90 How to Master the IELTS

Reading Passage 11
Highlands and Islands

A Off the west coast of Scotland, in the Atlantic Ocean, lies a chain of islands known
as the Outer Hebrides or Western Isles. The main inhabited islands are Lewis, Harris,
North Uist and South Uist, Benbecula, Berneray and Barra. The Isle of Lewis is the
most northern and largest of the Western Isles, and to its south, a small strip of land
connects it to the Isle of Harris, making the two islands one land mass. To the south
west of Harris are the two Uists with Benbecula wedged in between them. These
three islands are connected by bridges and causeways. The small island of Berneray
is connected to North Uist by a causeway and it is the only populated island in the
waters around Harris. Eriskay is a tiny island, also populated, lying between South
Uist and Barra. Off the tip of Barra lie the Barra Isles, formerly known as the Bishop’s
Isles, comprising a group of small islands which include Mingulay, Sandray, Pabbay
and Vatersay, and at the southernmost tip of the chain, lies an island by the name of
Berneray, not to be confused with the island of the same name observed across the
bay from Harris.

B Lewis is low-lying and covered in a smooth blanket of peatland. Harris is an island

of contrasts. It displays a rocky coast to the east, yet white, sandy beaches to the
west, backed by fertile green grassland (‘machair’), pockmarked with freshwater
pools (lochans). North Uist is covered with peatland and lochans, whilst South Uist is
mountainous to the east with machair and sandy beaches to the west. Benbecula is
relatively flat and combines machair, peatland and lochans, with sandy beaches and
deeply indented sea lochs. Like Harris, Benbecula and Barra exhibit a rocky coast­
land to the east and low-lying machair to the west with sandy beaches similar to
those seen on Berneray, which is a flat isle, except for a few hills, and sand dunes.

C Although part of Scotland, the Western Isles have a distinctive culture. Whilst
English is the dominant language of mainland Scotland, Gaelic is the first language
of more than half the islanders, and visitors to the islands can expect a Gaelic greet­
ing. Gaelic signing and labelling reinforces the unique identity of the islands and
helps to promote tourism and business. Place names on road signs are in Gaelic
with only the main signs displaying English beneath. Visitors to the Western Isles
may be surprised to find that the shops are closed on Sundays. The strong Christian
tradition of the islands means that for the most part, the Sabbath is respected as a
day of rest and leisure, especially on Lewis and Harris.
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D There are approximately 27,000 people in the Western Isles and one-third of these
live in and around the capital town of Stornoway, on the east coast of the Isle of
Lewis. The town is served by an airport and ferry terminal making it the hub for
Western Islands’ travel. Stornoway is best known for its world-famous Harris Tweed
industry, which developed from a Murray tartan commissioned by Lady Dunmore in
the 1850s. Only wool that has been hand-woven and dyed in the Outer Hebrides is
permitted to carry the Harris Tweed logo. Other areas of economic activity include
fishing, tourism, transport and renewable energy. Almost two-thirds of the population
live on a croft, which is a particular type of smallholding peculiar to the Highlands and
Islands of Scotland. Crofters are tenants of a small piece of agricultural land, typically
a few hectares, that usually includes a dwelling which the crofter either owns or rents
from the landowner. The land must be used for the purposes of crofting, which can
be described as small-scale mixed farming. Crofting activities include grazing sheep
(lamb) and to lesser extent cattle (beef), growing potatoes, vegetables and fruit,
keeping chickens, and cutting peat for burning on the house fire. Crofting can be
likened to subsistence living, that is to say, living off what you can rear, grow and
make, with anything spare going to market or shared with the community. Some
people see crofting as a means of escaping the ‘rat race’ and getting closer to nature,
though this romanticized view is naive. It is difficult to survive from crofting alone
and most crofters have to supplement their incomes with a part-time job. Crofting
as a way of life has been in decline. However, this trend may be about to reverse,
led by consumer demand for high-quality produce, grown sustainably with the least
environmental impact.
92 How to Master the IELTS

Questions 293 to 299

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 11?

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.

293 The Isles of Lewis and Harris are joined together.

294 There are two islands called Berneray in the sea around Harris.

295 The sea around Benbecula is deep.

296 On the island of South Uist, there are fertile green grasslands and sandy
beaches to the west and many islanders can speak Gaelic.

297 In the Western Isles most road signs are bilingual.

298 Approximately 9,000 people live in or near Stornoway.

299 Most crofters earn their living entirely from crofting.

Questions 300 to 302

The passage described the position of the islands in relation to each other. There are
four unnamed islands, A, B, C and D on the map below.

Complete the table below.

TABL E 4.2

Name of Island Label A, B, C or D

Lewis 300

Eriskay 301

Berneray 302