Mở Bài
Chủ đề “How Does Digital Transformation Influence Consumer Expectations?” (Chuyển đổi số ảnh hưởng đến kỳ vọng người tiêu dùng như thế nào?) đang ngày càng trở nên phổ biến trong các đề thi IELTS Reading thực tế. Với sự phát triển mạnh mẽ của công nghệ và sự thay đổi không ngừng trong hành vi tiêu dùng, chủ đề này xuất hiện thường xuyên ở cả ba mức độ của bài thi, đặc biệt trong các đề thi từ năm 2019 đến nay.
Bài viết này sẽ cung cấp cho bạn một bộ đề thi IELTS Reading hoàn chỉnh với 3 passages được thiết kế theo đúng chuẩn Cambridge, bao gồm:
- Đề thi đầy đủ 3 passages với độ khó tăng dần từ Easy → Medium → Hard
- 40 câu hỏi đa dạng bao gồm 7 dạng bài khác nhau giống thi thật
- Đáp án chi tiết kèm giải thích cụ thể về vị trí thông tin và kỹ thuật paraphrase
- Từ vựng theo chủ đề với phiên âm, nghĩa và cách sử dụng thực tế
- Chiến lược làm bài giúp tối ưu thời gian và độ chính xác
Bộ đề này phù hợp cho học viên từ band 5.0 trở lên, giúp bạn làm quen với cấu trúc đề thi thực tế và nâng cao kỹ năng làm bài một cách bài bản.
1. Hướng Dẫn Làm Bài IELTS Reading
Tổng Quan Về IELTS Reading Test
IELTS Reading Test kéo dài 60 phút cho 3 passages với tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi. Mỗi câu trả lời đúng được tính 1 điểm, không bị trừ điểm khi sai.
Phân bổ thời gian khuyến nghị:
- Passage 1: 15-17 phút (độ khó thấp nhất)
- Passage 2: 18-20 phút (độ khó trung bình)
- Passage 3: 23-25 phút (độ khó cao nhất)
Lưu ý dành 2-3 phút cuối để chuyển đáp án sang answer sheet vì không có thời gian bổ sung.
Các Dạng Câu Hỏi Trong Đề Này
Bộ đề thi mẫu này bao gồm 7 dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading:
- Multiple Choice – Câu hỏi trắc nghiệm
- True/False/Not Given – Xác định thông tin đúng/sai/không có
- Matching Information – Nối thông tin với đoạn văn
- Yes/No/Not Given – Xác định ý kiến tác giả
- Matching Headings – Chọn tiêu đề phù hợp cho đoạn văn
- Summary Completion – Hoàn thành đoạn tóm tắt
- Short-answer Questions – Câu hỏi trả lời ngắn
2. IELTS Reading Practice Test
PASSAGE 1 – The Digital Revolution in Retail
Độ khó: Easy (Band 5.0-6.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 15-17 phút
The way people shop has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Digital transformation has revolutionized the retail landscape, fundamentally altering what consumers expect from their shopping experiences. This shift began gradually in the early 2000s but has accelerated rapidly in recent years, particularly following the global pandemic of 2020.
In the past, shopping was a straightforward activity. Customers would visit physical stores, browse products on shelves, and make purchases based on what was immediately available. The shopping experience was limited by store opening hours, geographical location, and the physical inventory that retailers could maintain. Consumer expectations were correspondingly modest – people accepted these limitations as inevitable aspects of retail.
However, the rise of e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Alibaba introduced entirely new possibilities. Suddenly, consumers could shop at any time of day or night, compare prices across multiple sellers instantly, and have products delivered directly to their homes. This convenience factor quickly became not just a luxury but an expectation. Research conducted by the Global Retail Institute in 2021 showed that 78% of consumers now expect to be able to shop online as well as in physical stores, compared to just 34% in 2010.
Personalization has emerged as another critical expectation shaped by digital transformation. Online retailers use sophisticated algorithms to track browsing history, purchase patterns, and even the time customers spend looking at particular products. This data enables them to provide highly personalized recommendations that often predict what customers want before they know it themselves. A study by Consumer Insights International found that 65% of shoppers are more likely to purchase from retailers that remember their preferences and offer relevant suggestions.
The speed of delivery has also undergone a remarkable transformation. What began as a standard week-long delivery window has compressed dramatically. Many urban consumers now expect same-day delivery as standard, and some services even offer delivery within hours. This expectation has forced traditional retailers to invest heavily in logistics networks and distribution centers to remain competitive. The pressure is particularly intense for smaller retailers who struggle to match the delivery capabilities of large corporations.
Transparency represents another fundamental shift in consumer expectations. Digital tools have made it incredibly easy for customers to research products, read reviews from other buyers, and compare specifications across brands. Consequently, consumers now expect complete information about products before making purchases. They want to know about manufacturing processes, sustainability practices, and ethical standards. Companies that fail to provide this transparency risk losing customers to more open competitors.
Customer service expectations have similarly evolved. Traditional customer service meant calling a helpline during business hours and waiting on hold. Today’s digitally-empowered consumers expect immediate responses through multiple channels – email, chat, social media, and phone. They expect issues to be resolved quickly and efficiently, often through self-service options that allow them to solve problems without human intervention. According to Customer Service Quarterly, 82% of consumers expect responses to their queries within 24 hours, and 43% expect replies within one hour for urgent matters.
