17 May 2025 – Actual IELTS Reading

Trends in the Indian fashion and textile industries

During the 1950s, the Indian fashion scene was exciting, stylish and very graceful.
There were no celebrity designers or models, nor were there any labels that were
widely recognised. The value of a garment was judged by its style and fabric rather
than by who made it. It was regarded as perfectly acceptable, even for high-society
women, to approach an unknown tailor who could make a garment for a few rupees,
providing the perfect fit, finish and style. They were proud of getting a bargain, and
of giving their own name to the end result.
The 1960s was an era full of mischievousness and celebration in the arts, music and
cinema. The period was characterised by freedom from restrictions and, in the
fashion world, an acceptance of innovative types of material such as plastic and
coated polyester. Tight-fitting kurtas[1] and churidars[2] and high coiffures were a
trend among women.
The following decade witnessed an increase in the export of traditional materials,
and the arrival in India of international fashion. Synthetics became trendy, and the
disco culture affected the fashion scene.
It was in the early 80s when the first fashion store ‘Ravissant’ opened in Mumbai. At
that time garments were retailed for a four-figure price tag. American designers like
Calvin Klein became popular. In India too, contours became more masculine, and
even the salwar kameez[3] was designed with shoulder pads.
With the evolution of designer stores came the culture of designer fashion, along
with its hefty price tags. Whatever a garment was like, consumers were convinced
that a higher price tag signified elegant designer fashion, so garments were sold at
unbelievable prices. Meanwhile, designers decided to get themselves noticed by
making showy outfits and associating with the right celebrities. Soon, fashion shows
became competitive, each designer attempting to out-do the other in theme, guest
list and media coverage.
In the last decade of the millennium, the market shrank and ethnic wear made a
comeback. During the recession, there was a push to sell at any cost. With fierce
competition the inevitable occurred: the once hefty price tags began their downward
journey, and the fashion-show industry followed suit. However, the liveliness of the
Indian fashion scene had not ended - it had merely reached a stable level.
At the beginning of the 21st century, with new designers and models, and more
sensible designs, the fashion industry accelerated once again. As far as the global
fashion industry is concerned, Indian ethnic designs and materials are currently in
demand from fashion houses and garment manufacturers. India is the third largest
producer of cotton, the second largest producer of silk, and the fifth largest producer
of man-made fibres in the world.
The Indian garment and fabric industries have many fundamental advantages, in
terms of a cheaper, skilled work force, cost-effective production, raw materials,
flexibility, and a wide range of designs with sequins, beadwork, and embroidery. In
addition, that India provides garments to international fashion houses at competitive
prices, with a shorter lead time, and an effective monopoly on certain designs,
is accepted the whole world over. India has always been regarded as the default
source in the embroidered garments segment, but changes in the rate of exchange
between the rupee and the dollar has further depressed prices, thereby attracting
more buyers. So the international fashion houses walk away with customised goods,
and craftwork is sold at very low rates.
17 May 2025 – Actual IELTS Reading
As far as the fabric market is concerned, the range available in India can attract as
well as confuse the buyer. Much of the production takes place in the small town of
Chapa in the eastern state of Bihar, a name one might never have heard of. Here
fabric-making is a family industry; the range and quality of raw silks churned out
here belie the crude production methods and equipment. Surat in Gujarat, is the
supplier of an amazing set of jacquards, moss crepes and georgette sheers - all
fabrics in high demand. Another Indian fabric design that has been adopted by the
fashion industry is the ‘Madras check’, originally utilised for the universal lungi, a
simple lower-body wrap worn in southern India. This design has now found its way
on to bandannas, blouses, home furnishings and almost anything one can think of.
Ethnic Indian designs with batik and hand-embroidered motifs have also become
popular across the world. Decorative bead work is another product in demand in the
international market. Beads are used to prepare accessory items like belts and bags,
and beadwork is now available for haute couture evening wear too.
Questions 1-7
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Indian fashion: 1950-2000
1950s

 No well-known designers, models or 1

 Elegant clothing cost little

 Women were pleased to get clothes for a 2 price

1960s

 New materials, e.g. 3 and polyester

 Fitted clothing and tall hairstyles

1970s

 Overseas sales of 4 fabrics rose

 Influence of international fashion

1980s

 Opening of fashion store in Mumbai

 Popularity of American designers

 Clothing had a 5 shape

 Designers tried to attract attention by presenting 6 clothes and

mixing with stars

1990s
17 May 2025 – Actual IELTS Reading
 Fall in demand for expensive fashion wear

