10 High Band Score

Task 1 Academic
Model Answers

By Tony Grace
ex-IELTS Examiner

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 – Model Answers Page 1 of 33

Contents

ABOUT THESE ANSWERS 2

QUESTION 1 – C7T2 – CHANGES OVER TIME – LINE GRAPH – FISH AND MEAT CONSUMPTION 3
COMMENTARY 4
MODEL ANSWER 5
QUESTION 2 – CHANGES OVER TIME – LINE GRAPH / BAR CHART –RAIL NETWORKS 6
COMMENTARY 7
MODEL ANSWER 8
QUESTION 3 – C7T4 – CHANGES OVER TIME – PIE CHARTS – ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA AND
FRANCE 9
COMMENTARY 10
MODEL ANSWER 11
QUESTION 4 – C7T1– NO CHANGES OVER TIME – TABLE – CONSUMER SPENDING 12
COMMENTARY 13
MODEL ANSWER 14
QUESTION 5 – NO CHANGES OVER TIME – BAR CHART – REASONS FOR JOURNEYS 15
COMMENTARY 16
MODEL ANSWER 17
QUESTION 6 – C5T4 – NO CHANGES OVER TIME – TABLE – URBAN RAILWAYS 18
COMMENTARY 19
MODEL ANSWER 20
QUESTION 7 – PROCESS / DIAGRAM – ALUMINIUM RECYCLING 21
COMMENTARY 22
MODEL ANSWER 23
QUESTION 8 – PROCESS / DIAGRAM – CANNING FRUIT 25
COMMENTARY 26
MODEL ANSWER 27
QUESTION 9 – C10T4 – A NATURAL CYCLE – THE LIFECYCLE OF THE SALMON 28
COMMENTARY 29
MODEL ANSWER 30
QUESTION 10 – C9T1 – MAP – ISLAND 31
COMMENTARY 32
MODEL ANSWER 33

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ABOUT THESE ANSWERS

These were my objectives in writing these model answers.

• To write answers that are good enough for a band score 9, but not so good
that only a native speaker could write them. At the same time, they should
be easily understood by candidates capable of a 6.5 or higher.
• To provide structures that candidates can learn and adapt to help them to
get a higher band score.
• To explain any decisions that have to be made. In Task 1, sometimes the
organisation is obvious, and sometimes a decision has to be made. For
example, in my commentary on the maps, I explain why I did or did not
write one paragraph about each of the two maps.
• To keep the word counts below 200, although I broke this rule for maps. It
is important to understand that writing more will not automatically get you
a higher score, and for most questions, it should be possible to get a high
score with under 200 words for Task 1.
• To provide a commentary explaining whatever difficulties there are, and the
challenge a candidate faces in writing his answer. As for the organisation, I
explain why I chose to organise the answer in a particular way, and why I
rejected other options.

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 3 of 33

QUESTION 1 – C7T2 – CHANGES OVER TIME – LINE GRAPH – FISH AND MEAT
CONSUMPTION

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The graph below shows the consumption of fish and some
different kinds of meat in a European country between 1979
and 2004.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main
features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Source: Cambridge 7 Test 2

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Commentary

The biggest
problem students
have with this
question is the
units. Many think
that it’s ok to just
give the correct
units – grams per person per week - in the introduction, and then just mention
grams throughout the rest of the answer. This would be incorrect information,
and would get you a 5 or 6 for TA, depending on how many times you did it.
It is a good idea to define an abbreviation to avoid the tedious repetition of the
units, which is what I did with gpw, which is defined as grams per week, rather
than grams per person per week. This allowed me to write phrases like this:
with over 200 grams per week (gpw) being consumed by the average person /
Thereafter, per capita chicken consumption rose steadily, finishing the period
at 250 gpw.
Grouping beef and lamb saves time and reduces the number of sentences.
In a question with changes over time, it is usually possible to include a past
perfect, like this: by the end of the period, their levels of consumption had
fallen to around 100 and 60 gpw respectively
It is much better to say chicken consumption rose, than chicken rose. Note the
important use of compound nouns in this question with examples like beef
consumption / per capita chicken consumption,
In a question like this, I always give the figures at the start and end of the
period, along with the trends and any inflexion points - In contrast,
consumption of both beef and lamb saw consistent declines, despite beef
peaking at around 240 gpw in 1984, […]