The seamless integration of online and offline experiences has become crucial. Consumers want to research products online and buy in-store, or vice versa. They expect to return online purchases to physical locations and to receive consistent pricing across all channels. This omnichannel approach requires retailers to unify their systems and maintain synchronized inventory, which presents significant technical challenges.
Payment options have diversified enormously. Beyond traditional cash and card payments, consumers now expect digital wallets, buy-now-pay-later schemes, and even cryptocurrency options in some markets. The checkout process must be quick and frictionless, with minimal steps between selecting a product and completing a purchase. Research indicates that 69% of online shopping carts are abandoned, often due to complicated checkout processes.
Looking forward, emerging technologies like augmented reality and artificial intelligence are set to raise consumer expectations even higher. Virtual try-on features, AI-powered customer service chatbots, and predictive shopping systems are moving from novelty to necessity. Retailers who fail to adopt these technologies risk appearing outdated and losing market share to more innovative competitors.
Questions 1-13
Questions 1-4: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
1. According to the passage, what was the main limitation of traditional shopping?
- A) High prices
- B) Poor product quality
- C) Restricted by time and location
- D) Limited customer service
2. The Global Retail Institute’s 2021 research indicated that:
- A) Most consumers prefer physical stores to online shopping
- B) Consumer expectations about online shopping have increased significantly
- C) Only 34% of people shop online regularly
- D) E-commerce will replace physical stores by 2030
3. Why do retailers use algorithms to track customer behavior?
- A) To increase product prices
- B) To reduce delivery times
- C) To provide personalized recommendations
- D) To improve store layouts
4. What challenge do smaller retailers face according to the passage?
- A) Higher product costs
- B) Difficulty competing with large companies’ delivery services
- C) Lack of online presence
- D) Poor customer service
Questions 5-9: True/False/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
Write:
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
5. Shopping habits changed more quickly after 2020 than in previous years.
6. Amazon was the first e-commerce platform in the world.
7. Most consumers are willing to pay more for same-day delivery.
8. Companies that don’t provide product transparency may lose customers.
9. Traditional customer service was available 24 hours a day.
Questions 10-13: Matching Information
Match the following consumer expectations (10-13) with the correct development (A-E). You may use any letter more than once.
Developments:
- A) E-commerce platforms
- B) Data tracking algorithms
- C) Digital communication tools
- D) Omnichannel retailing
- E) Emerging technologies
10. The ability to shop at any time
11. Receiving product suggestions based on previous purchases
12. Being able to return online purchases in physical stores
13. Using virtual try-on features
PASSAGE 2 – Consumer Psychology in the Digital Age
Độ khó: Medium (Band 6.0-7.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 18-20 phút
The psychological underpinnings of consumer behavior have been fundamentally reshaped by digital transformation, creating a new paradigm in which expectations are not merely elevated but continuously recalibrated. This evolution represents more than a simple technological upgrade; it constitutes a profound shift in the mental frameworks through which consumers evaluate products, services, and their overall shopping experiences.
A) The Instant Gratification Phenomenon
Central to understanding modern consumer expectations is the concept of instant gratification, which digital technologies have amplified to unprecedented levels. Historically, delayed gratification was an accepted norm – consumers understood that obtaining desired products required patience and planning. However, streaming services, one-click purchasing, and real-time communication have systematically eroded this tolerance for waiting. Dr. Sarah Mitchell, a consumer psychologist at Cambridge University, explains: “We’ve witnessed a compression of the expectation timeline. What once took weeks is now expected in days; what took days is now expected in hours. This isn’t simply impatience – it’s a recalibration of what feels normal.”
This phenomenon has profound implications for businesses. A 2022 study by the Digital Consumer Research Institute found that 53% of consumers will abandon an online purchase if they cannot find information quickly, and 40% will not return to a website that took more than three seconds to load. The psychological threshold for acceptable waiting has contracted dramatically, forcing businesses to optimize every aspect of the customer journey for speed.
B) The Paradox of Choice in Digital Markets
Paradoxically, while digital transformation has exponentially increased product availability, it has also intensified consumer anxiety about making the “right” choice. E-commerce platforms offer thousands of options for even the simplest products, yet research consistently shows this abundance can lead to decision paralysis rather than satisfaction. Professor James Hernandez from Stanford’s Business School notes that “choice overload” creates a situation where consumers feel simultaneously empowered and overwhelmed.
This paradox has spawned new expectations around curation and guidance. Consumers increasingly rely on recommendation systems, user reviews, and influencer endorsements to navigate the vast digital marketplace. Interestingly, while they demand more choice, they simultaneously expect assistance in managing that choice. A longitudinal study tracking consumer behavior from 2015 to 2023 revealed that purchases made with the aid of recommendation algorithms had 37% higher satisfaction ratings than those made through independent browsing, suggesting that guided choice may be more psychologically rewarding than unlimited autonomy.
C) Trust and Transparency in Digital Transactions
The impersonal nature of digital transactions has created novel challenges around trust. When purchasing in physical stores, consumers can inspect products, interact with salespeople, and make immediate judgments about quality. Online shopping removes these sensory cues and human interactions, creating what researchers call “trust gaps.” To bridge these gaps, consumers have developed new expectations centered on transparency and social proof.
User-generated content, particularly reviews and ratings, has become the primary trust-building mechanism in digital commerce. Research by the E-Commerce Trust Foundation indicates that 91% of consumers read online reviews before making significant purchases, and products with detailed reviews receive 270% more conversions than those without. However, this reliance creates its own complications – consumers are increasingly sophisticated in detecting fake reviews and manipulated ratings, leading to demands for verified purchase systems and authenticated feedback.
