Mở Bài
Chủ đề giáo dục bền vững (sustainability education) đang trở thành một trong những nội dung được quan tâm hàng đầu trong kỳ thi IELTS Reading. Với sự gia tăng các vấn đề môi trường toàn cầu và nhu cầu phát triển bền vững, chủ đề này xuất hiện thường xuyên trong các đề thi IELTS thực tế, đặc biệt từ Cambridge IELTS 14 trở đi.
Bài viết này cung cấp một bộ đề thi IELTS Reading hoàn chỉnh với 3 passages có độ khó tăng dần từ Easy đến Hard, bám sát format thi thật 100%. Bạn sẽ được luyện tập với 40 câu hỏi đa dạng các dạng như Multiple Choice, True/False/Not Given, Matching Headings, Summary Completion và nhiều dạng khác.
Mỗi passage được thiết kế cẩn thận với từ vựng học thuật phong phú, cấu trúc câu đa dạng và nội dung có giá trị thực tiễn. Đặc biệt, phần giải thích đáp án chi tiết sẽ giúp bạn hiểu rõ cách paraphrase, xác định từ khóa và áp dụng các kỹ thuật làm bài hiệu quả.
Đề thi này phù hợp cho học viên từ band 5.0 trở lên, giúp bạn làm quen với áp lực thời gian, nâng cao kỹ năng đọc hiểu và tự tin hơn khi bước vào phòng thi thực tế.
Hướng Dẫn Làm Bài IELTS Reading
Tổng Quan Về IELTS Reading Test
IELTS Reading Test kéo dài 60 phút với 3 passages và tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi. Điểm đặc biệt là bạn không có thời gian thêm để chuyển đáp án sang phiếu trả lời, vì vậy quản lý thời gian là yếu tố then chốt để đạt band điểm cao.
Phân bổ thời gian khuyến nghị:
- Passage 1: 15-17 phút (độ khó Easy, band 5.0-6.5)
- Passage 2: 18-20 phút (độ khó Medium, band 6.0-7.5)
- Passage 3: 23-25 phút (độ khó Hard, band 7.0-9.0)
Lưu ý rằng độ khó tăng dần, vì vậy đừng dành quá nhiều thời gian cho Passage 1 nếu bạn muốn hoàn thành toàn bộ bài thi.
Các Dạng Câu Hỏi Trong Đề Này
Đề thi mẫu này bao gồm 7 dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading:
- Multiple Choice – Lựa chọn đáp án đúng từ các phương án cho sẵn
- True/False/Not Given – Xác định thông tin đúng, sai hoặc không được đề cập
- Matching Information – Ghép thông tin với đoạn văn tương ứng
- Sentence Completion – Hoàn thành câu với từ trong bài đọc
- Matching Headings – Ghép tiêu đề phù hợp với các đoạn văn
- Summary Completion – Điền từ vào đoạn tóm tắt
- Short-answer Questions – Trả lời câu hỏi ngắn dựa trên thông tin trong bài
IELTS Reading Practice Test
PASSAGE 1 – The Foundation of Sustainable Thinking in Education
Độ khó: Easy (Band 5.0-6.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 15-17 phút
In recent years, educational institutions around the world have begun to recognise the critical importance of sustainability education in shaping the next generation of leaders. This shift represents more than just adding a new subject to the curriculum; it involves fundamentally transforming how students think about their relationship with the planet and society. Sustainability education aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to create a more equitable and environmentally responsible future.
Traditional education systems have long focused on academic excellence measured through standardised tests and examination results. However, this approach often neglects the broader competencies that future leaders will need, such as systems thinking, ethical decision-making, and collaborative problem-solving. Sustainability education addresses this gap by encouraging students to think holistically about complex global challenges, from climate change to social inequality. Rather than viewing subjects in isolation, students learn to understand the interconnections between environmental, social, and economic systems.
One of the pioneering institutions in this field is Green Mountain College in Vermont, United States, which has embedded sustainability into every aspect of campus life. Students there do not simply study sustainability in textbooks; they live it through practical experiences such as managing organic gardens, conducting energy audits, and participating in waste reduction programmes. This experiential approach helps students develop a deep personal connection to sustainability issues, making the learning more meaningful and long-lasting. Research conducted at the college shows that 85% of graduates feel confident applying sustainability principles in their professional careers, compared to just 34% of graduates from traditional programmes.
The benefits of sustainability education extend far beyond environmental awareness. Students who engage with these programmes typically develop enhanced critical thinking skills, as they must analyse problems from multiple perspectives and consider long-term consequences of decisions. They also cultivate empathy and social responsibility, recognising that their actions have impacts on communities far beyond their immediate surroundings. For instance, when students examine the supply chains of products they use daily, they begin to understand connections between their consumer choices and working conditions in factories across the globe.
