Daylight Saving Time IELTS Reading: Passage Analysis, Translation & Answer Key

Adjusting clocks forward in the spring and back in the autumn may seem like a simple task, but it has profound economic, social, and health-related consequences. The “Daylight Saving Time” reading passage outlines the historical journey of this practice from ancient times to the modern era, while weighing its commercial benefits against its medical implications. Studying this passage helps IELTS candidates sharpen their logical thinking when tackling two characteristic question types: True/False/Not Given and Table Completion.

Reading Passage

Each year in many countries around the world, clocks are set forward in spring and then back again in autumn in an effort to ‘save’ daylight hours. Like many modern practices, Daylight Saving Time (DST) dates back to ancient civilisations. The Romans would adjust their routines to the sun’s schedule by using different scales in their water clocks for different months of the year.

This practice fell out of favour, however, and the concept was renewed only when, in 1784, the American inventor Benjamin Franklin wrote a jocular article for The Journal of Paris exhorting the city’s residents to make more use of daylight hours in order to reduce candle use. In 1895, in a more serious effort, New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson proposed a biannual two-hour shift closely resembling current forms of DST. His cause was not taken up, however, until Germany first pushed their clocks forward in April 1916 as part of a drive to save fuel in World War I.

Over the next several decades, global use of DST was sporadic and inconsistent. Countries such as the UK and USA adopted DST in World Wars I and II, but reverted to standard time after the wars ended. In the USA, the decision to use DST was determined by states and municipalities between 1945 and 1966, causing widespread confusion for transport and broadcasting schedules until Congress implemented the Uniform Time Act in 1966.

Today, DST is used in some form by over 70 countries worldwide, affecting around one sixth of the world’s population. There is still no uniform standard, however. Countries such as Egypt and Russia have adjusted their policies on multiple occasions in recent years, in some instances leading to considerable turmoil. Muslim countries often suspend DST for the month of Ramadan. The European Union finally standardised DST in 2000, while the USA’s most recent adjustments were introduced with the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

In general, the benefits of DST are considerable and well documented. Perhaps the most significant factor in terms of popular support is the chance to make better use of daylight in the evening. With extended daylight hours, office workers coming off a 9 to 5 shift can often take part in outdoor recreational activities for an hour or two. This has other positive effects, such as reducing domestic electricity consumption as more opportunities become available to use sunlight instead of artificial lighting. A further benefit is a reduction in the overall rate of automobile accidents, as DST ensures that streets are well lit at peak hours.

Many industries are supportive of DST due to the opportunities it provides for increased revenue. Extended daylight hours mean people are more likely to stay out later in the evening and spend more money in bars and restaurants, for example, so tourism and hospitality are two sectors that stand to gain a lot from more daylight. In Queensland, Australia, which elected not to implement DST due to complaints from dairy farmers over disruption to milking schedules, the annual drain on the state’s economy is estimated to be as high as $4 billion.

Some research casts doubt on the advantages of DST, however. Although the overall incidence of traffic accidents is lower, for pedestrians the risk of being hit by a car in the evening increases by as much as 186 per cent in the weeks after clocks are set back in autumn, possibly because drivers have not yet adjusted to earlier sunsets. Although this shift does in turn make streets safer in early mornings, the risk to pedestrians is not offset simply because fewer pedestrians use the streets at that time.

A further health concern involves the disruption of our body clock. Setting clocks one hour forward at night can cause many people to lose sleep, resulting in tiredness and all its well-documented effects, such as mood swings, reduced productivity and problems with overall physical well-being. In 2008, a Swedish study found that heart attack rates spike in the few days following the switch to DST for summer. Tiredness may also be a factor behind the increase in road accidents in the week after DST begins.

Finally, safety issues have arisen in parts of Latin America relating to a suspected relationship between DST and higher incidences of street crime. In 2008, Guatemala chose not to use DST because it forced office workers to leave their homes while it was still dark outside in the morning. This natural cover for criminals was thought to increase incidents of crime at this hour.