D) The Social Dimension of Digital Shopping
Digital transformation has paradoxically made shopping both more isolated and more social simultaneously. While consumers now often shop alone on their devices, they’re simultaneously connected to vast networks through social media integration, live chat features, and collaborative shopping applications. This has created expectations around what Dr. Elena Rodriguez calls “connected individualism” – the desire to make personal choices while maintaining social connection and validation.
Social commerce, which integrates shopping functionality directly into social media platforms, exemplifies this trend. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have introduced features allowing users to purchase products without leaving the social environment. A 2023 survey found that 67% of consumers aged 18-34 have made purchases directly through social media, and 74% of this group say recommendations from friends on these platforms significantly influence their buying decisions. This represents a fundamental shift from the private, individual shopping experience of traditional retail.
E) The Expectation of Personalization
Perhaps no aspect of digital transformation has more profoundly influenced consumer expectations than personalization. Contemporary consumers expect businesses to remember their preferences, anticipate their needs, and customize experiences accordingly. This expectation extends beyond product recommendations to encompass every interaction – personalized email communications, customized website interfaces, and tailored customer service approaches.
However, personalization creates a delicate balance between convenience and privacy concerns. While 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that provide personalized experiences, 68% express concerns about how their data is collected and used. This tension has generated expectations around transparent data practices and user control over personal information. Consumers want personalization’s benefits without feeling manipulated or surveilled – a challenging equilibrium for businesses to maintain.
F) The Sustainability Imperative
Digital transparency has also elevated consumer awareness of environmental and ethical issues, creating powerful new expectations around corporate responsibility. Social media campaigns and digital information sharing have made it impossible for companies to hide unsustainable practices or unethical supply chains. Consequently, consumers increasingly expect businesses to demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
Research by the Global Sustainability Institute reveals that 73% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to reduce environmental impact, and 81% expect companies to be transparent about their sustainability efforts. Importantly, digital natives (those who grew up with internet technology) show even stronger preferences – 86% say they consider a company’s environmental and social practices before making purchase decisions. This generational shift suggests sustainability expectations will only intensify as digital natives gain greater purchasing power.
Questions 14-26
Questions 14-18: Yes/No/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the passage?
Write:
- YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
- NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
- NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
14. Digital transformation has completely eliminated consumers’ ability to wait patiently.
15. Having more product choices always leads to higher consumer satisfaction.
16. Online reviews are more influential than in-person recommendations for building trust.
17. Social commerce represents a return to traditional community-based shopping.
18. Younger consumers care more about environmental issues than older generations.
Questions 19-24: Matching Headings
The passage has six sections, A-F. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
List of Headings:
- i. The role of personal data in modern shopping
- ii. How excessive options affect decision-making
- iii. The changing speed of consumer expectations
- iv. Building confidence in online purchases
- v. Environmental awareness through digital channels
- vi. The contradiction of shopping alone together
- vii. The decline of physical retail stores
- viii. Price comparison tools and consumer behavior
19. Section A
20. Section B
21. Section C
22. Section D
23. Section E
24. Section F
Questions 25-26: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below using words from the box.
Word Box:
privacy / satisfaction / algorithms / isolation / manipulation / authenticity / speed / control / surveillance / recommendations
Digital transformation has created new consumer expectations around both 25. __ and personalization. While consumers appreciate tailored experiences, they also worry about 26. __ concerns related to data collection, requiring businesses to balance these competing interests carefully.
PASSAGE 3 – The Future Trajectory of Consumer Expectations in an AI-Driven Economy
Độ khó: Hard (Band 7.0-9.0)
Thời gian đề xuất: 23-25 phút
The inexorable march toward increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence systems and machine learning applications portends a fundamental reconceptualization of consumer expectations, one that extends far beyond the incremental improvements that have characterized digital transformation thus far. As we stand on the precipice of what some scholars term the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” it becomes imperative to examine not merely how consumer expectations are evolving, but whether the very framework through which we understand these expectations remains conceptually adequate.
Contemporary discourse on consumer expectations tends to operate within a reactive paradigm – businesses respond to expressed consumer desires, implementing technologies to meet articulated needs. However, emerging evidence suggests we are transitioning toward a predictive and prescriptive paradigm, wherein advanced AI systems not only anticipate consumer needs before they are consciously recognized but actively shape the formation of preferences themselves. Dr. Nikolai Petersen, whose seminal work on algorithmic consumer behavior has reshaped academic understanding of digital commerce, argues that “we are witnessing the emergence of what might be termed ‘anticipatory consumption‘ – a mode of economic exchange in which the traditional sequence of desire-formation followed by satisfaction-seeking is fundamentally inverted.”
This inversion carries profound implications. Traditional economic theory posits consumers as autonomous agents whose preferences, while influenced by external factors, ultimately originate from individual psychology and social context. The predictive capabilities of contemporary AI systems challenge this foundational assumption. When recommendation algorithms successfully predict purchases with 85% accuracy based on behavioral data patterns that consumers themselves are unaware of, questions arise about the locus of agency in consumption decisions. Are consumers expressing pre-existing preferences, or are they ratifying algorithmic predictions that have, through their very presentation, shaped preference formation?