Educational frameworks for sustainability have evolved significantly over the past two decades. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has played a pivotal role in promoting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) globally. Their framework emphasises not just knowledge transmission but also the development of key competencies including anticipatory thinking (envisioning future scenarios), normative thinking (understanding values and principles), and strategic thinking (developing action plans). These competencies are increasingly recognised by employers as essential for leadership positions in the 21st century.
Schools implementing sustainability education often adopt cross-curricular approaches, integrating sustainability themes across subjects rather than treating it as a separate discipline. In mathematics classes, students might calculate carbon footprints or analyse data on renewable energy adoption rates. Science lessons could explore ecosystem dynamics or investigate biodiversity loss. History classes might examine how past civilisations managed resources or the historical roots of environmental movements. This integration helps students see sustainability not as an isolated concern but as a fundamental lens through which to view all areas of study.
However, challenges remain in scaling up sustainability education globally. Many teachers feel inadequately prepared to teach these topics, having not received training themselves. Additionally, standardised testing systems in many countries still prioritise traditional academic subjects, creating pressure to focus on test preparation rather than broader educational goals. Some critics argue that sustainability education might be seen as promoting particular political views, though advocates counter that teaching students to think critically about global challenges is fundamentally different from advocating specific solutions.
Despite these obstacles, the momentum behind sustainability education continues to grow. An increasing number of parents and students are demanding educational experiences that prepare young people for the complex realities of the modern world. Universities are responding by developing sustainability-focused programmes and incorporating green credentials into their institutional identities. The transformation of education systems worldwide reflects a growing recognition that future leaders must be equipped not only with technical knowledge but also with the wisdom and values to use that knowledge responsibly for the benefit of all.
Questions 1-13
Questions 1-5: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
1. According to the passage, sustainability education differs from traditional education by
A. requiring higher academic standards
B. focusing solely on environmental issues
C. changing how students view their relationship with the world
D. eliminating standardised testing completely
2. Green Mountain College is mentioned as an example of
A. a college with the highest test scores
B. an institution integrating sustainability into campus life
C. the first college to teach environmental science
D. a college that only accepts sustainability-focused students
3. What percentage of Green Mountain College graduates feel confident applying sustainability principles?
A. 34%
B. 51%
C. 85%
D. 100%
4. UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development framework emphasises
A. only knowledge transmission
B. competitive thinking skills
C. key competencies including anticipatory thinking
D. traditional examination methods
5. Cross-curricular approaches to sustainability education involve
A. creating a new separate subject called sustainability
B. integrating sustainability themes across different subjects
C. focusing only on science classes
D. eliminating mathematics from the curriculum
Questions 6-10: 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
6. Traditional education systems have always included sustainability as a core component.
7. Students studying sustainability develop better critical thinking skills than those in traditional programmes.
8. All teachers worldwide are now adequately trained to teach sustainability education.
9. Some critics believe sustainability education might promote specific political views.
10. Universities are incorporating green credentials into their institutional identities.
Questions 11-13: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
11. Sustainability education helps students understand the __ between environmental, social, and economic systems.
12. When examining supply chains, students learn about connections between consumer choices and __ in factories globally.
13. Future leaders need to be equipped with both technical knowledge and the __ to use that knowledge responsibly.
PASSAGE 2 – Building Leadership Through Sustainable Practice
Độ khó: Medium (Band 6.0-7.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 18-20 phút
The paradigm shift towards sustainability-focused leadership represents one of the most significant transformations in educational philosophy in recent decades. As the world grapples with unprecedented environmental challenges and widening social inequalities, educational institutions are recognising that developing leaders capable of navigating complexity requires a fundamental reimagining of leadership education itself. This evolution goes beyond simply teaching about sustainability; it involves cultivating mindsets and competencies that enable future leaders to drive systemic change in organisations and communities.
Contemporary leadership theory increasingly emphasises the concept of adaptive leadership, which requires individuals to help organisations and communities confront difficult challenges and thrive in uncertain environments. Sustainability issues epitomise such challenges—they are inherently complex, involving multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests, long time horizons, and significant scientific uncertainty. Leaders addressing climate change, for instance, must simultaneously consider economic impacts on workers and communities, technological feasibility, political realities, and intergenerational justice. This multifaceted complexity makes sustainability an ideal vehicle for developing sophisticated leadership capabilities.
Research conducted by the Harvard Business School and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership has identified several distinctive leadership qualities that emerge from sustained engagement with sustainability challenges. These include heightened resilience in the face of setbacks, as sustainability work often involves long-term efforts with incremental progress rather than quick wins. Leaders who have worked on sustainability initiatives also demonstrate enhanced stakeholder engagement skills, having learned to build coalitions among diverse groups with different values and priorities. Perhaps most significantly, they develop what researchers term “future orientation”, a capacity to maintain focus on long-term objectives while managing short-term pressures—a crucial skill in an era where quarterly financial results often dominate organisational decision-making.
