Coinage in Ancient Greece IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Get full Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers with explanations. Free IELTS Reading passage & practice test to improve speed, accuracy & band score 

Latest update: Starting in 2025, IELTS Reading passages may now occasionally include visual or diagram-based questions. That means, in addition to your standard 40 questions across three texts, you might be asked to: Label parts of an image or chart, match text with diagrams & interpret the visual data linked to the passage 

The IETLS passage “Coinage in Ancient Greece” is an excellent resource for candidates aiming to boost their IELTS Reading performance. This article provides the complete Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers with clear explanations to help you understand how each response is derived. Designed as an authentic IELTS reading passage, it reflects the actual exam’s level of difficulty, themes and timing, allowing you to practice under real test conditions.

By using this material as part of your IELTS reading practice test routine, you will develop essential skills such as scanning, skimming, and identifying paraphrased information. The topic also enriches your knowledge of history, showing how Greek coinage influenced trade and culture. Combining this IELTS sample passage with answer reviews will strengthen your strategy for matching keywords, handling tricky distractors and increasing accuracy. Consistent practice with such passages is a proven way to improve your overall IELTS Reading band score 

Check out: IELTS Reading (Academic) Sample Test (Free PDF) 

What is the Coinage in Ancient Greece IELTS passage about? 

The passage titled The Coinage in Ancient Greece in the Reading section of the IELTS is usually about how Greeks took up and developed this concept of coin usage in trade. It begins with a historical context: Lydians were the first to mint coins out of electrum, an alloy of silver and gold. At that point, city-states in Greece started striking their coins, and usually, they were stamped with the figures of gods, animals, and rulers to show the authenticity and local pride. 

Such transformation, the barter system into uniform coinage, facilitated easy barter, taxation, and the development of city economies. The fragment also demonstrates the fact that the coinage facilitated the expansion of the Greeks through the Mediterranean and contributed to the politics. 

This IELTS Reading Passage has questions involving headings, factual information, and causal links are one of the expectations, students can have. 

Key Focus Areas in the Passage 

Topic	Description
Origin of Coinage	Introduced by the Lydians in Asia Minor, around the 7th century BC
Adoption by Greeks	Greek city-states began minting their coins
Material Used	Mostly electrum, silver, and gold
Design and Symbols	Featured gods, goddesses, animals, or city emblems
Purpose of Coinage	Facilitated trade, taxation, and economic control
Spread and Influence	Coins enabled cultural and economic influence across the Mediterranean
Economic Impact	Standardization boosted trust in transactions and expanded market systems

Also Read: IELTS Reading Band Score Guide 

What is the Actual Text of Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers Passage? 

The text Coinage in ancient Greece is devoted to the development process of coins in ancient Greece, the effect that these coins had on the trade within it, and their contemporary representation in contemporary currencies. It is one of the frequently occurring IELTS reading issues that are based on history, economics, and archaeology. 

Coinage in Ancient Greece: IELTS Reading Passage 

A. There are more than 170 official national currencies currently in circulation around the world, and while they may differ greatly in value, most show a high degree of commonality when it comes to their design. Typically, a coin or banknote will feature the effigy of a notable politician, monarch, or other personality from the country of origin on one side and a recognisable state symbol (e.g., a building or an animal) on the reverse. This pattern, which has been around for more than 21 centuries, originated in ancient Greece. 

B. Before the invention of legal tender, most transactions in the ancient world took the form of trading a product or service for another. As sea trade grew in the Mediterranean, however, the once popular barter system became hard to maintain for two reasons: firstly, because it was tricky to calculate the value of each item or service about another, and secondly, because carrying large goods (such as animals) on boats to do trade with neighboring cities was difficult and inconvenient. Therefore, the need soon arose for a commonly recognised unit that would represent a set value - what is known today as a currency. As Aristotle explains in Politics, metal coins naturally became the most popular option due to the fact that they were easy to carry, and didn't run the risk of expiring. According to ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the first coins were invented in 620 BC in the town of Lydia, although some theorize that they originated in the city of Lonia. (Coins had already existed for nearly 400 years in China, unbeknownst to Europeans.) 

C. Much like with every other form of ancient Greek art, the history of ancient Greek coins can be divided into three distinct chronological periods: the Archaic (600-480 BC), the Classic (480-330 BC), and the Hellenistic Period (330-Ist century BC). As ancient Greece was not a united country like today, but rather comprised of many independent city-states known as poleis, each state produced its coins. The island of Aegina was the first to mint silver coins, perhaps adopting the new system upon witnessing how successfully it had facilitated trade for the Lelants. Aegina, being the head of a confederation of seven states, it quickly influenced other city-states in the Mediterranean, and the new method of trade soon became widespread. Up until approximately 510 BC, when Athens began producing its coin, the Aegina coin, which featured a turtle on its surface, was the most predominant in the region. 

