For decades, the world has witnessed relentless efforts to narrow the gender gap in education, particularly in boosting the academic achievement of girls. However, a notable phenomenon is unfolding in New Zealand and many other nations: girls are outperforming boys in secondary school examinations.
The IELTS reading passage “Closing the Gender Gap” delves into this issue, exploring its causes, impacts, controversies, and potential solutions. ECE will guide you through an analysis of the passage, uncovering key arguments, decoding question types, and equipping you with the essential vocabulary to conquer one of the most significant social topics in the IELTS Reading test.
Passage Content & Questions
The gender gap in New Zealand’s high school examination results
Results from New Zealand’s new national examinations for secondary schools are giving that country some cause for concern.
A
The issue is the difference in pass rates between the sexes: at each level of the examination and across all school types, the difference is about 10 percentage points. Girls are doing better in every subject, and those in girls-only schools are taking top honours. The results are not a surprise: high school girls have been outperforming boys academically for more than a decade. It is an international phenomenon, and within Australia, it was the subject of much debate and controversy. Within New Zealand back in the 1980s, there was a concerted campaign, called “Girls Can Do Anything,” which was aimed at lifting girls’ participation rates, achievement levels, and aspirations. This was so successful that the pendulum has now swung to the other extreme. Views differ on how worried people should be. After all, for much of history, girls were excluded from any form of education, and this new phenomenon could be seen as a temporary over-correction before the balance is righted.
B
However, the New Zealand State Ministry of Education says it is taking the issue seriously. It is working with a reference group on boys’ education, which has been set up, and it has commissioned an Australian academic to report on interventions that have been found to work for boys, drawing particularly on Australia’s experience. But some, such as former prison manager Celia Lashlie, the author of a book for parents of teenage boys, believe there is still resistance within the Education Ministry towards doing anything about the problem.
C
Education Ministry learning policy manager Steve Benson says that the National Certificate in Educational Achievement, or NCEA, as New Zealand’s high school exams are called, is useful to employers and to universities because it provides a fine-grained picture of pupils’ performance in every aspect of a subject, rather than just a pass or fail in an overall area. In most parts of the curriculum, for example in maths, there isn’t really a gender gap. But literacy is a different matter. Even boys who are good at writing tend not to write so much. There’s actually a quantity issue.
D
The discrepancy in reading and writing skills between males and females shows up as early as preschool, and the most significant difference is clear by the time these children enter high school. Not being good at literacy was not such a problem in the old days when many students left school for manual jobs after Year 11. But nowadays, many more stay on to higher education, and almost all jobs require literacy skills. Roger Moses, the headmaster of Wellington College, says that the written content of NCEA papers is more demanding than the previous system of secondary school qualifications in New Zealand, even in subjects such as statistics and accounting.
E
New Zealand 15-year-olds do better in international reading tests, but beneath this average lies a wide variance, with New Zealand European girls most represented at the top and New Zealand Pacific Island boys at the bottom. Yet some European girls drop out, and some Pacific Island boys excel. In other words, the range in performance within each gender group is much greater than the gender differences. Ethnic differences, and differences in socio-economic status, may be more significant than the simple boy/girl explanation.
F
This makes the Education Ministry nervous about pushing solutions that emphasize stereotyped gender differences, rather than looking at underachievement as a whole. Rob Burroughs, principal of Linwood High School in Christchurch, agrees. For three years, his school ran separate boys’ classes to try to address the disparity in performance, before abandoning them. The research showed that the boys did better in their own class than in the co-educational environment. But when he looked at which teachers they had, and how well those teachers’ other classes did, it became clear that the difference was, instead, to do with the quality of instruction.
G
At Onslow College, Dr. Stuart Martin would do away with the NCEA Level 1 exam if he could. He says that in Year 11, aged 15, boys are simply not mature enough to cope. They tend to think that just passing is enough, and that it’s not necessary to work hard for a Merit or an Excellence grade. Often they are busy with other activities and part-time jobs. Boys’ competitive instinct tends to come out later in their schooling years, especially if there is money attached or other tangible rewards. By 17, boys are catching up academically with the girls, and by the end of Year 13, boys are again winning the top prizes.