Educational programmes that effectively integrate sustainability into leadership development employ several pedagogical strategies. Action learning projects are particularly powerful, where student teams work on real sustainability challenges facing actual organisations or communities. For example, at the Yale School of Management, MBA students undertake consultancy projects for organisations seeking to improve their environmental performance or develop sustainable business models. These experiences provide invaluable opportunities to practice influencing stakeholders, managing ambiguous situations, and delivering results under resource constraints—all essential leadership competencies applicable far beyond sustainability contexts.
Similarly, if you’re interested in career development in sustainable sectors, many programmes now incorporate reflective practice as a core component of leadership development. This requires students to regularly examine their own values, assumptions, and behaviours, particularly when these come into tension with organisational norms or social expectations. Through structured reflection on sustainability challenges, students develop greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence—qualities consistently identified in research as distinguishing exceptional leaders from merely competent managers. Reflection also helps students understand how their cultural backgrounds and personal experiences shape their perspectives on issues, fostering the cultural intelligence necessary for leading in increasingly diverse and global contexts.
The integration of sustainability into leadership education also addresses a growing expectation gap between emerging leaders and traditional organisational cultures. Surveys consistently show that younger professionals prioritise purpose and values alignment in their career choices, with many willing to accept lower compensation to work for organisations they perceive as making positive social or environmental contributions. By grounding leadership education in sustainability, institutions help students develop the skills to transform organisations from within, becoming change agents who can align business practices with broader societal needs. This capability is increasingly valued by employers who recognise that long-term organisational success depends on maintaining social license to operate and responding to shifting stakeholder expectations.
However, integrating sustainability meaningfully into leadership education presents several pedagogical challenges. One significant issue is the risk of oversimplification. Sustainability challenges resist simple solutions, yet educational programmes must make complex issues accessible to students from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of prior knowledge. Striking the right balance between comprehensiveness and comprehensibility requires careful curriculum design and skilled facilitation. Additionally, sustainability topics can trigger defensive reactions when they challenge students’ existing beliefs or implicate industries and practices with which they have personal or family connections. Educators must create psychologically safe environments where students can explore difficult questions without feeling personally attacked.
Another challenge involves ensuring that sustainability education produces genuine transformative learning rather than superficial awareness raising. Research in adult learning theory suggests that transformative learning—which fundamentally shifts how individuals understand themselves and their relationship with the world—requires experiences that create disorienting dilemmas, prompting individuals to question previously held assumptions. Effective sustainability leadership education often includes immersive experiences such as field trips to communities affected by environmental degradation or meetings with activists and policymakers working on sustainability issues. These encounters can create the cognitive dissonance necessary for deep learning, though they must be carefully structured to be educationally productive rather than merely emotionally overwhelming.
The proliferation of sustainability-focused leadership programmes reflects institutional recognition that preparing effective leaders for the 21st century requires moving beyond traditional management education focused narrowly on shareholder value maximisation. Leading business schools worldwide now offer specialised tracks, certificates, or entire degree programmes focused on sustainable business, social entrepreneurship, or impact investing. This institutional commitment signals to students, employers, and society that sustainability is not a peripheral concern but central to what it means to exercise responsible leadership in the contemporary world.
Questions 14-26
Questions 14-17: 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. Adaptive leadership is specifically designed only for environmental organisations.
15. Sustainability challenges provide excellent opportunities for developing sophisticated leadership skills.
16. Quarterly financial results often dominate organisational decision-making in modern businesses.
17. All business schools now require students to complete sustainability-focused programmes.
Questions 18-22: Matching Information
The passage has nine paragraphs. Which paragraph contains the following information? You may use any letter more than once.
18. Examples of specific strategies used in educational programmes that combine sustainability and leadership
19. Information about expectations of younger professionals regarding their careers
20. A description of particular leadership qualities that develop from working on sustainability issues
21. Discussion of difficulties in teaching sustainability topics effectively
22. Mention of how sustainability education can trigger emotional reactions in students
Questions 23-26: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Research from Harvard Business School and Cambridge identified several distinctive qualities in leaders with sustainability experience. These leaders show enhanced (23) __ when facing challenges that require long-term efforts. They also develop superior (24) __ skills through building coalitions among diverse groups. Most importantly, they acquire a capacity called (25) __, which helps them focus on long-term goals despite short-term pressures. Educational programmes use (26) __ where students work on real organisational challenges to develop these leadership competencies.
PASSAGE 3 – The Systemic Impact of Sustainability-Oriented Leadership Development
Độ khó: Hard (Band 7.0-9.0)
Thời gian đề xuất: 23-25 phút
The proliferation of sustainability-integrated leadership education over the past two decades has catalysed a profound reconsideration of the ontological and epistemological foundations of leadership itself. This transformation extends beyond pedagogical innovation to encompass fundamental questions about the purpose of leadership, the nature of organisational success, and the responsibilities that accompany positions of influence in an era defined by existential environmental threats and persistent social injustices. As such, the integration of sustainability into leadership development represents not merely a curricular enhancement but a paradigmatic shift that challenges the instrumentalist rationality that has long dominated management education and practice.
