It sounds like you’re looking for two things: (1) an engaging story that illustrates the threat of antibiotic resistance, and (2) the IELTS Reading answer key for a passage on that topic.
Since I can’t reproduce actual Cambridge IELTS copyrighted passages or official answer keys, I can instead:
1. Ella’s infection was caused by a virus.
2. Colistin is effective against all resistant bacteria.
3. In the 2010s, most antibiotics were used for human medicine.
4. Phage therapy cured all patients who received it. It sounds like you’re looking for two things:
5. Routine hip replacements are now banned in the story’s future.
In response to this threat, international bodies have launched coordinated efforts. The WHO’s Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, adopted by member states in 2015, outlines five key objectives: to improve awareness and understanding of AMR, strengthen surveillance and research, reduce the incidence of infection through better hygiene, optimise the use of antimicrobials, and ensure sustainable investment in new medicines. The Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) has recommended the creation of an independent ‘One Health’ panel, recognising that human, animal, and environmental health are inseparable. Some countries have shown leadership: Sweden has one of the lowest antibiotic usage rates in Europe, while Australia banned the use of colistin – a last-resort antibiotic – in animal husbandry years before many other nations.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
Paragraphs: A (Ella’s infection), B (global death stats), C (farm use & pharma), D (surgery risks), E (phage therapy & conclusion)
Headings:
i. A brief victory with phage therapy
ii. Why hospitals are now dangerous
iii. The agricultural origin of the crisis
iv. One patient’s small cut becomes untreatable
v. Annual death comparison Write an original story that could serve as
Answers:
Reading Passage
Antibiotics have been hailed as one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. Since the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, these ‘miracle drugs’ have saved millions of lives by combating bacterial infections that were once fatal. However, in recent decades, the efficacy of these drugs has been steadily eroding. The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – specifically antibiotic resistance – is now recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the drugs designed to kill them. This is a natural evolutionary process, but it has been dramatically accelerated by human actions. When a person takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant strains may survive and multiply. These resistant bacteria can then spread to other people, animals, and the environment. The core problem, experts argue, is the overuse and misuse of these vital medicines.
One of the primary drivers of resistance is the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics for viral infections, such as the common cold or flu, against which they are entirely ineffective. In many countries, antibiotics are also readily available without a prescription, leading to inappropriate self-medication. Furthermore, the agricultural sector is a significant contributor. In many parts of the world, large quantities of antibiotics are used not only to treat sick livestock but also to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals. This practice creates a reservoir of resistant bacteria that can transfer to humans through the food chain and direct contact. Questions 1–5: True / False / Not Given 1
The consequences of unchecked resistance are catastrophic. Common medical procedures that rely on preventative antibiotics – such as caesarean sections, hip replacements, and chemotherapy – could become too risky to perform. Simple infections from a scratch or a routine operation could once again become fatal. The WHO estimates that at least 700,000 people die each year from drug-resistant infections. If no action is taken, this figure is projected to reach 10 million per year by 2050, surpassing cancer as a leading cause of death.
Compounding this crisis is the lack of new drug development. Creating a new antibiotic is scientifically challenging, costly (over $1 billion), and commercially unattractive. Pharmaceutical companies have little financial incentive because new antibiotics are typically reserved for emergency use to prevent resistance from developing, ensuring low sales volumes. Consequently, the pipeline for new antibiotics has run dry; no truly novel class of antibiotics has been discovered since the 1980s.
To address this threat, a coordinated global response is required. The WHO’s Global Action Plan on AMR outlines five key objectives: to improve awareness and understanding of AMR, to strengthen surveillance and research, to reduce the incidence of infection through hygiene and vaccination, to optimise the use of antimicrobials in humans and animals, and to develop the economic case for sustainable investment in new medicines. Some countries have already taken action. For instance, Sweden has successfully reduced antibiotic use in its animal population through strict regulations, and the UK has introduced a ‘subscription’ model to pay pharmaceutical companies for access to new antibiotics, regardless of how many are sold.
Nevertheless, progress remains uneven. Low- and middle-income countries often lack the regulatory infrastructure and public health systems needed to enforce controls on antibiotic sales and monitor resistance patterns. Without a united, global effort that includes governments, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare providers, and individual patients, the post-antibiotic era – a time when minor infections could kill – will become a reality.
The implications extend far beyond difficult-to-treat pneumonia or urinary tract infections. Antibiotics are the backbone of modern medicine. Procedures such as caesarean sections, hip replacements, chemotherapy for cancer, and organ transplants rely heavily on the ability to prevent and treat bacterial infections. If these prophylactic antibiotics become ineffective, these life-saving interventions will carry unacceptable levels of risk. For example, a routine knee replacement could lead to an untreatable bone infection, forcing amputation. Cancer patients, whose immune systems are decimated by chemotherapy, would be vulnerable to otherwise harmless bacteria. As Dr. Margaret Chan, former WHO Director-General, stated, ‘A post-antibiotic era would mean the end of modern medicine as we know it.’