Questions 14 – 16:
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 14-16 on your answer sheet.
High school assessment in New Zealand
New Zealanders are worried at the outcomes of their high school assessment system, because the 14 of girls are higher than those of boys by 10%. A gender gap has been apparent for over a 15. This situation is not unique to New Zealand, and has been noticed in 16 also.
Questions 17 – 20:
Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 17-20 on your answer sheet.
- An advantage of New Zealand’s secondary school tests
- A mention of current government initiatives to boost male achievement
- When gender difference in literacy skills first becomes evident
- Findings that relate academic achievement to race
Questions 21 – 26:
Look at the following people (Questions 21-26) and the list of statements below.
Match each person with the correct statement, A-H.
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet.
- Celia Lashlie
- Steve Benson
- Roger Moses
- Rob Burroughs
- Stuart Martin
- Paul Baker
List of Statements:
A. Boys gain lower marks on NCEA if they attend an all-boys’ school.
B. Boys are disadvantaged by girls tending to take over at school.
C. Good teaching is more important than whether classrooms are single-sex or mixed.
D. Mathematical skills were not so important in the past.
E. The difference in achievement between school boys and girls is only evident in some subjects.
F. Older boys are more motivated to study than younger boys.
G. The NCEA exams have higher literacy standards than past exams did.
H. The New Zealand government is reluctant to take action on behalf of boys.
Summary of the Reading Passage
The passage “Closing the Gender Gap” explores a historical reversal in New Zealand education: girls outperforming boys academically.
- The Issue and Context (Paragraph A): Girls’ pass rates are 10% higher than boys’ at all levels. This is a global trend, and in New Zealand, it is a consequence of the 1980s “Girls Can Do Anything” campaign. Opinions vary on how concerning this trend is.
- Government Response (Paragraph B): The New Zealand Ministry of Education is taking the issue seriously, establishing a reference group and commissioning Australian research on interventions for boys. However, some, like Celia Lashlie, argue that the Ministry remains resistant to taking concrete action.
- NCEA Assessment and Literacy (Paragraph C): Steve Benson from the Ministry explains that the NCEA provides a detailed picture of student performance. He notes that the gender gap is negligible in most subjects (e.g., Maths) but significant in literacy, where boys tend to write less.
- Literacy and Modern Demands (Paragraph D): Discrepancies in literacy appear as early as preschool and become most evident by high school. Today, literacy is essential for higher education and most careers. Roger Moses emphasizes that the written requirements of current NCEA papers are more demanding than previous systems, even in subjects like statistics and accounting.
- Other Influencing Factors (Paragraph E): While New Zealand performs well in international reading tests, there is a wide variance: European girls often lead, while Pacific Island boys often lag. The passage suggests that ethnicity and socio-economic status may be more significant factors than gender alone.
- Solutions and Teaching Quality (Paragraph F): The Ministry is cautious about promoting solutions based on gender stereotypes. Rob Burroughs experimented with single-sex boys’ classes but concluded that the quality of instruction, rather than the learning environment, was the deciding factor.
- Maturity and Motivation (Paragraph G): Dr. Stuart Martin suggests that 15-year-old boys are often not mature enough to handle NCEA Level 1, frequently aiming only for a passing grade. Boys’ competitive instincts often emerge later, especially with tangible rewards. By the end of Year 13, boys often reclaim top honors.
Key Vocabulary
- Gender gap (noun phrase): The disparity between males and females.
- Pass rates (noun phrase): The percentage of students who successfully pass an exam.
- Outperforming (verb): Performing better than others.
- International phenomenon (noun phrase): An occurrence observed globally.
- Concerted campaign (noun phrase): A coordinated effort or movement.
- Pendulum has now swung to the other extreme (idiom): The situation has completely reversed.
- Over-correction (noun): An excessive adjustment.
- Reference group (noun phrase): A group of experts or stakeholders consulted for advice.
- Commissioned (verb): Formally ordered or authorized research/work.
- Interventions (noun): Actions taken to improve a situation.
- Resistance (noun): Opposition to change.
- Fine-grained picture (noun phrase): A detailed, nuanced view.