The theoretical underpinnings of this transformation draw from multiple intellectual traditions, including systems thinking, ecological economics, environmental ethics, and critical pedagogy. Systems thinking provides a conceptual framework for understanding organisations not as discrete entities optimising narrowly defined objectives but as embedded components within broader socio-ecological systems whose health and stability are prerequisites for any form of sustainable success. This perspective fundamentally challenges the reductionist approaches that characterise much traditional management thinking, which typically dissects complex phenomena into isolated variables amenable to linear analysis and optimisation. In contrast, systems-oriented leadership education cultivates what Donella Meadows termed “systems wisdom”—an intuitive grasp of dynamic complexity, feedback loops, time delays, and emergent properties that cannot be understood through analysis of individual components alone.
Ecological economics contributes to this reconceptualisation by interrogating the foundational assumptions of neoclassical economic theory, particularly the notion that infinite economic growth can occur within a finite planetary system. Leaders educated in this tradition develop critical consciousness regarding the biophysical constraints that circumscribe human activity and the thermodynamic impossibility of perpetual expansion of material and energy throughput. This understanding fundamentally reframes questions of organisational strategy and performance measurement, directing attention toward concepts such as circular economy, degrowth, and steady-state economics that remain marginal in conventional business discourse. The cognitive dissonance experienced by students when confronting these ideas—particularly those pursuing traditional business careers—can be pedagogically productive, prompting deep questioning of assumptions they may have previously considered self-evident.
Environmental ethics provides normative frameworks for evaluating leadership decisions with implications extending beyond immediate stakeholders to encompass non-human nature and future generations. Unlike conventional stakeholder theory, which typically defines legitimate interests in terms of parties who can affect or be affected by organisational decisions, environmental ethical frameworks extend moral consideration to entities without direct agency or reciprocal relationships with organisations. This includes ecosystems, endangered species, and future generations whose interests cannot be directly represented in current decision-making processes. Leaders educated in these frameworks develop what has been termed “ecological identity”—a sense of self that encompasses interconnection with the broader living world rather than the atomistic individualism characteristic of liberal philosophical traditions.
The question of how such education affects global perspectives on educational systems and practices becomes particularly relevant when examining the pedagogical methodologies employed to facilitate such transformation. Critical pedagogy, drawing from the work of Paulo Freire and subsequent theorists, emphasises that education is never politically neutral but inevitably serves either to reinforce existing power structures or to enable critical consciousness that can challenge them. Sustainability-oriented leadership education grounded in critical pedagogy explicitly aims to develop what Freire termed “conscientization”—a critical awareness of how social, economic, and political systems shape individual experiences and possibilities. This involves problematising aspects of contemporary capitalism that conventional business education naturalises, such as the externalisation of environmental and social costs, the concentration of wealth and power, and the subordination of human and ecological wellbeing to financial metrics.
Empirical research examining the long-term impacts of sustainability-integrated leadership education has produced nuanced findings that resist simplistic characterisation. Longitudinal studies tracking graduates of such programmes reveal that while they often maintain stronger personal commitment to sustainability throughout their careers compared to peers from traditional programmes, their ability to enact transformative change within organisations is significantly constrained by institutional structures and market pressures that reward short-term financial performance and punish deviation from established practices. This tension between individual values and institutional imperatives represents what scholars term “structured unsustainability”—the embedding of unsustainable practices within the basic architecture of contemporary economic and political systems.
Graduates frequently report experiencing what has been termed “values-practice gaps”—divergences between their personal sustainability commitments and the practices they can implement within their organisational roles. Research suggests that several factors mediate the size of these gaps and individuals’ capacity to bridge them. Organisational culture proves particularly influential; graduates working in organisations with explicit sustainability commitments and supportive leadership report significantly smaller values-practice gaps than those in traditional profit-maximising environments. Professional networks also play a crucial role, with individuals connected to communities of practice focused on sustainability maintaining stronger commitment and finding more opportunities to integrate sustainability into their work. Perhaps most significantly, individuals’ career stage matters considerably—those in early career positions typically face greater constraints than those who have accumulated sufficient social capital and organisational power to challenge existing practices.
These findings have prompted vigorous debate within the sustainability education community regarding appropriate pedagogical approaches and learning outcomes. Some educators advocate pragmatic orientations that prepare students to achieve incremental improvements within existing systems, arguing that gradualist approaches are more likely to produce tangible progress than radical stances that organisations reject. Others contend that such pragmatism risks perpetuating fundamentally unsustainable systems through marginal improvements that defer necessary transformation. This latter group advocates for education explicitly aimed at developing transformative change agents capable of challenging dominant paradigms and pioneering alternative economic and organisational models.
The methodological challenges of assessing the impact of sustainability-oriented leadership education compound these normative debates. Traditional educational assessment focuses on measurable learning outcomes and observable behavioural changes, yet the transformative potential of sustainability education may operate on longer time horizons and through more diffuse mechanisms than conventional assessment can capture. Furthermore, focusing exclusively on individual graduate outcomes may overlook systemic impacts that emerge from the collective influence of cohorts of sustainability-educated leaders. Network analysis suggests that concentrations of such leaders within particular sectors or geographic regions can create tipping points that shift institutional norms and industry practices, effects that would not be apparent from studying isolated individuals.