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Model Answer

KEY
C&C bold
LR italics
GRA underlined
Commented [TG1]: It would be
unnatural to say how many grams of
[…] were consumed.
The graph shows how much chicken, beef, lamb and fish, were consumed by
the average person in a particular European country from 1979 to 2004. Commented [TG2]: Noun clause
Commented [TG3]: Excellent phrase –
Overall, consumption of all types of meat declined with the exception of this is exactly what the graphs
chicken, which showed a steady increase in popularity. Chicken ended up as by represents
far the most popular meat, while fish was the least widely consumed. Commented [TG4]: Take every
opportunity to use any less common
lexis
Commented [TG5]: Clear overview,
with both trends and differences
Commented [TG6]: Avoid having to
At the start of the period, beef was the most popular meat, with over 200 repeat something tedious like grams
grams per week (gpw) being consumed by the average person. At the same per week
time, individual consumption of chicken and lamb stood at about 150 gpw, Commented [TG7]: Excellent grammar
while the figure for fish was much lower, at 60 gpw. – preposition + gerund passive voice
Commented [TG8]: In many questions
with changes over time, like this one,
it’s best to start by stating the
opening situation
Thereafter, per capita chicken consumption rose steadily, finishing the period
Commented [TG9]: I’m giving the
at 250 gpw. In contrast, consumption of both beef and lamb saw consistent opening figures – memorise these
declines, despite the former peaking at around 240 gpw in 1984, and by the sentences
end of the period, their personal levels of consumption had fallen to around Commented [TG10]: Excellent lexis
100 and 60 gpw respectively. Commented [TG11]: Group together
With regard to fish, it was the least popular at all times with the typical person items with similar patterns
in this country, as consumption fell from 60 gpw in 1979 to 40 gpw in 2004. Commented [TG12]: A separate
paragraph for fish, and I’m
200 words mentioning it last because it’s
obviously the least important

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QUESTION 2 – CHANGES OVER TIME – LINE GRAPH / BAR CHART –RAIL

NETWORKS

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The bar chart below shows the number of passengers on three
different rail networks in the UK from 1950 to 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Adapted from a question in a book

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Commentary

The biggest mistake students make with this question is to oversimplify the
overview. If you just state in the overview that there is a rising trend in the
two main networks, then you’ve ignored the trend of the first 2 decades, and
that’s not a clear overview, which you need for a band score 7 for TA.
The example that follows is an oversimplification and it has incorrect
information – there’s no indication in the question that the majority – ie more Commented [TG13]: This is an
than half – of the public used the Northern network. This would get a band abbreviation I use a lot. It means in
score 5 for TA as there other words or that is. It is not the
is no meaningful same as eg. See here
overview. I don’t recommend you use the
Also, be sure to mention both the trends and the differences in the overview – abbreviation in your writing, but you
it should be clear that the two main networks are far more popular than the should understand it.
LRN.
You should also know that it is million and not millions
when giving numbers, and millions is only used in phrases
like millions of people […] Millions – plural – is also used in
headings, as in this question. Also, the word network
normally requires an article.
As in the question about fish and meat consumption, I managed to get a past
perfect: by around 1995, both networks had reached around 310 million per
year

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined
Red – phrases used to paraphrase the number of
passengers
The bar chart gives information about how many passengers travelled on three
different railway networks annually between 1950 and 2000. Commented [TG14]: Noun clause
Overall, passenger numbers on both the Great Western and the Northern
networks declined until around 1970, after which both networks recovered,
and the Northern was more popular throughout most of the period.
Meanwhile, The Light Rail Network was far less widely used, but saw much
greater growth.
At the start of the period, the Northern was the most widely used as 300 Commented [TG15]: Signposting
million passengers used it every year, while the figure for the Great Western
network was 200 million. Thereafter, numbers on both the Northern and the Commented [TG16]: ie passenger
Great Western fell for the next decade or so, reaching lows of 240 and around numbers
170 million passengers per year, respectively, in 1970.
From the 1970s to the late 20th century, the Great Western recovered more Commented [TG17]: Signposting
quickly, and by around 1995, both networks had reached around 310 million
per year, and they remained relatively stable for the rest of the period shown. Commented [TG18]: Excellent lexis
Finally, the Light Rail Network, which started operating around 1965, Commented [TG19]: The patterns on
experienced steady growth from almost zero until around 1995, when it the two main networks is similar and
can be grouped together
plateaued, with roughly 70 million passengers using it every year for the rest of
the period. 206 words Commented [TG20]: Excellent lexis
Commented [TG21]: Excellent
grammar – preposition + gerund

