Macro and micro (skills)
I often talk about the 'macro' and 'micro' skills you need for IELTS (see, for example, this Listening tip).
Macro = large scale, overall, as a whole rather than the sum of its parts e.g. skimming a text
Micro = small scale, the small parts which make up the whole e.g. checking vocabulary
Students often focus on developing macro skills because they are easier and less time-consuming, but true progress in IELTS comes from working on the 'nitty gritty' micro skills, analysing the texts in great detail, as we do here.
The difference between macro and micro is important in this reading question about mixed-ability classes (choose your answer before you read the explanation).
28 What does the writer say about streaming in the third paragraph?
A It has a very broad appeal.
B It favours cleverer students.
C It is relatively simple to implement.
D It works better in some schools than others.
The practice of ‘streaming’, involves separating students into classes depending on their levels of attainment. At a macro level, it requires the establishment of selective schools for the brightest students, and comprehensive schools for the rest. Within schools (= at a micro level), it means selecting students into a ‘stream’ of general ability. The practice is appealing to almost every stakeholder.
*stakeholder = anyone who is involved in the school and has an interest in its success e.g. parents, teachers, students, councils, tax-payers etc.
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Answer: A - it has a very broad appeal = it is appealing to almost every stakeholder.
Distractors:
B: This distractor is an opinion ('it favours' = it's better for): the text simply shows the facts of how streaming works on a macro and micro level.
C: This distractor is an opinion ('simple'): the macro/micro system looks simple, but the writer doesn't say it's simple.
D: This distractor is an opinion ('better'): the writer does not compare schools.