Each year in many countries around the world, clocks are set forward in spring and back in autumn in an effort to “save” daylight hours. Like many modern practices, Daylight Saving Time (DST) has its roots in ancient civilizations. The Romans used to adjust their daily routines to the sun’s schedule by using different scales on their water clocks for different months of the year.

However, this practice fell out of favor, and the concept was only revived in 1784, when American inventor Benjamin Franklin wrote a jocular article for The Journal of Paris, urging city residents to make better use of daylight hours to reduce candle consumption. In 1895, in a more serious effort, New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson proposed a biannual two-hour shift, very similar to current forms of DST. Nevertheless, his idea was not adopted until Germany first pushed their clocks forward in April 1916 as part of a fuel-saving campaign during World War I.

Over the next few decades, the use of DST globally was sporadic and inconsistent. Countries like the UK and the USA adopted DST during World Wars I and II but reverted to standard time after the wars ended. In the USA, the decision to use DST was determined by individual states and local governments between 1945 and 1966, causing widespread chaos for transport and broadcasting schedules until Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966.

Today, DST is used in some form by over 70 countries worldwide, affecting about one-sixth of the global population. However, there is still no uniform standard. Countries like Egypt and Russia have adjusted their policies multiple times in recent years, in some cases leading to significant turmoil. Muslim countries often suspend DST during the month of Ramadan. The European Union finally standardized DST in 2000, while the USA’s most recent adjustments were introduced through the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Overall, the benefits of DST are significant and well-proven. Perhaps the most important factor that helps this convention gain broad public support is the opportunity to make better use of daylight in the evening. With extended daylight hours, office workers finishing their 9-to-5 shifts can often participate in outdoor recreational activities for an hour or two. This brings other positive effects, such as reducing household electricity consumption as there are more opportunities to use sunlight instead of artificial light. Another benefit is a reduction in the overall rate of traffic accidents, as DST ensures that streets are well-lit during peak hours.

Many industries strongly support DST due to the opportunities it provides for increased revenue. Extended daylight hours mean people tend to stay out later in the evening and spend more money at bars and restaurants; therefore, tourism and hospitality are two sectors that benefit greatly from more daylight. In Queensland, Australia, which chose not to implement DST due to complaints from dairy farmers about the disruption to milking schedules, the annual loss to the state’s economy is estimated to be as high as $4 billion.

However, some studies raise doubts about the advantages of DST. Although the overall traffic accident rate is lower, for pedestrians, the risk of being hit by a car in the evening increases by up to 186% in the first few weeks after clocks are set back in autumn, possibly because drivers have not yet adapted to the sun setting earlier. Although this change makes streets safer in the early morning, the risk to pedestrians is not offset simply because fewer people are walking on the streets at that time.

Another health concern involves the disruption of our biological clock. Setting clocks forward by one hour at night can cause many people to lose sleep, leading to fatigue and all its associated negative effects, such as mood swings, reduced work productivity, and general physical problems. In 2008, a Swedish study found that heart attack rates spiked in the few days following the switch to DST in the summer. Fatigue may also be a factor contributing to the increase in traffic accidents in the first week after DST begins.

Finally, security issues have arisen in some parts of Latin America regarding the suspected relationship between DST and higher rates of street crime. In 2008, Guatemala chose not to use DST because it forced office workers to leave their homes early in the morning while it was still dark. This natural cover for criminals was thought to increase the number of crimes during these hours.

Academic Vocabulary Summary

• Civilizations (n): Nền văn minh.

• Jocular (adj): Hóm hỉnh, khôi hài.

• Exhorting (v): Thúc giục, kêu gọi.

• Entomologist (n): Nhà côn trùng học.

• Sporadic (adj): Rời rạc, không đều đặn.

• Reverted (v): Quay trở lại (trạng thái cũ).

• Turmoil (n): Sự hỗn loạn, náo loạn.

• Recreational activities (n): Các hoạt động giải trí.

• Hospitality (n): Ngành dịch vụ nhà hàng – khách sạn.

• Pedestrians (n): Người đi bộ.

