Designed to Last IELTS Reading Answers 2025: Passage Solution and Explanations

Reading Passage "Designed to Last" from the IELTS is about how creative thinking can help to combat mass-produced, disposable consumerism. It investigates sustainable design strategies that promote durability, affective bonding, and ecological fairplay and is good preparation for True/False/Not Given, multiple choice, and summary completion questions.

Making use of this will increase your reading speed and will make you more familiar with the questions types you are most likely to see on the IELTS examination.

This table will provide you an overview of "Designed to Last" for IELTS Reading Passage

Section	Details
Passage Title	Designed to Last
Main Theme	Consumerism, sustainable design, and emotional durability of products
Question Types	Multiple Choice, True/False/Not Given, Summary Completion
Key Vocabulary	Emotional durability, mass production, sustainability, consumption culture, sharing economy
Keywords to Locate Answers	Product lifespan, ownership, emotional value, sharing, renting, recycling
Tips	Skim for examples (e.g., jeans, drills), focus on design values & consumer habits
Common Answer Types	Cause-effect, comparison, opinion vs fact, real-life examples

Designed to Last IELTS Reading Passage

Passage A. Jonathan Chapman, a senior lecturer at the University of Brighton, leads a movement of sustainable designers focused on reducing consumer waste. His aim: create durable, desirable products not disposable ones. This perspective originates from concern over Western habits that produce vast environmental damage by discarding everyday items that quickly lose relevance. 

Passage B. A typical example is an electric drill; it may be used for only ten minutes, yet its life-cycle from production to disposal consumes significantly more resources. Most end up forgotten in garages, contributing to landfills for centuries. 

Passage C. Chapman suggests that people tend to invest in items symbolizing status or identity, a trend undermined by mass production and detachment from craftsmanship. Historical relationships with crafted goods often carried emotional value, which disposable items lack. 

Passage D. To counter superficial consumption, Chapman promotes “emotionally durable design” products that develop bonds over time. Examples include worn jeans or a childhood teddy bear, cherished despite wear. Walter Stahel terms this attachment the “teddy-bear factor.” 

Passage E. Tim Cooper from Sheffield Hallam University argues that sustainable design should encompass entire systems from production to end of life disposal. Though progress has been slow, growing environmental concern is accelerating systemic change. 

Passage F. John Thackara adds that the environmental crisis stems from overconsumption and excessive transport driven by the global speed and volume of goods flow. Instead of lightening the economy, technological advances have intensified resource use. 

Passage G. Ezio Manzini envisions a "multi-local society" , local production and distribution networks that reduce waste and resource consumption, yet interconnect globally for efficiency. 

Passage H. In a post-throwaway world, consumers will gravitate toward sustainable products, energy efficient appliances, less packaging, and locally produced goods. The emphasis will shift to services like shared car access rather than personal ownership.

Designed to Last reading answers: Question 1- 5

You have to choose the correct letter for  A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in the below given boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

Q1: What does ‘conscience time’ imply in paragraph 2?

A) People feel guilty when they throw things away easily.

B) The shelf in the garage needs cleaning.

C) The consumers are unaware of the waste problem.

D) The power tool should be placed in the right place after being used.

Answer: A 

Q2: Prior to mass production, people owned things to show

A) their quality

B) their status

C) their character

D) their history

Answer: B 

Q3: The word ‘narrative’ in paragraph 3 refers to ____________.

A) the novelty culture pursued by the customers

B) the motivation of buying new products

C) object stories that relate personally and meaningfully to the owners

D) the image created by the manufacturers

Answer: C

Q4: Without a personal connection, people buy new stuff for ____________.

A) sharing

B) freshness

C) collection

D) family members

Answer: B

Q5: The writer uses the examples of old jeans and a teddy bear to show that ____________.

A) products are used just for practical purposes

B) producers should make more attractive items

C) Chapman had a difficult childhood

D) emotional bonds encourage people to keep things longer

Answer: D

Designed to Last reading answers :Question 6-9

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-H, below. Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.

Tim Cooper claims that although sustainable design proceeds 6. _____________ the coming problems are pushing the move. In accordance with Tim Cooper, Thackara believes that the origins of the looming environmental crises are weight and 7. ______________. The technology which was assumed to have a positive effect on our society actually accelerates the world’s 8. _______________. To cure this, Manzini proposes a ‘multi-local society’ which means every resource should be located and redeployed 9. _____________.