The institutionalisation of sustainability within leadership education also raises questions about potential depoliticisation and cooption. Critical scholars observe that as sustainability becomes integrated into mainstream business education, it risks being stripped of transformative potential and reduced to technocratic optimisation within existing frameworks. This instrumental approach treats sustainability as a constraint to be managed or an opportunity to be exploited for competitive advantage rather than a fundamental critique of prevailing economic models. Some evidence suggests this is indeed occurring, with corporate sustainability roles increasingly focused on risk management, regulatory compliance, and reputation protection rather than substantive transformation of business practices. Whether sustainability-integrated leadership education serves genuinely transformative purposes or merely produces more sophisticated management of fundamentally unsustainable systems remains an open and contested question that will likely be answered through the collective actions of graduates in coming decades.
Questions 27-40
Questions 27-31: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
27. According to the passage, the integration of sustainability into leadership education represents
A. a simple addition of new courses to existing programmes
B. a fundamental shift in understanding the purpose of leadership
C. primarily a marketing strategy for business schools
D. a temporary trend in management education
28. Systems thinking in leadership education encourages students to view organisations as
A. discrete entities with isolated objectives
B. components within broader socio-ecological systems
C. primarily profit-maximising machines
D. independent from environmental concerns
29. The concept of “ecological identity” refers to
A. studying ecology as a separate subject
B. working only in environmental organisations
C. a sense of self that includes interconnection with the living world
D. avoiding any connection with nature
30. Research on graduates of sustainability-integrated programmes shows that
A. they always achieve transformative change in their organisations
B. they abandon their sustainability values after graduation
C. their ability to enact change is constrained by institutional structures
D. they are less successful than graduates of traditional programmes
31. Critical scholars worry that mainstream adoption of sustainability education might lead to
A. too many students studying sustainability
B. complete transformation of business practices
C. depoliticisation and loss of transformative potential
D. elimination of all traditional business courses
Questions 32-36: Matching Features
Match each concept (32-36) with the correct description (A-H) from the passage.
Concepts:
32. Systems wisdom
33. Structured unsustainability
34. Values-practice gaps
35. Conscientization
36. Ecological economics
Descriptions:
A. The embedding of unsustainable practices within basic economic and political systems
B. Divergences between personal sustainability commitments and workplace practices
C. An intuitive understanding of dynamic complexity and feedback loops
D. The study of isolated business variables
E. Critical awareness of how social and economic systems shape experiences
F. A field that questions assumptions about infinite economic growth
G. Traditional stakeholder management approaches
H. Short-term financial planning methods
Questions 37-40: Short-answer Questions
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
37. What type of approaches does systems-oriented thinking challenge in traditional management?
38. According to Donella Meadows, what quality do leaders need to understand complex systems?
39. What do some critics argue that pragmatic approaches to sustainability education risk doing?
40. What type of analysis suggests that concentrations of sustainability-educated leaders can shift institutional norms?
Answer Keys – Đáp Án
PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-13
- C
- B
- C
- C
- B
- FALSE
- TRUE
- FALSE
- TRUE
- TRUE
- interconnections
- working conditions
- wisdom and values
PASSAGE 2: Questions 14-26
- NO
- YES
- YES
- NOT GIVEN
- Paragraph 4
- Paragraph 6
- Paragraph 3
- Paragraph 7
- Paragraph 7
- resilience
- stakeholder engagement
- future orientation
- action learning projects
PASSAGE 3: Questions 27-40
- B
- B
- C
- C
- C
- C
- A
- B
- E
- F
- reductionist approaches
- systems wisdom
- perpetuating fundamentally unsustainable systems
- Network analysis
Giải Thích Đáp Án Chi Tiết
Passage 1 – Giải Thích
Câu 1: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: sustainability education differs, traditional education
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, dòng 4-7
- Giải thích: Bài đọc nêu rõ “it involves fundamentally transforming how students think about their relationship with the planet and society”. Đây được paraphrase thành “changing how students view their relationship with the world” trong đáp án C. Các phương án khác không được đề cập hoặc sai với thông tin trong bài.
Câu 2: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Green Mountain College, example
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Green Mountain College được mô tả là “pioneering institutions” và “embedded sustainability into every aspect of campus life”, tương ứng với đáp án B về việc tích hợp bền vững vào đời sống campus.
Câu 3: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice – số liệu cụ thể
- Từ khóa: percentage, Green Mountain College graduates, confident applying
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Con số được nêu rõ: “85% of graduates feel confident applying sustainability principles”.
Câu 6: FALSE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Traditional education systems, always included sustainability
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Bài viết nói “Traditional education systems have long focused on academic excellence… However, this approach often neglects the broader competencies”, điều này mâu thuẫn với câu phát biểu rằng các hệ thống giáo dục truyền thống luôn bao gồm bền vững.