The philosophical implications extend to the concept of consumer satisfaction itself. Classical economic thought treats satisfaction as the subjective evaluation of whether a product or service meets expectations. However, in an environment where AI systems increasingly mediate the entire consumer journey – from initial need recognition through post-purchase evaluation – the boundaries between genuine satisfaction and algorithmically optimized contentment become disturbingly ambiguous. Research conducted by the Institute for Digital Ethics at Oxford has documented cases where AI-powered customer service systems proactively manage consumer expectations downward when fulfillment issues arise, resulting in higher satisfaction scores despite objectively worse service outcomes. This raises troubling questions about whether we are measuring authentic consumer sentiment or merely the effectiveness of expectation management algorithms.
Chuyển đổi số và trí tuệ nhân tạo đang thay đổi kỳ vọng người tiêu dùng trong thương mại điện tử hiện đại
The democratization of AI capabilities presents another dimension of transformation. As generative AI tools and personal AI assistants become accessible to average consumers, the power dynamic between businesses and customers shifts fundamentally. Consumers equipped with AI agents capable of automated price comparison, quality assessment, and even negotiation will possess unprecedented leverage. Some futurists envision a scenario where consumer AI and business AI engage in machine-to-machine interactions largely removed from direct human oversight, with humans intervening only to set broad parameters and approve final transactions. This “automated consumption” model would represent a radical departure from traditional notions of the shopping experience.
Such developments necessitate reimagining regulatory frameworks and consumer protection mechanisms. Current regulations largely assume rational, informed consumers making deliberate choices in transparent markets. When AI systems mediate both the provision of information and the decision-making process itself, traditional concepts like “informed consent” and “unfair business practices” require fundamental reconceptualization. Legal scholar Professor Maria Tomlinson notes that existing consumer protection law “operates on assumptions of consumer agency and business transparency that are increasingly anachronistic in environments dominated by opaque algorithmic systems whose decision-making processes are often inscrutable even to their creators.”
The cultural variation in how societies respond to AI-mediated consumption patterns adds further complexity. Research comparing consumer attitudes across different cultural contexts reveals significant divergence. Consumers in high-trust societies with strong regulatory frameworks (such as Scandinavian countries) express greater willingness to embrace AI-mediated consumption, viewing it as an efficiency enhancement that frees time for higher-value activities. Conversely, consumers in societies with histories of institutional instability or corporate malfeasance exhibit greater skepticism, viewing AI systems as potential instruments of manipulation rather than empowerment. These cultural differences suggest that the trajectory of consumer expectations may diverge significantly across different global markets rather than converging toward a universal standard.
The environmental sustainability dimension of AI-driven consumption presents both promise and peril. Proponents argue that AI systems can optimize consumption patterns to minimize waste, suggesting products with longer lifecycles, facilitating circular economy practices, and matching supply with demand more efficiently to reduce overproduction. The environmental cost of AI infrastructure itself – particularly the massive energy consumption required for training and operating large language models and recommendation systems – potentially negates these benefits. Some researchers estimate that the carbon footprint of AI systems supporting global e-commerce exceeds that of several small nations, creating an environmental paradox where efficiency gains in consumption are offset by the infrastructural demands of the enabling technology.
Neurological research into how AI-mediated shopping experiences affect brain function offers intriguing insights into future consumer behavior. Studies using functional MRI technology have revealed that AI-curated shopping experiences activate different neural pathways than traditional browsing. Specifically, they tend to reduce activation in prefrontal cortex regions associated with deliberative decision-making while increasing activity in areas linked to reward anticipation. This neurological shift suggests that AI-mediated consumption may be not merely more efficient but qualitatively different in terms of the psychological experience it provides. Over time, this could reshape not just expectations about the shopping process but the fundamental psychology of consumption itself.
The emergence of immersive technologies – particularly virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) – combined with AI creates possibilities for entirely new consumption paradigms. Imagine virtual shopping environments where AI avatars serve as personal shoppers, products can be examined in photorealistic detail or superimposed into one’s actual living space, and the boundaries between physical and digital consumption dissolve entirely. Early implementations of such systems suggest they may engender what researchers term “hyperreal expectations” – demands for levels of customization, convenience, and experience quality that would be physically impossible in traditional retail contexts. The risk is that as these technologies mature, consumer expectations may become permanently detached from the constraints of physical reality, creating unsustainable pressures on businesses operating in hybrid physical-digital environments.
Looking toward the long-term horizon, some theorists propose that we may be witnessing not merely the transformation of consumer expectations but the obsolescence of “consumption” as a distinct category of human activity. In a scenario where AI systems manage most aspects of acquiring goods and services – identifying needs, researching options, executing purchases, and even evaluating satisfaction – the traditional role of “consumer” as an active economic agent becomes vestigial. Humans might evolve into what philosopher Dr. James Wu terms “passive beneficiaries of algorithmic provision” – individuals whose material needs are met through systems they neither fully understand nor actively direct. Whether such a scenario represents utopian liberation from the burdens of decision-making or dystopian abdication of human agency remains a subject of intense philosophical and ethical debate.