D. The tetradrachm, Athens's new coin bearing the picture of an owl on its obverse as a tribute to the city's protector, the goddess Athena, brought with it a shift in the world of coinage. Before the tetradrachm, Athenians had been using simple iron rods known as 'obols' for currency. As the average human hand could grasp about six obols, that number soon came to represent a 'drachma' (from the Greek verb 'dratto', which means 'to grasp) - so the new tetradrachm had the same value as 24 obols. With Athens continually growing in power, the tetradrachm soon replaced the Aegina 'turtle' as the most preponderant coin in the region. It was around that time that an agreement akin to the way the EU's euro currency functions also appeared, with different coins from all over the Mediterranean being made to the same standards as the Athenian coin (albeit with each city's symbols on them) and being used interchangeably among the trading city-states. 

E. Coinage soon spread beyond those city-states. Romans abandoned the bronze bars they'd been using in favor of coins around the year 300 BC, and Alexander the Great and his father, King Philip of Macedonia, began to produce massive quantities of coins to fund their military escapades around the same time. It was with the death of the latter, in 336 BC, that the Hellenistic Period began. Two things characterize the Hellenistic Period: the introduction of a "type" (the design that coins were stamped with) on the reverse of the coins, and mass production, which mostly took place in kingdoms beyond the Greek city-states, such as Egypt, Syria, and the far east. Another new feature, which was heavily criticized by the Greeks, was the introduction of profiles of kings and other important living figures as stamps instead of the traditional symbols of animals and buildings. Athens, still a powerful city at the time, eschewed these designs and continued to produce its tetradrachm coins, even introducing a new style coin characterized by broad, thin flans - a design which became popular across the Aegean and lasted until the spread of Roman rule over Greece. 

F. It's not difficult to see why ancient Greek coins continue to fascinate coin collectors and historians today. They marked the beginning of a new era in business and introduced a model of trade in Europe that is still present nowadays; they greatly influenced the design of modern coinage, with symbols such as the owl (which can be seen on the Greek version of the euro today) and portraits of important personalities; and, since they were hand-made to high technical standards representative of ancient Greek perfectionism, many are even remarkable in their own right, as tiny metal works of art. 

Discover how to prepare for IELTS from home with practical tools, expert strategies, and full flexibility, everything you need to prepare for IELTS the right way. 

What are the IELTS reading questions for the Coinage in Ancient Greece passage? 

This segment will examine how well you learn to recognize the structure of a paragraph, detail what to notice, and be able to explain what you see as facts. You will practice on three typical question types of IELTS Reading practice using Coinage in Ancient Greece. Carefully practise each set, the same way you would in the actual exam. 

 

Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers: Matching Heading Questions 

You will have to pair the key idea of every paragraph with the appropriate heading. Don't point out just the sentences. 

Questions 1–5: Matching Headings 

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. 

List of Headings: 

i. The influence of Greek coinage on modern currencies 

ii. The function of coin types during the Hellenistic period 

iii. From bartering to coinage: reasons for a monetary system 

iv. Spread of Athenian coinage and standardisation 

v. Description of typical ancient Greek coins 

vi. Political symbolism in coin design 

vii. Why ancient Greek coins are valuable today 

Questions: 

1. Paragraph A 
2. Paragraph B 
3. Paragraph C 
4. Paragraph D 
5. Paragraph F  

Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers: True/False/Not Given Questions 

In this case, you will check the quality of fact-finding. Make sure you listen to what is said in the writing. 

Questions 6–10: True / False / Not Given 

Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage? 

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 

Statements: 

1. Most coins today have both a famous person and an animal on them. 
2. Athens was the first city-state to mint silver coins. 
3. The word ‘drachma’ is derived from the Greek verb meaning ‘to grasp’. 
4. The Romans used paper money before adopting Greek coinage. 
5. Ancient Greek coins were mass-produced across the Greek mainland during the Archaic period.  

Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers: Sentence Completion Questions 

These questions test your vocabulary and detail observance. Find the call phrase (or word) that will finish the sentence perfectly logically and grammatically. 

Questions 11–13: Sentence Completion 

Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage. 

1. The first coins in Greece were said to be made in _________. 
2. The owl on Athenian coins represents _________. 
3. Some ancient coins were criticised for showing _________ instead of traditional symbols. 

What are the answers for Coinage in Ancient Greece IELTS Reading? 