 Return to 7 clothing

Questions 8-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1
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
8 At the start of the 21st century, key elements in the Indian fashion industry
changed.
9 India now exports more than half of the cotton it produces.
10 Conditions in India are generally well suited to the manufacture of clothing.
11 Indian clothing exports have suffered from changes in the value of its currency.
12 Modern machinery accounts for the high quality of Chapa’s silk.
13 Some types of Indian craftwork which are internationally popular had humble
origins.
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READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.
A
Recent years have seen a barrage of dystopian Young Adult novels grow in popularity
almost overnight – from The Hunger Games to The Maze Runner, Divergent, and The
Knife of Never Letting Go. These novels, set in post-apocalyptic, totalitarian or
otherwise ruthless and dehumanising worlds, have gained such momentum that the
trend has seeped into the film and TV industry as well, with multimillion-dollar movie
adaptations and popular TV series gracing the big and small screen. But what is it
about dystopian stories that make them so appealing to readers and audiences alike?
B
Dystopias are certainly nothing new. The word “dystopia” itself, meaning “bad place”
(from the Greek dys and topos), has been around since at least the 19th century,
and Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and Orwell’s 1984 (1949), commonly regarded
as the first dystopian novels that ft firmly into the genre, were published more than
75 years ago. Even the first YA dystopian novel is older than 20-Lois Lawry’s The
Giver, which came out in 1993. While these are individual examples from previous
decades, however, one would be hard-pressed to find a YA shelf in any bookstore
nowadays. that isn’t stocked with dozens of dystopian titles.
C
According to film critic Dana Stevens, it is the similarities that can be drawn between
dystopian settings and the daily lives of teenagers that make YA dystopian stories so
captivating: the high school experience involves the same social structure as
the Hunger Games arena, for example, or the faction-divided world of Divergent.
Teenagers might not literally have to fight each other to the death or go through
horrendous trials to join a virtue-based faction for the rest of their lives, but there’s
something in each story that connects to their own backgrounds. The “cutthroat race
for high school popularity” might feel like an “annual televised fight”, and the
pressure to choose a clique at school bears a strong resemblance to Tris’s faction
dilemma in Divergent.
D
Justin Scholes’s and Jon Ostenson’s 2013 study reports similar findings, identifying
themes such as “inhumanity and isolation”, the struggle to establish an identity and
the development of platonic and romantic relationships as alluring agents.
Deconstructing a score of popular YA dystopian novels released between 2007-2011,
Scholes and Ostenson argue that the topics explored by dystopian literature are
appealing to teenagers because they are “an appropriate fit with the intellectual
changes that occur during adolescence”; as teenagers gradually grow into adults,
they develop an interest in social issues and current affairs. Dystopian novels,
according to author and book critic Dave Astor, feel honest in that regard as they do
not patronise their readers, nor do they attempt to sugar-coat reality.
E
All of this still does not explain why this upsurge in YA dystopian literature is
happening now, though. Bestselling author Naomi Klein offers a different
explanation: the dystopian trend, she says, is a “worrying sign” of times to come.
What all these dystopian stories have in common is that they all assume that
“environmental catastrophe” is not only imminent but also completely inevitable.
Moral principles burgeon through these works of fiction, particularly for young
people, as they are the ones who will bear the brunt of climate change. YA author
Todd Mitchell makes a similar point, suggesting that the bleak futures portrayed in
modern YA literature are a response to “social anxiety” brought forth by pollution
and over-consumption.
17 May 2025 – Actual IELTS Reading
F
The threat of natural disasters is not the only reason YA dystopian novels are so
popular today, however. As author Claudia Gray notes, what has also changed in
recent years is humanity’s approach to personal identity and young people’s roles in
society. Adolescents, she says, are increasingly dragooned into rigid moulds through
“increased standardised testing, increased homework levels, etc.” YA dystopian
novels come into play because they present protagonists who refuse to be defined by
someone else, role models who battle against the status quo.
G
So, how long is this YA dystopian trend going to last? If The Guardian is to be
believed, it’s already been replaced by a new wave of “gritty” realism as seen in the
likes of The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. Profits have certainly dwindled for
dystopian film franchises such as Divergent. This hasn’t stopped film companies from
scheduling new releases, however, and T series such as The 100 is still on the air.
Perhaps the market for dystopian novels has stagnated-only time will tell. One thing
is for certain, however: the changes the trend has effected on YA literature are here
to stay.

Questions 1-7
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs, labelled A-G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i Teens are increasingly urged to conform
ii The dystopian model scrutinised
iii Dystopian novels now focus on climate change
iv The original dystopias
v Dystopian literature’s accomplishments will outlive it
vi A score of dystopian novels has taken over YA shelves
vii The roots of dystopia can be found in teenage experiences
viii Dystopia is already dead
ix Dystopias promote ethical thinking

1 Paragraph A
2 Paragraph B
3 Paragraph C
4 Paragraph D
5 Paragraph E
6 Paragraph F
7 Paragraph G

Questions 8-12

Answer the questions below with words taken from Reading Passage 1.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

8 According to the writer, what was the first dystopian novel?

17 May 2025 – Actual IELTS Reading
9 According to the writer, which author initiated the YA dystopian genre?
10 How does Dave Astor describe dystopian novels?
11 According to Naomi Klein, which element is present in all dystopian novels?
12 According to Claudia Gray, things like increased standardised testing and
homework levels are a threat to what?

Question 13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

13 Which is the best title for Reading Passage 1?

A A history of YA dystopian literature
B The wane of the dystopian phenomenon
C How dystopian fiction has shaped the world
D The draw of YA dystopian fiction

Passage 1
1. labels 8. TRUE

2. bargain 9. NOT GIVEN

3. plastic 10. TRUE

4. traditional 11. FALSE

5. masculine 12. FALSE

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6. showy 13. TRUE

7. ethnic

Passage 2

1. vi
2. iv
3. vii
4. ii
5. ix
6. i
7. v
8. Brave New World
9. Lois Lowry
10. honest
11. environmental catastrophe
12. personal identity
13. D