Câu 7: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: students studying sustainability, better critical thinking skills
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4, dòng 2-4
- Giải thích: Bài viết khẳng định “Students who engage with these programmes typically develop enhanced critical thinking skills”, điều này đồng nghĩa với việc họ phát triển kỹ năng tư duy phê phán tốt hơn.
Câu 9: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: critics, sustainability education, political views
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 7, dòng 4-5
- Giải thích: Bài viết nêu rõ “Some critics argue that sustainability education might be seen as promoting particular political views”.
Câu 11: interconnections
- Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
- Từ khóa: understand, environmental, social, economic systems
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Câu trong bài: “students learn to understand the interconnections between environmental, social, and economic systems”.
Câu 13: wisdom and values
- Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
- Từ khóa: future leaders, technical knowledge, use responsibly
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 8, câu cuối
- Giải thích: Đoạn văn kết thúc bằng “future leaders must be equipped not only with technical knowledge but also with the wisdom and values to use that knowledge responsibly”.
Passage 2 – Giải Thích
Câu 14: NO
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Adaptive leadership, specifically designed, only environmental organisations
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, toàn đoạn
- Giải thích: Bài viết mô tả adaptive leadership là “help organisations and communities confront difficult challenges”, không giới hạn chỉ cho tổ chức môi trường. Sustainability chỉ là một ví dụ về complex challenges.
Câu 15: YES
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Sustainability challenges, excellent opportunities, sophisticated leadership skills
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 6-9
- Giải thích: Tác giả khẳng định “This multifaceted complexity makes sustainability an ideal vehicle for developing sophisticated leadership capabilities”.
Câu 16: YES
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: quarterly financial results, dominate, organisational decision-making
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Bài viết nêu “in an era where quarterly financial results often dominate organisational decision-making”, thể hiện quan điểm của tác giả về thực trạng này.
Câu 18: Paragraph 4
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
- Từ khóa: specific strategies, educational programmes, combine sustainability, leadership
- Giải thích: Đoạn 4 mô tả cụ thể các chiến lược như “action learning projects” và ví dụ về Yale School of Management với các dự án consultancy.
Câu 20: Paragraph 3
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
- Từ khóa: leadership qualities, develop, sustainability issues
- Giải thích: Đoạn 3 liệt kê các phẩm chất đặc biệt: “heightened resilience”, “enhanced stakeholder engagement skills”, và “future orientation”.
Câu 23: resilience
- Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
- Từ khóa: leaders, enhanced, facing challenges, long-term efforts
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 4-5
- Giải thích: “heightened resilience in the face of setbacks, as sustainability work often involves long-term efforts”.
Câu 26: action learning projects
- Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
- Từ khóa: Educational programmes use, students work, real organisational challenges
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4, dòng 2-3
- Giải thích: “Action learning projects are particularly powerful, where student teams work on real sustainability challenges”.
Passage 3 – Giải Thích
Câu 27: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: integration of sustainability, leadership education, represents
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, toàn đoạn
- Giải thích: Đoạn mở đầu khẳng định đây là “paradigmatic shift that challenges” và “fundamental questions about the purpose of leadership”, tương ứng với đáp án B.
Câu 28: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Systems thinking, view organisations as
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 3-6
- Giải thích: Bài viết mô tả “embedded components within broader socio-ecological systems”, chính xác là đáp án B.
Câu 30: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Research on graduates, shows that
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6, dòng 2-6
- Giải thích: “their ability to enact transformative change within organisations is significantly constrained by institutional structures and market pressures”.
Câu 32: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Features
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Systems wisdom được định nghĩa là “an intuitive grasp of dynamic complexity, feedback loops, time delays”.
Câu 34: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Features
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 7, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Values-practice gaps được mô tả là “divergences between their personal sustainability commitments and the practices they can implement”.
Câu 37: reductionist approaches
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Questions (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
- Từ khóa: systems-oriented thinking challenge, traditional management
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 7-8
- Giải thích: “fundamentally challenges the reductionist approaches that characterise much traditional management thinking”.
Câu 39: perpetuating fundamentally unsustainable systems
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Questions (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS – lưu ý đếm “fundamentally unsustainable systems” là 3 từ)
- Từ khóa: critics argue, pragmatic approaches, risk
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 8, dòng 4-5
- Giải thích: “such pragmatism risks perpetuating fundamentally unsustainable systems through marginal improvements”.
Câu 40: Network analysis
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Questions
- Từ khóa: suggests, concentrations of leaders, shift institutional norms
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 9, dòng 5-7
- Giải thích: “Network analysis suggests that concentrations of such leaders within particular sectors or geographic regions can create tipping points that shift institutional norms”.