Before going for Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers,take a pause and revise your responses. In this section, we are given official responses to each and every one of the 13 IELTS Reading questions using Coinage in Ancient Greece passage as our text. Use it to evaluate your work and where you have to do more. 

Answer Key Table: 

 

Question	Answer
1	iii
2	v
3	vi
4	iv
5	ii
6	FALSE
7	NOT GIVEN
8	TRUE
9	FALSE
10	TRUE
11	Western Asia Minor
12	wisdom
13	portraits

What vocabulary should I focus on for the Coinage in Ancient Greece IELTS passage? 

Being familiar with the important terms in a Reading section of an IELTS exam can make it take less time to find the answer and suffer less confusion over the questions that seem difficult. The following is a list of key terms that you see in the Coinage in Ancient Greece reading together with their significance. 

What key terms appear in the Coinage in Ancient Greece passage? 

Here are some key words that are either central to the topic or useful for understanding the context: 

Word	Meaning	Example in Context
Barter	Exchange goods or services without using money	“Before coins, people used a barter system to trade goods.”
Minting	The process of manufacturing coins	“City-states began minting their coins.”
Drachma	An ancient Greek silver coin and unit of currency	“The Athenian drachma became the standard currency.”
Obverse	The front face of a coin (usually shows a head or symbol)	“The obverse displayed the image of Athena.”
Deity	A god or goddess in a polytheistic religion	“Many coins bore images of deities like Zeus or Athena.”
Numismatics	The study or collection of currency, especially coins	“Ancient coins are valuable in the field of numismatics.”
Archaic	Belonging to an early or ancient period	“Coinage started during the Archaic period.”
Symbolism	The use of symbols to represent ideas	“Political symbolism was often embedded in coin design.”
Portraiture	The art of creating portraits, often seen on coin designs	“Portraiture became more common in later coinage.”
Standardisation	Making things uniform or consistent	“Standardisation helped trade across regions.”

Do I need to know the meaning of historical names and places? 

Not exactly. IELTS does not ask you to learn history or geography. However, here is the thing: 

• It is possible to find your way through the passage quickly through names such as Athena, Athens, Lydia, or Asia Minor. 
• They serve as markers of sorts; you will know that you need a particular page because the name was mentioned somewhere in the question, and quickly scan the page until you come across the word. 
• This is very convenient when labelling a map and matching the headings as well as True/False/Not Given questions. 

How can I prepare for Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers? 

History passages (and older civilizations) can get thick. They contain new terminologies, complicated chronologies, and academic words. They are completely manageable, however, with the correct strategy. 

What strategies help with ancient history IELTS Reading passages? 

The texts on ancient history tend to be chronological or cause-and-effect in structure. To stay on top: 

• Scan timelines: Look out for dates, eras (i.e., Archaic, Hellenistic), and such phrases as later on or by then. 
• Names and places: These perform the role of visual anchors. It is possible to use very basic words to find the information easily, such as Athens, Lydia, or drachma. 
• Take note of tense or tone changes: Since past to present tense is very frequently used as an ending or a contrast, note it. 
• Look out for differences: Use of phrases such as unlike, however, on the other hand will indicate important arguments or contrasting ideas. 
• Underline examples: Detail questions tend to be answered by specifics (such as the owl upon the Athenian coins). 

How do I handle tricky True/False/Not Given questions? 

These are the questions that stump good readers. Why? Since they usually appear to be true or wrong depending on what you know, not the text. 

This is how to address them: 

• Use only the text: Forget what you think you know about ancient Greece. Only go by what’s written. 
• Match keywords, not meanings: Don’t try to “interpret” or look for exact or paraphrased terms in the passage.  
• Watch for traps: 
• Words like always, never, and only are often too strong and signal False. 
• If the info is mentioned, but the question adds something extra, it’s probably Not Given. 
• A fact from the text that is confirmed = True. 

Example: 

“Athens was the first city to mint coins.” 
Question: According to it, Athens came out with coinage earlier than the rest of the Greek cities. This will be False when the passage indicates another place preceding it in doing so, or Not Given when it does not indicate the time. 

Conclusion 

Practicing with historical topics like “Coinage in Ancient Greece” strengthens your ability to deal with complex texts on the IELTS Reading module. Checking the Coinage in Ancient Greece Reading Answers after attempting the passage highlights common traps, keyword matches and paraphrasing techniques.

Combining this IELTS reading passage with timed exercises from other IELTS reading practice tests helps you increase both accuracy and speed. Consistent practice builds confidence for achieving a higher IELTS Reading band score on test day. 

If you want more help with IELTS Reading Answers or need extra practice, book a free counseling session with upGrad and seek professional guidance!  

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