“The Various Software Tools of Research” is an excellent example of a typical IELTS Reading passage. It’s dense with topic-specific vocabulary and tests your ability to identify main ideas, scan for details, and distinguish facts from information that isn’t there.

For much of the 20th century, scientific research was synonymous with laboratories filled with test tubes, microscopes, and handwritten logbooks. However, the digital revolution has fundamentally altered this landscape. Today, software tools are as integral to the research process as any physical instrument. From data collection to publication, specialised programs now enable reproducibility, collaboration, and analysis at scales previously unimaginable.

The text does not mention the “duration required” to complete the Strong Interest Inventory or any other test. When the information is neither confirmed nor contradicted in the passage, the answer is Not Given .