Answer Key & Detailed Explanation

Questions 14-19: True / False / Not Given

14. Daylight saving time has been in continual use since ancient times.

Answer: FALSE

Explanation: Paragraph 1 mentions that this convention appeared in ancient Rome, but the beginning of paragraph 2 clearly states: “This practice fell out of favour, however, and the concept was renewed only when, in 1784…“. The keyword “continual use” completely contradicts the information in the text.

15. Today, DST is very similar to how George Vernon Hudson suggested it.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: Paragraph 2 notes that in 1895, George Vernon Hudson proposed a two-hour shift twice a year that was “closely resembling current forms of DST“. The phrase “very similar to” matches the meaning of “closely resembling”.

16. DST was not considered successful during World Wars I and II.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: Paragraph 3 only mentions that countries like the UK and USA adopted DST during the two world wars and returned to standard time after the wars ended. There is absolutely no data evaluating whether this convention was successful or not during that period.

17. The USA finalised its DST policy in 1966.

Answer: FALSE

Explanation: Paragraph 3 states that the US Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966 to resolve scheduling chaos. However, the end of paragraph 4 adds: “while the USA’s most recent adjustments were introduced with the Energy Policy Act of 2005“. Therefore, this policy was not finalized in 1966.

18. Around the world, there is now general agreement on how DST should be used.

Answer: FALSE

Explanation: Paragraph 4 states clearly: “There is still no uniform standard, however.” The fact that countries constantly adjust their policies (like Russia and Egypt) proves there is no global general agreement.

19. Frequent changes to DST over a short time span have caused problems in some countries.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: Paragraph 4 states: “Countries such as Egypt and Russia have adjusted their policies on multiple occasions in recent years, in some instances leading to considerable turmoil.” The word “turmoil” is a paraphrase for “problems”.

Questions 20-26: Table Completion

20. More opportunities for [(outdoor) recreational activities] after work.

Explanation: Paragraph 5 mentions that office workers finishing at 5 PM can take advantage of extended daylight hours to “take part in outdoor recreational activities for an hour or two“.

21. Better lighting during [peak hours] leads to fewer car crashes following the spring change to DST.

Explanation: Paragraph 5 points out that car accidents decrease because this convention ensures streets are well-lit during peak hours: “as DST ensures that streets are well lit at peak hours“.

22. Some industries, such as [tourism (and) hospitality / hospitality (and) tourism], earn more money with DST.

Explanation: Paragraph 6 points out that two sectors that increase revenue are: “tourism and hospitality are two sectors that stand to gain a lot from more daylight“.

23. Dairy farmers find that DST upsets their [milking schedules].

Explanation: Paragraph 6 mentions that Queensland refused to implement DST due to complaints from dairy farmers about the disruption to milking schedules: “due to complaints from dairy farmers over disruption to milking schedules“.

24. More dangerous for [pedestrians] following resetting of clocks in autumn.

Explanation: The beginning of paragraph 7 states that when entering autumn and setting clocks back, the risk of being hit by a car increases for pedestrians: “for pedestrians the risk of being hit by a car in the evening increases by as much as 186 per cent…“.

25. Loss of sleep can lead to [mood swings], inferior performance at work and poorer general health because of fatigue.

Explanation: Paragraph 8 states that sleep loss leads to fatigue and a series of consequences: “resulting in tiredness and all its well-documented effects, such as mood swings, reduced productivity…“.

26. Darker mornings may lead to more [(street) crime / incidents of crime].

Explanation: Paragraph 9 explains that workers leaving home when it is still dark (using the term darker mornings) provides natural cover for criminals, increasing crime: “This natural cover for criminals was thought to increase incidents of crime at this hour“.

The Daylight Saving Time reading passage is a clear demonstration of how a macro-level time management decision can profoundly impact every aspect of economic life and human health. For candidates, deeply understanding the structure of this passage helps reinforce the skill of identifying synonyms and avoiding information traps. This is academic material compiled by the ECE language center to help students build sharp analytical thinking to confidently master and break through their target IELTS Reading band score. Good luck with your studies!