IELTS Writing - Sample 9 (Before and after map)

 This questions comes from Cambridge IELTS book 9.

The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.

Image:-Ielts-mentor.com

The diagrams illustrate some changes to a small island which has been developed for tourism.

It is clear that the island has changed considerably with the introduction of tourism, and six new features can be seen in the second diagram. The main developments are that the island is accessible and visitors have somewhere to stay.

Looking at the maps in more detail, we can see that small huts have been built to accommodate visitors to the island. The other physical structures that have been added are a reception building, in the middle of the island, and a restaurant to the north of the reception. Before these developments, the island was completely bare apart from a few trees.

As well as the buildings mentioned above, the new facilities on the island include a pier, where boats can dock. There is also a short road linking the pier with the reception and restaurant, and footpaths, connect the huts. Finally, there is a designated swimming area for tourists off a beach on the western tip of the island.

(175 words, band 9)

IELTS Writing Task 1- Sample 8 (Life Cycle of the Silkworm)

Sometimes, instead of Bar Graphs and Line Graphs you can also get a question like this in IELTS Writing Task 1. Here's the question and sample answer.

The diagrams below show the life cycle of the silkworm and the stages in the production of silk cloth.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Images:-ielts-mentor.com

Model Answer

The first diagram shows that there are four stages in the life of the silkworm. First of all, eggs are produced by the moth and it takes ten days for each egg to become a silkworm larva that feeds on mulberry leaves. This stage lasts for up to six weeks until the larva produces a cocoon of thread around itself. After a period of about three weeks, the adult moths eventually emerge from these cocoons and the life cycle begins again.

The cocoons are the raw material used for the production of silk cloth. Once selected, they are boiled in water and the threads can be separated in the unwinding stage. Each thread is between 300 and 900 metres long, which means they can be twisted together, dyed and then used to produce cloth in the weaving stage.

Overall, the diagrams show that the cocoon stage of the silkworm can be used to produce silk cloth through a very simple process.

(Answer Provided by RTC ENGLISH, Lazimpat Kathmandu)

IELTS Writing Task 1 - Sample 7 (Pie Chart)

 You should spend no more than 20 minutes on this task.

Look at the figures for the proportion of people involved in agriculture, as shown in the pie charts below.

(Model answer from an actual Nepalese student)

The pie charts compare the percentage of agricultural workers in developed and developing countries in 1950, 1990 and 2025. Basically, the figures show that developed countries always have lesser proportion of people engaged in agriculture than developing countries and with time the proportion decreases for both (countries).

In 1950's, a large percentage of people, i.e. 81.1%, in developing countries were engaged in agriculture. After 40 years in 1990, the figure dropped to 59.6% and it is estimated that the numbers will continue to fall. In fact, the percentage may decline to 37% in 2025. 

The trend is same for developed countries. In 1950's more than 1/3 of the population was involved in agriculture but by 1990's, the proportion dropped by almost 4 times to 8.4%. The proportion has been estimated to slump to 2% by 2025. This decrease in agricultural workers might decline the agricultural productivity. On the second thought, if technology does replace the labourers the rate of unemployment will increase.

Corrected Version

The pie charts compare the percentage of agricultural workers in developed and developing countries in 1950, 1990 and predicts for 2025. The figures show that developed countries always have a lesser proportion of people engaged in agriculture than in developing countries and with time the proportion decreases for both country areas.

In 1950, a large percentage of people, i.e. 81.1%, in developing countries were engaged in agriculture. After 40 years, the figure dropped to 59.6% and it is estimated that the numbers will continue to fall. In fact, the percentage may decline to 37% in 2025.

The trend is the same for developed countries. In 1950, more than one third of the population was involved in agriculture, which matches the forecast for developing countries in 2025. By 1990, the proportion dropped by almost 4 times to 8.4% and the proportion has been estimated to slump to 2% by 2025. 

(150 words) 

Note: Last 2 sentences were removed as they are the writer's opinion which is not part of the task.

IELTS Writing Task 1- Sample 6 (Strong and Weak answer samples and assessment).

 The graph below gives information about changes in the birth and death rates in New Zealand between 1901 and 2101.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

Write at least 150 words.

Sample A

The graph gives information about changes in the birth and death rates in New Zealand between 1901 and 2101.

In 1901 the birth rate was 20,000 and the death rate was 9,000. In 1961 the birth rate reached a peak of 66,000 while the death rate was 23,000. In 2001 there were 55,000 births and 38,000 deaths, and in 2061 there were 60,000 deaths and 48,000 births.

At the end of the period there were 58,000 deaths and 45,000 births.

Both the births and death rates changed between 1901 and 2101. Perhaps this was because a lot of people did not want to have children.

(105 words)

Assessment

This is a weak answer which would score a low IELTS band. Problems.

• under length.
• introduction is copied from task
• no comparison between figures
• no focus on general trends
• no reference to the future (see projection on graph)
• conclusion tried to explain information rather than summarise it
• poor linking of ideas (only done by time markers)
• limited range of grammar and vocabulary. 

Sample B

The graph shows changes in the birth and death rates in New Zealand since 1901, and forecasts trends up until 2101. It can be seen that the death rate will probably overtake the birth rate in around 2041 and the large gap between the two levels will increase with time.

Between 1901 and the present day, the birth rate has been consistently higher than the death rate. It stood at 20,000 at the start of this period and increased to a peak of 66,000 in 1961. Since then the rate has fluctuated between 65 and 50 thousand and it is expected to decline slowly to around 45,000 births by the end of century.

In contrast, the death rate started below 10,000 and has increased steadily until the present time. This increase is expected to be more rapid between 2021 and 2051 when the rate will probably level off around 60,000, before dropping slightly in 2101.

(166 words)

Assessment
This is a strong answer which would score a high IELTS band. Good points.

• fulfils criteria for length
• introduction is paraphrased
• main sets of data are compared and contrasted
• clear focus on the different trends
• important features of the graph, (e.g. cross-over point) included
• information summarised in conclusion
• well organised information
• range of linkers and referencing expressions
• good range of vocabulary and structures, used accurately