Questions 27-40
Questions 27-31: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
27. According to Dr. Nikolai Petersen, “anticipatory consumption” refers to:
- A) Consumers buying products before they need them
- B) AI systems predicting and shaping consumer preferences
- C) Businesses stockpiling products in anticipation of demand
- D) Consumers researching products extensively before purchasing
28. The research by the Institute for Digital Ethics at Oxford revealed that:
- A) AI customer service always improves satisfaction
- B) Consumers prefer human customer service to AI
- C) AI systems can manipulate expectations to increase satisfaction scores
- D) Digital ethics is becoming less important in commerce
29. What is the main concern about “automated consumption”?
- A) It will be too expensive for average consumers
- B) It removes human involvement from purchasing decisions
- C) It will reduce the quality of products
- D) It requires too much technical knowledge
30. According to Professor Maria Tomlinson, current consumer protection laws:
- A) Are adequate for AI-mediated commerce
- B) Need minor adjustments to address new technologies
- C) Are based on assumptions that no longer apply to AI systems
- D) Should be eliminated to allow innovation
31. The neurological research mentioned in the passage suggests that AI-mediated shopping:
- A) Improves decision-making abilities
- B) Activates brain regions differently than traditional shopping
- C) Damages prefrontal cortex function
- D) Has no significant neurological effects
Questions 32-36: Matching Features
Match the following perspectives (32-36) with the correct group or individual (A-G) mentioned in the passage.
Groups/Individuals:
- A) Dr. Nikolai Petersen
- B) Institute for Digital Ethics at Oxford
- C) Professor Maria Tomlinson
- D) Scandinavian consumers
- E) Some futurists
- F) Environmental researchers
- G) Dr. James Wu
32. Concerns about the energy consumption of AI infrastructure
33. The concept that humans may become passive recipients of AI-provided goods
34. Views AI-mediated consumption positively due to strong regulatory frameworks
35. Believes current legal frameworks are outdated for AI commerce
36. Documented how AI systems can manipulate consumer satisfaction ratings
Questions 37-40: Short-answer Questions
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
37. What term describes the massive energy needs required for operating AI systems?
38. What type of technology allows consumers to see products superimposed in their real environment?
39. What brain region associated with careful decision-making shows reduced activity during AI-curated shopping?
40. What kind of expectations might immersive technologies create that are impossible in physical retail?
3. Answer Keys – Đáp Án
PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-13
- C
- B
- C
- B
- TRUE
- NOT GIVEN
- NOT GIVEN
- TRUE
- FALSE
- A
- B
- D
- E
PASSAGE 2: Questions 14-26
- NO
- NO
- NOT GIVEN
- NO
- YES
- iii
- ii
- iv
- vi
- i
- v
- speed (hoặc recommendations/algorithms)
- privacy
PASSAGE 3: Questions 27-40
- B
- C
- B
- C
- B
- F
- G
- D
- C
- B
- energy consumption
- augmented reality
- prefrontal cortex
- hyperreal expectations
4. Giải Thích Đáp Án Chi Tiết
Passage 1 – Giải Thích
Câu 1: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: main limitation, traditional shopping
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 2-4
- Giải thích: Câu “The shopping experience was limited by store opening hours, geographical location, and the physical inventory” được paraphrase thành “Restricted by time and location.” Các đáp án khác không được đề cập như là những hạn chế chính.
Câu 2: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Global Retail Institute, 2021 research
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Thông tin “78% of consumers now expect to be able to shop online as well as in physical stores, compared to just 34% in 2010” cho thấy kỳ vọng về mua sắm online đã tăng đáng kể (significantly increased).
Câu 5: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: shopping habits, changed more quickly, after 2020
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, dòng 3-4
- Giải thích: “This shift began gradually in the early 2000s but has accelerated rapidly in recent years, particularly following the global pandemic of 2020” xác nhận sự thay đổi nhanh hơn sau năm 2020.
Câu 6: NOT GIVEN
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Amazon, first e-commerce platform
- Vị trí trong bài: Không có thông tin
- Giải thích: Bài chỉ đề cập Amazon như một ví dụ về nền tảng thương mại điện tử, không nói nó là nền tảng đầu tiên.
Câu 8: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: companies, product transparency, lose customers
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6, câu cuối
- Giải thích: “Companies that fail to provide this transparency risk losing customers to more open competitors” trực tiếp xác nhận thông tin này.
Câu 9: FALSE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: traditional customer service, 24 hours
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 7, dòng 1-2
- Giải thích: “Traditional customer service meant calling a helpline during business hours” mâu thuẫn với phát biểu, cho thấy dịch vụ truyền thống KHÔNG hoạt động 24 giờ.
Sự thay đổi kỳ vọng của người tiêu dùng trong thời đại chuyển đổi số và thương mại điện tử
Passage 2 – Giải Thích
Câu 14: NO
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: completely eliminated, ability to wait patiently
- Vị trí trong bài: Section A, đoạn 1-2
- Giải thích: Bài viết nói về “compression of the expectation timeline” và “recalibration” chứ không phải “completely eliminated.” Từ “completely” làm cho phát biểu này quá tuyệt đối và mâu thuẫn với quan điểm của tác giả.
Câu 15: NO
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: more choices, always, higher satisfaction
- Vị trí trong bài: Section B
- Giải thích: Tác giả đề cập đến “choice overload” và “decision paralysis,” chỉ ra rằng nhiều lựa chọn có thể dẫn đến lo lắng hơn là sự hài lòng. Từ “always” trong câu hỏi trái ngược với “paradox of choice” được mô tả.
Câu 18: YES
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: younger consumers, environmental issues, older generations
- Vị trí trong bài: Section F, đoạn cuối
- Giải thích: “Digital natives…show even stronger preferences – 86% say they consider a company’s environmental and social practices” so với 73% ở đoạn trước (tất cả người tiêu dùng), cho thấy thế hệ trẻ quan tâm hơn.