A. Properly	E. Slowly
B. Energy	F.  Speed
C. Locally	G. Quickly
D. Economy	H. Metabolism

Answers

Q6- E: Slowly

Q7- F: Speed

Q8- H: Metabolism

Q9- C: Locality

Also Read: IELTS Plan for 1 Month – A Complete Preparation Strategy

Designed to Last reading answers :Question 10-13

For Yes/No/Not Given questions in the “Designed to Last” passage:

Yes: Mark this if the statement clearly agrees with what the writer says in the passage.

No: Choose this if the statement clearly contradicts the writer’s views or information.

Not Given: Select this if the passage does not provide enough information to decide either way.

Q10: People often buy things that are seldom used and then discard them.

Answer: YES

Q11: In a post-throwaway society, consumers will pay extra money for the disposal of electronic goods.

Answer: No

Q12: Many businesses have quickly adopted sustainable design to attract customers.

Answer: YES

Q13: Companies will reduce their spending on repairs in the future.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Designed to Last Reading Answers with Explanations

Here are the answers for the 'Designed to Last' reading passage, including full explanations. This will allow you to reflect not only on the correct answers but also on your answer technique.

1. Answer: A

Explanation:

As stated in Paragraph B, people often let unused tools collect dust in their garages because they don’t want to admit they wasted money. This behavior stems from guilt, which prevents them from discarding items, even when those items are no longer needed. Therefore, option A correctly reflects this emotional hesitation.

2. Answer: B

Explanation:

According to Chapman in Paragraph C, individuals used to acquire possessions to reflect their identity and societal group. This implies that before the era of mass production, items served as status symbols. Hence, B is the most suitable answer.

3. Answer: C

Explanation:

Paragraph C discusses how, historically, people shared a close connection with their belongings either creating them themselves or receiving them from family. Such connections created a “narrative” or personal story behind each object. Therefore, “narrative” here means that people derived emotional meaning through lived experiences with these objects.

4. Answer: B

Explanation:

Near the end of Paragraph C, it is noted that people are often drawn to the idea of reinventing themselves through shiny new items. When the initial excitement fades, they replace those items with newer ones to regain that feeling. This shows that without emotional value, people keep buying new things to maintain a sense of freshness. Thus, B is accurate.

5. Answer: D

Explanation:

Paragraph D concludes by describing how a childhood teddy bear connects us to our past, protecting it from being discarded. Similarly, old jeans may be cherished rather than thrown away. These examples show how emotional attachments increase the lifespan of possessions. Therefore, D is the correct choice.

6. Answer: E

Explanation:

Tim Cooper mentions in Paragraph E that although sustainable design has evolved slowly, urgent environmental concerns have started bringing it to the forefront of attention. This supports E as the right answer.

7. Answer: F

Explanation:

At the start of Paragraph F, Thackara pinpoints "weight and speed" as the two primary factors driving environmental degradation. He supports Cooper’s concerns by outlining the underlying causes of ecological collapse. So, F fits best.

8. Answer: H

Explanation:

The last line of Paragraph F states that adding digital technologies to an already industrialized society has only accelerated its "metabolism" meaning its resource consumption and waste. This supports the idea that rather than solving problems, technology has amplified them. Thus, H is correct.

9. Answer: C

Explanation:

In Paragraph H, Manzini proposes building a “multi-local society” where resources such as energy and food are produced and consumed locally. This approach aims to reduce the impact of global distribution. Hence, C is the accurate answer.

10. Answer: YES

Explanation:

Paragraph B explains that common tools, such as electric drills, are often used for just a few minutes before being discarded. This confirms that people buy items they barely use and then throw them away, validating the statement as true.

11. Answer: NO

Explanation:

In Paragraph J, it is stated that the recycling cost of electronics will be included in the upfront retail price as a form of prepayment. Therefore, customers won’t pay more at the point of disposal. This contradicts the statement, making NO the correct answer.

12. Answer: YES

Explanation:

The end of Paragraph J highlights that many major companies are beginning to embrace sustainable practices to appeal to eco conscious consumers. This shows that businesses are actively integrating green designs into their models. Thus, YES is appropriate.

13. Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation:

The passage does not mention whether companies plan to reduce the cost of repairs in the future. Since no direct or indirect reference is made regarding this idea, the answer is clearly NOT GIVEN.

Conclusion

“Designed to Last” emphasises innovation beyond aesthetics: it is about forging emotional connections, extending product lifecycles, and rethinking consumer behavior. 

By practising varied true/false/not given, summary completion, and multiple-choice question types with this passage, you build speed and accuracy essential for IELTS Reading success.

They help to increase reading accuracy, reading speed, and familiarity with exam formats that contribute to high IELTS band scores.