defences against viral infections'.
some reasons why people may suffer from sleep disorders
“Causes can be anything from pregnancy and stress to alcohol and heart disease. Smoking is a known handicap to sleep, with one survey showing that ex-smokers got to sleep in 18 minutes rather than their earlier average of 52 minutes”
Paragraph E says 'Causes can be anything from pregnancy and stress to alcohol and heart disease', adding smoking as a known handicap to sleep.
lifestyle changes which can help overcome sleep-related problems
“Apart from self-help therapy such as regular exercise, there are psychological treatments, including relaxation training and therapy aimed at getting rid of pre-sleep worries and anxieties”
Paragraph F recommends 'self-help therapy such as regular exercise', relaxation training and therapy for pre-sleep worries - everyday changes to overcome sleep problems.
a process by which sleep helps us to remain mentally and physically healthy
“The latest beliefs are that the main purposes of sleep are to enable the body to rest and replenish, allowing time for repairs to take place and for tissue to be regenerated”
Paragraph B explains sleep lets the body 'rest and replenish', allowing repairs and tissue regeneration, the restorative process behind mental and physical health.
claims about a commercialised man-made product for sleeplessness
“Melatonin pills contain a synthetic version of the hormone and are commonly used for jet lag as well as for sleep disturbance. John Nicholls, sales manager of one of America's largest health food shops, claims that sales of the pill have increased dramatically.”
Paragraph G covers melatonin pills, containing 'a synthetic version of the hormone', sold in capsules and tablets, with sales reported to have 'increased dramatically'.
the role of physical changes in sleeping habits
“Sleeping patterns change with age, which is why many people over 60 develop insomnia. In America, that age group consumes almost half the sleep medication on the market. One theory for the age-related change is that it is due to hormonal changes.”
Paragraph E ties changing sleep patterns to age, 'hormonal changes' and when the temperature rise occurs, all physical changes affecting sleep.
the processes involved during sleep
“Despite popular belief that sleep is one long event, research shows that, in an average night, there are five stages of sleep and four cycles, during which the sequence of stages is repeated”
Paragraph D describes 'five stages of sleep and four cycles' in an average night, setting out the processes that happen during sleep.
Questions 36–40: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
Sleep can cure some illnesses.
“The latest beliefs are that the main purposes of sleep are to enable the body to rest and replenish, allowing time for repairs to take place and for tissue to be regenerated”
NOT GIVEN - sleep is said to allow 'repairs' and tissue regeneration, but the passage never claims it cures any specific illness.
The various stages of sleep occur more than once a night.
“Despite popular belief that sleep is one long event, research shows that, in an average night, there are five stages of sleep and four cycles, during which the sequence of stages is repeated”
TRUE - 'four cycles, during which the sequence of stages is repeated' means the stages recur several times in one night.
Dreaming and sleep-walking occur at similar stages of sleep.
“In stage four, usually reached after an hour, the slumber is so deep that, if awoken, the sleeper would be confused and disorientated. It is in this phase that sleep-walking can occur, with an average episode lasting no more than 15 minutes In the fifth stage, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage,”
FALSE - sleep-walking happens in 'stage four', while dreaming occurs in 'the fifth stage, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage', so the stages differ.
Sleepers move around a lot during the REM stage of sleep.
“During this stage, the body is almost paralysed”
FALSE - 'During this stage, the body is almost paralysed' directly contradicts the idea that sleepers move around a lot in REM sleep.
The body temperature rises relatively early in elderly people.
“The temperature rise occurs at daybreak in the young, but at three or four in the morning in the elderly”
TRUE - the rise comes 'at three or four in the morning in the elderly' rather than at daybreak, so it happens earlier for them.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Lack of Sleep passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 5 General Training Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in Lack of Sleep?
The section is tested with Matching Information, True / False / Not Given. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.