- Literacy (noun): The ability to read and write.
- Quantity issue (noun phrase): A problem related to the amount of work produced.
- Discrepancy (noun): A lack of compatibility or similarity.
- Manual jobs (noun phrase): Physical labor-based employment.
- Demanding (adjective): Requiring high levels of effort or skill.
- Wide variance (noun phrase): A large range of difference.
- Socio-economic status (noun phrase): A person’s social and economic standing.
- Underachievement (noun): Performance below expected standards.
- Disparity (noun): A great difference.
- Co-educational environment (noun phrase): A school where boys and girls are taught together.
- Quality of instruction (noun phrase): The effectiveness of teaching.
- Mature enough (adjective phrase): Having reached an appropriate level of development.
- Competitive instinct (noun phrase): The natural drive to compete.
- Tangible rewards (noun phrase): Concrete, physical, or financial incentives.
Answer Key & In-depth Analysis
14. pass rates
Evidence (Paragraph A): “The issue is the difference in pass rates between the sexes: at each level of the examination and across all school types, the difference is about 10 percentage points.”
Explanation: “Outcomes” is synonymous with “pass rates.”
15. decade
Evidence (Paragraph A): “high school girls have been outperforming boys academically for more than a decade.”
Explanation: “For over a decade” matches the text.
16. Australia
Evidence (Paragraph A): “It is an international phenomenon, and within Australia, it was the subject of much debate and controversy.”
Explanation: The passage notes that this situation has also been observed in Australia.
17. C
Evidence (Paragraph C): “NCEA… is useful to employers and to universities because it provides a fine-grained picture of pupils’ performance in every aspect of a subject…”
Explanation: Steve Benson explains that the advantage of NCEA is its detailed reporting.
18. B
Evidence (Paragraph B): “The New Zealand State Ministry of Education says it is taking the issue seriously. It is working with a reference group on boys’ education… and it has commissioned an Australian academic to report on interventions…”
Explanation: Paragraph B details government initiatives to support male achievement.
19. D
Evidence (Paragraph D): “The discrepancy in reading and writing skills between males and females shows up as early as preschool…”
Explanation: The passage identifies preschool as the point where literacy differences first appear.
20. E
Evidence (Paragraph E): “Ethnic differences, and differences in socio-economic status, may be more significant than the simple boy/girl explanation.”
Explanation: Paragraph E discusses how ethnicity and socio-economic factors relate to academic results.
21. Celia Lashlie: H
Evidence (Paragraph B): “…some, such as former prison manager Celia Lashlie… believe there is still resistance within the Education Ministry towards doing anything about the problem.”
Explanation: Statement H (“The New Zealand government is reluctant to take action on behalf of boys”) aligns with her view on the Ministry’s “resistance.”
22. Steve Benson: E
Evidence (Paragraph C): “In most parts of the curriculum, for example in maths, there isn’t really a gender gap. But literacy is a different matter.”
Explanation: Benson notes that the gender gap is not universal across all subjects.
23. Roger Moses: G
Evidence (Paragraph D): “Roger Moses… says that the written content of NCEA papers is more demanding than the previous system…”
Explanation: Moses confirms that current NCEA exams have higher literacy requirements.
24. Rob Burroughs: C
Evidence (Paragraph F): “…it became clear that the difference was, instead, to do with the quality of instruction.”
Explanation: Burroughs concludes that teaching quality is the primary factor, not the gender composition of the class.
25. Stuart Martin: F
Evidence (Paragraph G): “Boys’ competitive instinct tends to come out later in their schooling years… By 17, boys are catching up academically with the girls…”
Explanation: Martin observes that older boys show more academic motivation.
26. Paul Baker: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The name “Paul Baker” does not appear in the passage.
Conclusion: “Closing the Gender Gap” is a classic IELTS Reading text that tests your ability to identify specific information, distinguish between True/False/Not Given, and match arguments to individuals. Mastering these skills is essential for a high band score.
ECE hopes this detailed analysis helps you not only understand the gender gap in education but also provides the skills to confidently tackle similar reading tasks in your IELTS exam.
For more practice, check out these additional IELTS Reading samples curated by ECE:
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