The concept of 'cognitive load' refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In educational settings, instructional design often aims to manage this load to optimize learning. According to cognitive load theory, learning is hampered when the working memory is overloaded by extraneous information that does not contribute to schema construction. Effective teaching materials, therefore, should reduce unnecessary cognitive demands while promoting intrinsic load related to the complexity of the subject matter. Research has shown that presenting information in a segmented or multimedia format can help learners process content more efficiently, especially for novices who lack prior knowledge to organize new information. However, for experts, such scaffolding may be redundant, as their existing schemas already reduce cognitive burden. Thus, the optimal level of instructional support depends on the learner's level of expertise.
❓ この文章によると、効果的な教材を設計する上での重要な要素は何ですか？
A. A) 学習者に挑戦を与えるために、外的認知負荷を増加させること
B. B) 本質的負荷を管理しながら、不必要な要求を減らすこと
C. C) 熟練度に関わらず、すべての学習者に同じ足場かけを提供すること
D. D) 気を散らさないようにマルチメディア形式を避けること
✅ 正确答案
B) Reducing unnecessary demands while managing intrinsic load
IELTS Reading Tips
Skim the questions first, underline keywords, then locate in the passage
Watch for paraphrasing; correct answers are often reworded
Be wary of absolute statements (all, always, never) — usually wrong
Pay attention to content after transition words (however, but, yet)
Manage time: about 20 minutes per passage; skip difficult questions first