This page contains the complete The Step Pyramid of Djoser IELTS Reading answers, with the full passage, every question, the official answer key, and detailed explanations for all thirteen items. This passage is taken from Cambridge IELTS 16, Academic Test 1, Reading Passage 2 (Questions 14–26).

The text traces how Egypt came to build its first stone monument: the official Imhotep stacked slabs into a brand-new tomb shape for King Djoser, and the complex around it became the template for every later pyramid. Questions 14–20 ask you to match headings to paragraphs A–G, Questions 21–24 are a one-word note completion, and Questions 25–26 ask for TWO letters about King Djoser.

Because every heading option is a paraphrase rather than a repeated phrase, this passage is excellent training in reading for gist. Check your work against the Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Reading Test 1 answers hub when you finish, or move straight on to The future of work walkthrough for Passage 3.

Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

A.

The pyramids are the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt and still hold enormous interest for people in the present day. These grand, impressive tributes to the memory of the Egyptian kings have become linked with the country even though other cultures, such as the Chinese and Mayan, also built pyramids. The evolution of the pyramid form has been written and argued about for centuries. However, there is no question that, as far as Egypt is concerned, it began with one monument to one king designed by one brilliant architect: the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara .

B.

Djoser was the first king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt and the first to build in stone. Prior to Djoser’s reign, tombs were rectangular monuments made of dried clay brick, which covered underground passages where the deceased person was buried. For reasons which remain unclear, Djoser’s main official, whose name was Imhotep, conceived of building a taller, more impressive tomb for his king by stacking stone slabs on top of one another, progressively making them smaller, to form the shape now known as the Step Pyramid. Djoser is thought to have reigned for 19 years, but some historians and scholars attribute a much longer time for his rule, owing to the number and size of the monuments he built.

C.

The Step Pyramid has been thoroughly examined and investigated over the last century, and it is now known that the building process went through many different stages. Historian Marc Van de Mieroop comments on this, writing ‘Much experimentation was involved, which is especially clear in the construction of the pyramid in the center of the complex. It had several plans … before it became the first Step Pyramid in history, piling six levels on top of one another … The weight of the enormous mass was a challenge for the builders, who placed the stones at an inward incline in order to prevent the monument breaking up.’

D.

When finally completed, the Step Pyramid rose 62 meters high and was the tallest structure of its time. The complex in which it was built was the size of a city in ancient Egypt and included a temple, courtyards, shrines, and living quarters for the priests. It covered a region of 16 hectares and was surrounded by a wall 10.5 meters high. The wall had 13 false doors cut into it with only one true entrance cut into the south-east corner; the entire wall was then ringed by a trench 750 meters long and 40 meters wide. The false doors and the trench were incorporated into the complex to discourage unwanted visitors. If someone wished to enter, he or she would have needed to know in advance how to find the location of the true opening in the wall. Djoser was so proud of his accomplishment that he broke the tradition of having only his own name on the monument and had Imhotep’s name carved on it as well.

E.

The burial chamber of the tomb, where the king’s body was laid to rest, was dug beneath the base of the pyramid, surrounded by a vast maze of long tunnels that had rooms off them to discourage robbers. One of the most mysterious discoveries found inside the pyramid was a large number of stone vessels. Over 40,000 of these vessels, of various forms and shapes, were discovered in storerooms of the pyramid’s underground passages. They are inscribed with the names of rulers from the First and Second Dynasties of Egypt and made from different kinds of stone. There is no agreement among scholars and archaeologists on why the vessels were placed in the tomb of Djoser or what they were supposed to represent. The archaeologist Jean-Philippe Lauer, who excavated most of the pyramid and complex, believes they were originally stored and then given a ‘proper burial’ by Djoser in his pyramid to honor his predecessors. There are other historians, however, who claim the vessels were dumped into the shafts as yet another attempt to prevent grave robbers from getting to the king’s burial chamber.

F.

Unfortunately, all of the precautions and intricate design of the underground network did not prevent ancient robbers from finding a way in. Djoser’s grave goods, and even his body, were stolen at some point in the past and all archaeologists found were a small number of his valuables overlooked by the thieves. There was enough left throughout the pyramid and its complex, however, to astonish and amaze the archaeologists who excavated it.

G.

Egyptologist Miroslav Verner writes, ‘Few monuments hold a place in human history as significant as that of the Step Pyramid in Saqqara … It can be said without exaggeration that this pyramid complex constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture in Egypt and in the world as a whole.’ The Step Pyramid was a revolutionary advance in architecture and became the archetype which all the other great pyramid builders of Egypt would follow.

Questions 14–26

Questions 14–20

The Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-ix , in boxes on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

• i. The areas and artefacts within the pyramid itself
• ii. A difficult task for those involved
• iii. A king who saved his people
• iv. A single certainty among other less definite facts
• v. An overview of the external buildings and areas
• vi. A pyramid design that others copied
• vii. An idea for changing the design of burial structures
• viii. An incredible experience despite the few remains
• ix. The answers to some unexpected questions

Questions 21–24

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes on your answer sheet.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

• The complex that includes the Step Pyramid and its surroundings is considered to be as big as an Egyptian 21 ………… of the past. The area outside the pyramid included accommodation that was occupied by 22 ………… , along with many other buildings and features.
• A wall ran around the outside of the complex and a number of false entrances were built into this. In addition, a long 23 ………… encircled the wall. As a result, any visitors who had not been invited were cleverly prevented from entering the pyramid grounds unless they knew the 24 ………… of the real entrance.