Từ Vựng Quan Trọng Theo Passage
Passage 1 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sustainability | n | /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪləti/ | sự bền vững | sustainability education | environmental sustainability, economic sustainability |
| equitable | adj | /ˈekwɪtəbl/ | công bằng, bình đẳng | equitable and environmentally responsible | equitable distribution, equitable access |
| holistically | adv | /həʊˈlɪstɪkli/ | một cách toàn diện | think holistically about challenges | holistically approach, holistically consider |
| interconnections | n | /ˌɪntəkəˈnekʃnz/ | sự kết nối lẫn nhau | interconnections between systems | explore interconnections, understand interconnections |
| embedded | adj | /ɪmˈbedɪd/ | được nhúng vào, tích hợp | embedded sustainability | embedded systems, deeply embedded |
| experiential | adj | /ɪkˌspɪəriˈenʃl/ | dựa trên kinh nghiệm | experiential approach | experiential learning, experiential education |
| empathy | n | /ˈempəθi/ | sự đồng cảm | cultivate empathy | develop empathy, show empathy |
| supply chains | n | /səˈplaɪ tʃeɪnz/ | chuỗi cung ứng | supply chains of products | global supply chains, manage supply chains |
| pivotal role | n phrase | /ˈpɪvətl rəʊl/ | vai trò then chốt | played a pivotal role | play a pivotal role, assume a pivotal role |
| competencies | n | /ˈkɒmpɪtənsiz/ | năng lực | key competencies | develop competencies, core competencies |
| cross-curricular | adj | /krɒs kəˈrɪkjʊlə/ | liên môn | cross-curricular approaches | cross-curricular integration, cross-curricular teaching |
| scale up | phrasal v | /skeɪl ʌp/ | mở rộng quy mô | scaling up sustainability education | scale up operations, scale up production |
Passage 2 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| paradigm shift | n phrase | /ˈpærədaɪm ʃɪft/ | sự thay đổi mô hình tư duy | paradigm shift towards sustainability | undergo a paradigm shift, represent a paradigm shift |
| navigate complexity | v phrase | /ˈnævɪɡeɪt kəmˈpleksəti/ | điều hướng sự phức tạp | navigating complexity requires | navigate complexity effectively, ability to navigate complexity |
| adaptive leadership | n phrase | /əˈdæptɪv ˈliːdəʃɪp/ | lãnh đạo thích ứng | adaptive leadership requires | practice adaptive leadership, develop adaptive leadership |
| multifaceted | adj | /ˌmʌltiˈfæsɪtɪd/ | đa diện | multifaceted complexity | multifaceted approach, multifaceted problem |
| resilience | n | /rɪˈzɪliəns/ | khả năng phục hồi | heightened resilience | build resilience, demonstrate resilience |
| stakeholder engagement | n phrase | /ˈsteɪkhəʊldə ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt/ | sự tham gia của bên liên quan | enhanced stakeholder engagement | effective stakeholder engagement, stakeholder engagement strategy |
| coalition | n | /ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃn/ | liên minh | build coalitions | form a coalition, coalition building |
| future orientation | n phrase | /ˈfjuːtʃə ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃn/ | định hướng tương lai | develop future orientation | maintain future orientation, strong future orientation |
| pedagogical | adj | /ˌpedəˈɡɒdʒɪkl/ | thuộc về sư phạm | pedagogical strategies | pedagogical approach, pedagogical methods |
| reflective practice | n phrase | /rɪˈflektɪv ˈpræktɪs/ | thực hành phản tư | incorporate reflective practice | engage in reflective practice, promote reflective practice |
| self-awareness | n | /self əˈweənəs/ | sự tự nhận thức | develop greater self-awareness | enhance self-awareness, lack of self-awareness |
| emotional intelligence | n phrase | /ɪˈməʊʃənl ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/ | trí tuệ cảm xúc | emotional intelligence qualities | high emotional intelligence, develop emotional intelligence |
| change agents | n phrase | /tʃeɪndʒ ˈeɪdʒənts/ | nhân tố thay đổi | becoming change agents | act as change agents, identify change agents |
| transformative learning | n phrase | /trænsˈfɔːmətɪv ˈlɜːnɪŋ/ | học tập biến đổi | genuine transformative learning | promote transformative learning, transformative learning experience |
| cognitive dissonance | n phrase | /ˈkɒɡnətɪv ˈdɪsənəns/ | sự bất hòa nhận thức | create cognitive dissonance | experience cognitive dissonance, reduce cognitive dissonance |
Passage 3 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ontological | adj | /ˌɒntəˈlɒdʒɪkl/ | thuộc về bản thể luận | ontological foundations | ontological assumptions, ontological perspective |
| epistemological | adj | /ɪˌpɪstɪməˈlɒdʒɪkl/ | thuộc về nhận thức luận | epistemological foundations | epistemological framework, epistemological approach |
