Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 Passage 2 – Procrastination Answers with Explanations

I’m Hiroshi Tanaka, an IELTS Reading expert with nine years of experience teaching Cambridge passages, including Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 Passage 2 – Procrastination. At IELTS Zone, I help learners identify reading patterns, recognise paraphrases, and avoid traps — boosting both accuracy and confidence for higher band scores.

The Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 Passage 2 – Procrastination passage, written by a psychologist, explores why people delay important tasks and how this behaviour links to emotion management rather than laziness. The text discusses scientific evidence, mental-health impacts, and ways to overcome this common habit — a valuable practice topic for understanding argument structure and cause-and-effect relationships in IELTS Reading.

Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 Passage 2 – Procrastination Answers with Explanations

Questions 14–16 | Identifying Information

This identifying-information question type follows the passage order. To master how to spot evidence and match it to the question, explore our guide on Matching Information in IELTS Reading.

14. Mention of false assumptions about why people procrastinate
    Keywords: false beliefs, reasons for procrastination
    Location: Paragraph B — Lines 1–3 (“Contrary to popular belief, procrastination is not due to laziness or poor time management.”)
    Explanation: The author rejects the common idea that procrastination stems from laziness or bad time management, showing these are false assumptions.
    Answer: B
15. Reference to the realisation that others also procrastinate
    Keywords: others procrastinate, forgive oneself
    Location: Paragraph F — Lines 7–10 (“We should remind ourselves that we’re not the first person to procrastinate, nor the last.”)
    Explanation: The psychologist reminds readers that everyone procrastinates, which helps reduce guilt and self-criticism.
    Answer: F
16. Neurological evidence of a link between procrastination and emotion
    Keywords: brain imaging, emotion regulation
    Location: Paragraph B — Lines 6–9 (“Research involving brain imaging has found that areas of the brain linked to detection of threats and emotion regulation are different in people who chronically procrastinate.”)
    Explanation: Brain-scan studies reveal biological evidence connecting procrastination and emotion control.
    Answer: B

Questions 17–22 | Summary Completion

This Summary Completion question type follows the passage order. To learn how to use grammar clues and keyword synonyms, see our guide on Summary Completion in IELTS Reading.

17. laziness
    Location: Paragraph B — Line 1
    Explanation: The text contradicts the belief that procrastination results from laziness, identifying it as a false cause.
    Answer: laziness
18. anxious
    Location: Paragraph B — Lines 4–6
    Explanation: People avoid tasks that make them feel anxious or threatened, linking emotion to delay.
    Answer: anxious
19. threats
    Location: Paragraph B — Lines 7–9
    Explanation: Brain regions detecting threats show differences between chronic and non-procrastinators.
    Answer: threats
20. exams
    Location: Paragraph C — Line 1
    Explanation: Preparing for exams is used as an example of a stressful task that people delay.
    Answer: exams
21. perfectionists
    Location: Paragraph C — Lines 2–5
    Explanation: Perfectionists and people with low self-esteem tend to procrastinate to avoid judgement.
    Answer: perfectionists
22. guilt
    Location: Paragraph C — Lines 10–12
    Explanation: After temporary relief, people feel guilt, which deepens negative mood and feeds the cycle.
    Answer: guilt

Questions 23–24 | Multiple Choice – Employee Comparison

This question type follows the passage order. Learn how to identify comparative phrases and eliminate distractors in our guide on Multiple Choice Questions in IELTS Reading.

Answers: A & C
Keywords: income, employment stability
Location: Paragraph D — Lines 8–12 (“…participants who said they regularly procrastinated had less annual income and less employment stability.”)
Explanation: Employees who often procrastinate earn lower salaries and have less-stable jobs than those who don’t.

Questions 25–26 | Recommendations for Breaking the Cycle

This question type follows the passage order. To practise spotting verbs of advice and suggestion, review our guide on Matching Sentence Endings in IELTS Reading.

Answers: A & E
Keywords: self-forgiveness, avoiding distractions
Location: Paragraph F — Lines 5–10 (“Forgiving ourselves and feeling compassion… can help break the cycle… fend off distractions.”)
Explanation: The writer advises not judging ourselves harshly (A) and avoiding distractions (E) as effective strategies to stop procrastination.

Practice & Further Resources

Excellent work! You’ve completed the Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 passage 2 – Procrastination passage. Keep your momentum by practising more question types in our 👉 IELTS Reading Practice Tests. For complete test preparation, study the full Cambridge IELTS 20 series — Reading Test 2, Listening Test 2, Writing Test 2, and Speaking Test 2 — to master all four skills.

Tips for Success

• Recognise that procrastination often stems from emotion, not time management.
• Skim for cause-and-effect language (“because,” “as a result”).
• Pay attention to contrast markers like however or but.
• Practise reading psychology-based texts in our 👉 Reading for Inference guide.

Important Vocabulary

To build your IELTS Reading vocabulary, explore our full IELTS Vocabulary page. Here are key words from Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 passage 2 – Procrastination with simple meanings:

• Procrastination – the habit of delaying tasks.
• Anxious – feeling worried or nervous about something uncertain.
• Perfectionist – someone who wants everything to be perfect.
• Guilt – a bad feeling after doing something wrong or failing to act.
• Forgiveness – stopping yourself or others from being blamed.
• Compassion – kind understanding for someone who is struggling.

Learning these words will help you recognise paraphrases and understand psychology topics more confidently in IELTS Reading.

Final Thoughts

The Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 passage 2 – Procrastination explains the emotional roots of delay and how self-compassion and focus can break the cycle. It tests your ability to analyse causes and solutions across paragraphs. Next, continue with Cambridge 20 Reading Test 2 Passage 3 – Invasion of the Robot Umpires.

FAQ

Q1. Is procrastination caused by laziness?
No — research shows it is linked to emotional management, not laziness.

Q2. What two methods help stop procrastination?
Forgiving yourself and avoiding distractions.

Q3. How does procrastination affect employees?
It reduces income and job stability.

Q4. What IELTS skill does this passage build?
Understanding psychological causes and analysing factual relationships in texts.

References

For authentic IELTS guidance and official updates, visit the British Council, IDP IELTS, and IELTS.org — the three organisations behind the IELTS exam. To enhance your skills with structured online study, explore expert-led courses on Course Line – IELTS Preparation Courses.