Questions 25–26

Choose TWO letters, A-E .

Write the correct letters in boxes on your answer sheet.

25. Which TWO of the following points does the writer make about King Djoser? Initially he had to be persuaded to build in stone rather than clay. There is disagreement concerning the length of his reign. He failed to appreciate Imhotep’s part in the design of the Step Pyramid. A few of his possessions were still in his tomb when archaeologists found it. He criticised the design and construction of other pyramids in Egypt.

26. Which TWO of the following points does the writer make about King Djoser? Initially he had to be persuaded to build in stone rather than clay. There is disagreement concerning the length of his reign. He failed to appreciate Imhotep’s part in the design of the Step Pyramid. A few of his possessions were still in his tomb when archaeologists found it. He criticised the design and construction of other pyramids in Egypt.

• A — Initially he had to be persuaded to build in stone rather than clay.
• B — There is disagreement concerning the length of his reign.
• C — He failed to appreciate Imhotep’s part in the design of the Step Pyramid.
• D — A few of his possessions were still in his tomb when archaeologists found it.
• E — He criticised the design and construction of other pyramids in Egypt.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser IELTS Reading Answers

Questions and Answers

Where two letters are shown for a single question, either order is accepted, exactly as in the official answer key.

Detailed Explanations for The Step Pyramid of Djoser Answers

Questions 14–20

14. iv — Paragraph A admits that much about pyramid evolution is uncertain, writing that the form “has been written and argued about for centuries”. Against those less definite facts it offers one sure point, that the story in Egypt began with this single monument, which is exactly what heading iv says.

15. vii — Paragraph B describes a change in tomb design: Imhotep “conceived of building a taller, more impressive tomb for his king” by stacking stone slabs. A new idea for burial structures matches heading vii, not the king himself.

16. ii — Paragraph C focuses on the struggle of the builders, noting that “The weight of the enormous mass was a challenge for the builders”. Experiment, repeated plans and collapse risk all add up to a difficult task for those involved.

17. v — Paragraph D stays outside the pyramid, describing the temple, courtyards, shrines and the wall that was “surrounded by a wall 10.5 meters high”. An overview of the external buildings and areas is heading v.

18. i — Paragraph E moves inside: the burial chamber “was dug beneath the base of the pyramid”, surrounded by tunnels and the mysterious stone vessels. The areas and artefacts within the pyramid itself is heading i.

19. viii — Paragraph F concedes that robbers took almost everything, yet what remained was enough “to astonish and amaze the archaeologists who excavated it”. An incredible experience despite the few remains is heading viii.

20. vi — Paragraph G closes with legacy, calling the complex a milestone and saying it “became the archetype which all the other great pyramid builders of Egypt would follow”. A design that others copied is heading vi.

Questions 21–24

21. city — The note compares the complex to an ancient Egyptian urban area, and paragraph D says the complex “was the size of a city in ancient Egypt”. One word only, so city fills the gap.

22. priests — The accommodation in the notes refers to the people housed in the complex, and paragraph D lists “living quarters for the priests”. The temple staff are the occupants the note needs.

23. trench — The note describes a long feature encircling the wall, and paragraph D supplies it: “the entire wall was then ringed by a trench 750 meters long”. A ditch around the wall is the trench.

24. location — Uninvited visitors were confused because only one entrance was real, so they needed “how to find the location of the true opening in the wall”. The word completing the note is location.

Questions 25–26

25. B AND D — Option B is supported by paragraph B, where “Djoser is thought to have reigned for 19 years, but some historians” give a much longer figure, which is open disagreement. Both letters earn the marks, in either order.

26. B AND D — Option D is confirmed in paragraph F: “all archaeologists found were a small number of his valuables overlooked by the thieves”. A few possessions left in the tomb is exactly option D, and option B remains correct from paragraph B, so the pair stays B and D.

Key Vocabulary from The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Study Tips

For Questions 14–20, never match headings by vocabulary overlap alone, because Cambridge paraphrases on purpose. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph, summarise it in five words, and only then pick the heading that fits your summary. The matching headings technique walks through this with timed drills.

The note completion in Questions 21–24 follows paragraph D almost word for word, so locate the complex and the wall before you start writing, as the note completion technique advises. Remember the ONE WORD ONLY limit: living quarters for the priests collapses to just priests.

Questions 25–26 ask for TWO letters, and both must be right to earn the marks. Eliminate options that contradict the passage first, since Djoser clearly did appreciate Imhotep, then confirm what survives. The multiple choice strategy covers this double-selection format in depth.

Practice More Cambridge Tests

Finishing a full Passage 2 with headings, notes and multiple choice is real progress, so keep the rhythm going. Simply IELTS offers a free IELTS reading course that covers every one of these question types with practice tasks. You can also try this passage as an interactive reading exam to test your timing, then check the Why we need to protect polar bears answers for Passage 1.

Want more practice at this position? Every Reading Passage 2 test on the site follows the same Cambridge format, and each one includes a complete answer key with explanations.