Câu 19-24: Matching Headings
Câu 19: iii (The changing speed of consumer expectations)
- Section A tập trung vào “instant gratification” và “compression of the expectation timeline.”
Câu 20: ii (How excessive options affect decision-making)
- Section B thảo luận về “paradox of choice” và “decision paralysis.”
Câu 21: iv (Building confidence in online purchases)
- Section C nói về “trust gaps” và vai trò của reviews trong xây dựng lòng tin.
Câu 22: vi (The contradiction of shopping alone together)
- Section D mô tả “connected individualism” – mua sắm một mình nhưng vẫn kết nối xã hội.
Câu 23: i (The role of personal data in modern shopping)
- Section E thảo luận về personalization và cân bằng giữa tiện lợi và quyền riêng tư.
Câu 24: v (Environmental awareness through digital channels)
- Section F tập trung vào sustainability và các kỳ vọng về trách nhiệm xã hội.
Câu 25-26: Summary Completion
Câu 25: speed (hoặc algorithms/recommendations đều có thể chấp nhận tùy cách hiểu)
- Dựa vào ngữ cảnh của summary về expectations, “speed” phù hợp với nội dung tổng thể về instant gratification.
Câu 26: privacy
- “Privacy concerns” được đề cập trực tiếp trong Section E: “68% express concerns about how their data is collected and used.”
Passage 3 – Giải Thích
Câu 27: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Dr. Nikolai Petersen, anticipatory consumption
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, câu cuối
- Giải thích: Petersen định nghĩa “anticipatory consumption” là “a mode of economic exchange in which the traditional sequence of desire-formation followed by satisfaction-seeking is fundamentally inverted” – có nghĩa là AI dự đoán và hình thành preferences trước khi người tiêu dùng nhận thức được.
Câu 28: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Institute for Digital Ethics, Oxford, revealed
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4
- Giải thích: “AI-powered customer service systems proactively manage consumer expectations downward when fulfillment issues arise, resulting in higher satisfaction scores despite objectively worse service outcomes” cho thấy AI có thể thao túng kỳ vọng để tăng điểm hài lòng.
Câu 29: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: main concern, automated consumption
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 5
- Giải thích: Đoạn văn mô tả “machine-to-machine interactions largely removed from direct human oversight,” cho thấy mối quan tâm chính là việc loại bỏ sự tham gia của con người.
Câu 30: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Professor Maria Tomlinson, consumer protection laws
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6
- Giải thích: Tomlinson nói rằng luật hiện hành “operates on assumptions…that are increasingly anachronistic” – nghĩa là dựa trên các giả định không còn phù hợp.
Câu 31: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: neurological research, AI-mediated shopping
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 9
- Giải thích: “AI-curated shopping experiences activate different neural pathways than traditional browsing” trực tiếp chỉ ra sự khác biệt trong việc kích hoạt các vùng não.
Câu 32-36: Matching Features
Câu 32: F (Environmental researchers)
- Đoạn 8 đề cập “Some researchers estimate that the carbon footprint of AI systems…”
Câu 33: G (Dr. James Wu)
- Đoạn cuối trích dẫn Dr. James Wu về “passive beneficiaries of algorithmic provision.”
Câu 34: D (Scandinavian consumers)
- Đoạn 7: “Consumers in high-trust societies…such as Scandinavian countries…express greater willingness to embrace AI-mediated consumption.”
Câu 35: C (Professor Maria Tomlinson)
- Đoạn 6 thảo luận về quan điểm của Tomlinson về sự lỗi thời của khung pháp lý hiện tại.
Câu 36: B (Institute for Digital Ethics at Oxford)
- Đoạn 4 mô tả nghiên cứu của tổ chức này về việc thao túng satisfaction ratings.
Câu 37-40: Short-answer Questions
Câu 37: energy consumption
- Vị trí: Đoạn 8, “the massive energy consumption required for training and operating large language models.”
Câu 38: augmented reality
- Vị trí: Đoạn 10, “products can be examined…or superimposed into one’s actual living space” đề cập đến AR.
Câu 39: prefrontal cortex
- Vị trí: Đoạn 9, “reduce activation in prefrontal cortex regions associated with deliberative decision-making.”
Câu 40: hyperreal expectations
- Vị trí: Đoạn 10, “may engender what researchers term ‘hyperreal expectations’ – demands for levels…that would be physically impossible in traditional retail contexts.”