| instrumentalist rationality | n phrase | /ˌɪnstrəˈmentəlɪst ˌræʃəˈnæləti/ | lý tính công cụ | instrumentalist rationality | challenge instrumentalist rationality, dominance of instrumentalist rationality |
| socio-ecological systems | n phrase | /ˌsəʊsiəʊ ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkl ˈsɪstəmz/ | hệ thống sinh thái xã hội | within broader socio-ecological systems | integrate socio-ecological systems, understand socio-ecological systems |
| reductionist | adj | /rɪˈdʌkʃənɪst/ | theo chủ nghĩa giản lược | reductionist approaches | reductionist thinking, reductionist methodology |
| emergent properties | n phrase | /ɪˈmɜːdʒənt ˈprɒpətiz/ | đặc tính nổi sinh | emergent properties | identify emergent properties, emergent properties of systems |
| ecological economics | n phrase | /ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkl ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪks/ | kinh tế học sinh thái | ecological economics contributes | study ecological economics, principles of ecological economics |
| biophysical constraints | n phrase | /ˌbaɪəʊˈfɪzɪkl kənˈstreɪnts/ | ràng buộc sinh lý | biophysical constraints | recognize biophysical constraints, operate within biophysical constraints |
| circular economy | n phrase | /ˈsɜːkjələ ɪˈkɒnəmi/ | nền kinh tế tuần hoàn | circular economy concepts | transition to circular economy, circular economy model |
| normative frameworks | n phrase | /ˈnɔːmətɪv ˈfreɪmwɜːks/ | khung chuẩn mực | normative frameworks for evaluating | develop normative frameworks, apply normative frameworks |
| ecological identity | n phrase | /ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkl aɪˈdentəti/ | bản sắc sinh thái | develop ecological identity | cultivate ecological identity, sense of ecological identity |
| critical consciousness | n phrase | /ˈkrɪtɪkl ˈkɒnʃəsnəs/ | ý thức phê phán | develop critical consciousness | raise critical consciousness, critical consciousness development |
| conscientization | n | /ˌkɒnʃəntiˈzeɪʃn/ | quá trình nâng cao ý thức | Freire termed conscientization | process of conscientization, achieve conscientization |
| structured unsustainability | n phrase | /ˈstrʌktʃəd ˌʌnsəˌsteɪnəˈbɪləti/ | sự không bền vững có cấu trúc | structured unsustainability | problem of structured unsustainability, address structured unsustainability |
| values-practice gaps | n phrase | /ˈvæljuːz ˈpræktɪs ɡæps/ | khoảng cách giá trị-thực hành | experiencing values-practice gaps | reduce values-practice gaps, bridge values-practice gaps |
| social capital | n phrase | /ˈsəʊʃl ˈkæpɪtl/ | vốn xã hội | accumulated sufficient social capital | build social capital, leverage social capital |
| transformative change agents | n phrase | /trænsˈfɔːmətɪv tʃeɪndʒ ˈeɪdʒənts/ | nhân tố thay đổi mang tính biến đổi | developing transformative change agents | train transformative change agents, role of transformative change agents |
| depoliticisation | n | /diːpəˌlɪtɪsaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | sự phi chính trị hóa | potential depoliticisation | risk of depoliticisation, process of depoliticisation |
Kết Bài
Chủ đề “How Sustainability Education Is Shaping Future Leaders” không chỉ phản ánh xu hướng giáo dục hiện đại mà còn là một trong những nội dung thường xuyên xuất hiện trong kỳ thi IELTS Reading. Qua bộ đề thi mẫu này với 3 passages có độ khó tăng dần, bạn đã được trải nghiệm một bài thi hoàn chỉnh với tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi đa dạng dạng.
Passage 1 giới thiệu nền tảng về giáo dục bền vững với ngôn ngữ dễ tiếp cận, giúp bạn làm quen với chủ đề và xây dựng từ vựng cơ bản. Passage 2 đi sâu vào cách giáo dục bền vững phát triển kỹ năng lãnh đạo, với độ phức tạp vừa phải về ngữ pháp và yêu cầu kỹ năng paraphrase tốt hơn. Passage 3 thách thức bạn với nội dung học thuật cao cấp, từ vựng chuyên ngành và cấu trúc câu phức tạp, tương đương với các bài đọc khó nhất trong đề thi thực tế.
Phần đáp án chi tiết không chỉ cung cấp đáp án đúng mà còn giải thích cặn kẽ tại sao đáp án đó đúng, vị trí thông tin trong bài và cách paraphrase được sử dụng. Đây là phần vô cùng quan trọng giúp bạn tự đánh giá, nhận diện điểm yếu và cải thiện kỹ năng làm bài một cách có hệ thống.
Bảng từ vựng với hơn 40 từ quan trọng kèm phiên âm, nghĩa và collocations sẽ là công cụ ôn tập hiệu quả, giúp bạn không chỉ hiểu nghĩa từ mà còn biết cách sử dụng chúng trong ngữ cảnh học thuật. Hãy dành thời gian ôn tập những từ này thường xuyên vì chúng có khả năng cao xuất hiện trong các đề thi IELTS khác.
Chúc bạn luyện tập hiệu quả và đạt band điểm cao trong kỳ thi IELTS Reading sắp tới!