5. Từ Vựng Quan Trọng Theo Passage
Passage 1 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| digital transformation | n | /ˈdɪdʒɪtl trænsˌfɔːrˈmeɪʃən/ | chuyển đổi số | Digital transformation has revolutionized the retail landscape | undergo digital transformation, drive digital transformation |
| retail landscape | n | /ˈriːteɪl ˈlændskeɪp/ | bối cảnh bán lẻ | revolutionized the retail landscape | transform the retail landscape, competitive retail landscape |
| accelerate rapidly | v | /ækˈseləreɪt ˈræpɪdli/ | tăng tốc nhanh chóng | has accelerated rapidly in recent years | accelerate rapidly, accelerate growth |
| e-commerce platforms | n | /ˈiː kɒmɜːs ˈplætfɔːmz/ | nền tảng thương mại điện tử | the rise of e-commerce platforms | leading e-commerce platforms, popular e-commerce platforms |
| convenience factor | n | /kənˈviːniəns ˈfæktə/ | yếu tố tiện lợi | This convenience factor quickly became an expectation | important convenience factor, key convenience factor |
| sophisticated algorithms | n | /səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd ˈælgərɪðəmz/ | thuật toán tinh vi | use sophisticated algorithms to track | develop sophisticated algorithms, employ sophisticated algorithms |
| personalized recommendations | n | /ˈpɜːsənəlaɪzd ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃənz/ | đề xuất cá nhân hóa | provide highly personalized recommendations | offer personalized recommendations, receive personalized recommendations |
| same-day delivery | n | /seɪm deɪ dɪˈlɪvəri/ | giao hàng trong ngày | expect same-day delivery as standard | offer same-day delivery, provide same-day delivery |
| logistics networks | n | /ləˈdʒɪstɪks ˈnetwɜːks/ | mạng lưới logistics | invest heavily in logistics networks | build logistics networks, expand logistics networks |
| transparency | n | /trænsˈpærənsi/ | tính minh bạch | Transparency represents another fundamental shift | improve transparency, ensure transparency |
| immediate responses | n | /ɪˈmiːdiət rɪˈspɒnsɪz/ | phản hồi ngay lập tức | expect immediate responses through multiple channels | provide immediate responses, demand immediate responses |
| omnichannel approach | n | /ˈɒmni ˈtʃænl əˈprəʊtʃ/ | phương pháp đa kênh | This omnichannel approach requires retailers to unify | adopt an omnichannel approach, implement omnichannel approach |
Passage 2 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| psychological underpinnings | n | /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl ˌʌndəˈpɪnɪŋz/ | nền tảng tâm lý | The psychological underpinnings of consumer behavior | explore psychological underpinnings, understand psychological underpinnings |
| profound shift | n | /prəˈfaʊnd ʃɪft/ | sự thay đổi sâu sắc | constitutes a profound shift in mental frameworks | represent a profound shift, undergo a profound shift |
| instant gratification | n | /ˈɪnstənt ˌgrætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ | sự thỏa mãn tức thì | the concept of instant gratification | seek instant gratification, culture of instant gratification |
| expectation timeline | n | /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən ˈtaɪmlaɪn/ | dòng thời gian kỳ vọng | a compression of the expectation timeline | shorten the expectation timeline, manage expectation timeline |
| decision paralysis | n | /dɪˈsɪʒən pəˈræləsɪs/ | sự bất lực trong quyết định | this abundance can lead to decision paralysis | experience decision paralysis, avoid decision paralysis |
| choice overload | n | /tʃɔɪs ˈəʊvələʊd/ | quá tải lựa chọn | choice overload creates a situation | suffer from choice overload, reduce choice overload |
| recommendation systems | n | /ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃən ˈsɪstəmz/ | hệ thống đề xuất | rely on recommendation systems | advanced recommendation systems, effective recommendation systems |
| user-generated content | n | /ˈjuːzə ˈdʒenəreɪtɪd ˈkɒntent/ | nội dung do người dùng tạo | User-generated content has become the primary trust-building mechanism | leverage user-generated content, encourage user-generated content |
| social proof | n | /ˈsəʊʃəl pruːf/ | bằng chứng xã hội | expectations centered on transparency and social proof | provide social proof, rely on social proof |
| trust gaps | n | /trʌst gæps/ | khoảng cách niềm tin | creating what researchers call trust gaps | bridge trust gaps, close trust gaps |
| verified purchase | adj + n | /ˈverɪfaɪd ˈpɜːtʃəs/ | mua hàng đã xác minh | demands for verified purchase systems | require verified purchase, display verified purchase badge |
| social commerce | n | /ˈsəʊʃəl ˈkɒmɜːs/ | thương mại xã hội | Social commerce exemplifies this trend | growth of social commerce, engage in social commerce |
| connected individualism | n | /kəˈnektɪd ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəlɪzəm/ | chủ nghĩa cá nhân kết nối | expectations around connected individualism | concept of connected individualism, promote connected individualism |
| privacy concerns | n | /ˈprɪvəsi kənˈsɜːnz/ | mối lo ngại về quyền riêng tư | express concerns about privacy concerns | address privacy concerns, raise privacy concerns |
| sustainability imperative | n | /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪləti ɪmˈperətɪv/ | tính bắt buộc về bền vững | The sustainability imperative | respond to sustainability imperative, recognize sustainability imperative |
Passage 3 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| inexorable march | n | /ɪnˈeksərəbl mɑːtʃ/ | bước tiến không thể cưỡng lại | The inexorable march toward AI systems | witness the inexorable march, resist the inexorable march |
| machine learning applications | n | /məˈʃiːn ˈlɜːnɪŋ ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃənz/ | ứng dụng học máy | machine learning applications portends | develop machine learning applications, deploy machine learning applications |
| incremental improvements | n | /ˌɪŋkrəˈmentl ɪmˈpruːvmənts/ | cải tiến từng bước | extends far beyond incremental improvements | achieve incremental improvements, focus on incremental improvements |
| reactive paradigm | n | /riˈæktɪv ˈpærədaɪm/ | mô hình phản ứng | operates within a reactive paradigm | shift from reactive paradigm, move beyond reactive paradigm |
| predictive and prescriptive paradigm | n | /prɪˈdɪktɪv ənd prɪˈskrɪptɪv ˈpærədaɪm/ | mô hình dự đoán và chỉ dẫn | transitioning toward a predictive and prescriptive paradigm | embrace predictive paradigm, adopt prescriptive paradigm |
| anticipatory consumption | n | /ænˈtɪsɪpətəri kənˈsʌmpʃən/ | tiêu dùng dự đoán trước | the emergence of anticipatory consumption | trend toward anticipatory consumption, enable anticipatory consumption |
| autonomous agents | n | /ɔːˈtɒnəməs ˈeɪdʒənts/ | tác nhân tự chủ | consumers as autonomous agents | act as autonomous agents, function as autonomous agents |
| behavioral data patterns | n | /bɪˈheɪvjərəl ˈdeɪtə ˈpætənz/ | mẫu dữ liệu hành vi | based on behavioral data patterns | analyze behavioral data patterns, identify behavioral data patterns |
| locus of agency | n | /ˈləʊkəs əv ˈeɪdʒənsi/ | trung tâm quyền hành động | questions about the locus of agency | examine locus of agency, challenge locus of agency |
| algorithmically optimized contentment | n | /ˌælgəˈrɪðmɪkli ˈɒptɪmaɪzd kənˈtentmənt/ | sự hài lòng được tối ưu hóa bằng thuật toán | between genuine satisfaction and algorithmically optimized contentment | achieve algorithmically optimized contentment, distinguish from genuine satisfaction |
| expectation management algorithms | n | /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən ˈmænɪdʒmənt ˈælgərɪðəmz/ | thuật toán quản lý kỳ vọng | effectiveness of expectation management algorithms | deploy expectation management algorithms, refine expectation management algorithms |
| generative AI tools | n | /ˈdʒenərətɪv eɪ aɪ tuːlz/ | công cụ AI tạo sinh | As generative AI tools become accessible | utilize generative AI tools, integrate generative AI tools |
| machine-to-machine interactions | n | /məˈʃiːn tə məˈʃiːn ˌɪntərˈækʃənz/ | tương tác máy với máy | consumer AI and business AI engage in machine-to-machine interactions | facilitate machine-to-machine interactions, automate machine-to-machine interactions |
| opaque algorithmic systems | n | /əʊˈpeɪk ˌælgəˈrɪðmɪk ˈsɪstəmz/ | hệ thống thuật toán mờ đục | dominated by opaque algorithmic systems | regulate opaque algorithmic systems, transparency of opaque systems |
| circular economy practices | n | /ˈsɜːkjələr ɪˈkɒnəmi ˈpræktɪsɪz/ | thực hành kinh tế tuần hoàn | facilitating circular economy practices | implement circular economy practices, promote circular economy practices |
| environmental paradox | n | /ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmentl ˈpærədɒks/ | nghịch lý môi trường | creating an environmental paradox | face environmental paradox, resolve environmental paradox |
| functional MRI technology | n | /ˈfʌŋkʃənəl em ɑːr aɪ tekˈnɒlədʒi/ | công nghệ MRI chức năng | Studies using functional MRI technology | employ functional MRI technology, advances in functional MRI technology |
| hyperreal expectations | n | /ˌhaɪpəˈrɪəl ˌekspekˈteɪʃənz/ | kỳ vọng siêu thực | may engender hyperreal expectations | create hyperreal expectations, manage hyperreal expectations |
Kết Bài
Chủ đề “How does digital transformation influence consumer expectations?” là một trong những chủ đề quan trọng và thường xuyên xuất hiện trong IELTS Reading. Qua bộ đề thi mẫu này, bạn đã được tiếp cận với ba passages ở ba mức độ khác nhau, từ Easy đến Hard, giúp bạn làm quen với cách thức đề thi thực tế được xây dựng.
Ba passages trong bộ đề này đã cung cấp:
- Passage 1 giới thiệu các khái niệm cơ bản về chuyển đổi số trong bán lẻ với từ vựng và cấu trúc dễ tiếp cận
- Passage 2 đi sâu vào tâm lý người tiêu dùng với các khái niệm phức tạp hơn và yêu cầu kỹ năng paraphrase cao hơn
- Passage 3 mang tính học thuật cao, thảo luận về tương lai của AI và tiêu dùng với từ vựng chuyên ngành và cấu trúc câu phức tạp
Đáp án chi tiết không chỉ cung cấp câu trả lời đúng mà còn giải thích rõ ràng về vị trí thông tin, kỹ thuật paraphrase, và lý do tại sao các đáp án khác không phù hợp. Điều này giúp bạn tự đánh giá được điểm mạnh và điểm yếu của mình trong từng dạng câu hỏi.
Phần từ vựng được tổ chức theo từng passage với đầy đủ phiên âm, nghĩa tiếng Việt, ví dụ thực tế từ bài, và các collocations quan trọng. Đây là nguồn tài liệu quý giá để bạn mở rộng vốn từ vựng học thuật, đặc biệt là các chủ đề liên quan đến công nghệ, thương mại và tâm lý tiêu dùng.
Hãy luyện tập thường xuyên với các đề thi mẫu như thế này, tuân thủ nghiêm ngặt về thời gian, và phân tích kỹ lưỡng các câu trả lời sai để cải thiện kỹ năng. Sự kiên trì và phương pháp học tập đúng đắn sẽ giúp bạn đạt được band điểm mong muốn trong kỳ thi IELTS Reading. Chúc bạn ôn tập hiệu quả và thành công!