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QUESTION 3 – C7T4 – CHANGES OVER TIME – PIE CHARTS – ELECTRICITY

PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA AND FRANCE

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The pie charts below show units of electricity production by
fuel source in Australia and France in 1980 and 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Source: Cambridge 7 Test 4

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Commentary

With 22 figures, this question has more than the average amount of
information, but there are several opportunities to group features together.
The challenge in this question is to give all the figures without repeating
structures.
I organised by country, but organising by year would also be ok.
I don’t normally give figures in the overview, but in this case, the total
production figures for the two countries are obviously the most important
figures. If there’s a total or totals, consider putting the figures in the overview.
This is the most important information in the question, and if you omit it
altogether, you will get 4 for TA.
When it comes to grouping and rounding, it’s better not to give averages. If
you say in 1980, the three fossil fuels contributed an average of around 22.5
units the reader doesn’t know as much as if you wrote in 1980, the three fossil
fuels all contributed 20-25 units
Be careful to give accurate figures. You’re allowed some inaccurate
information in a band score 6, but the following example has too many
inaccurate details, which is a band score 5 for TA.

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined

The pie charts show how the sources of electricity in Australia and France
changed between 1980 and 2000. Commented [TG22]: If the question
Overall, total production increased significantly in both countries, by 70% to gives a noun phrase, as in this case, I
try to use a noun clause in my
170 units in Australia, while it doubled to 180 units in France. As for the introduction. See here
sources of energy, the use of coal grew the most in Australia, while nuclear
Commented [TG23]: This is the most
power generation saw a dramatic increase in France. important information, so it’s best to
Looking first at Australia, in 1980, coal generated 50 units, compared to 20 put it in the overview.
from both hydro and natural gas, and the figure for oil was 10 units. By 2000, Commented [TG24]: Clear
130 units of electricity were generated from coal, an increase of over 150%. signposting showing the
Meanwhile, hydro’s contribution had risen to 36 units, while those of oil and organization
gas were negligible. Commented [TG25]: 2% is negligible,
although I prefer not to neglect to
mention them

With regard to the French figures, in 1980, the three fossil fuels all contributed Commented [TG26]: Signposting
20-25 units and less was produced from nuclear power and hydro, with Commented [TG27]: Rounding – it’s
respective figures of 15 and 5. By 2000, French nuclear energy production had not necessary to give all the exact
grown dramatically, and it accounted for nearly three quarters of all French figure
energy, or 125 units, and at the same time, coal and oil both produced 25. Commented [TG28]: Great
Finally, electricity from both natural gas and hydro had fallen to negligible referencing
levels. Commented [TG29]: This gives me
203 words the opportunity to use the past
perfect

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QUESTION 4 – C7T1– NO CHANGES OVER TIME – TABLE – CONSUMER

SPENDING

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below gives information about consumer spending
on different items in five different countries in 2002.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Cambridge IELTS 7 Test 1

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Commentary

You have a choice in the organization – either by country or by category. The

latter provides much better opportunities for grouping and rounding, thereby
keeping the word count down, and reducing the number of sentences I need to
write.
Note the paragraphing – one paragraph per category is the most logical option.
This is Task 1, and the purpose of paragraphing is to show your organisation.
The rules for Task 2 about having a topic sentence and more than 2 sentences
do not apply to Task 1. A one sentence paragraph is perfectly acceptable in
Task 1.
Learning how to use grouping and rounding is key to answering many Task 1
questions, and this is a great example. eg The next most important sector was
clothing and footwear, which accounted for 9% of Italian spending, and about
6% in the other countries cited. Remember the instructions always say
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, […].
The table gives figures to 2 decimal places, but it is not necessary to use these
in your answer. Remember the instructions always say Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features, […].
I would not indicate preferences or suggest that any of the categories are
favourites. Higher spending on food, drinks and tobacco may reflect necessity,
at least of food and drink, rather than a preference. It is strange that tobacco
is included. I just focused on the figures without attributing any reasons or
popularity to the categories.
As for lexis, you get the opportunity to show of your knowledge of nationalities
– Swedish people / Turks, etc, / Spaniards / the British
Obviously, in questions with figures, you need to give the figures. Note that
this student gave
no figures at all
for leisure and
education. This
will get you 5 for TA.

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined

The table shows five different countries’ consumer spending on three types of
consumer goods in 2002.
Overall, food, drink and tobacco accounted for the highest proportion of
spending in all countries, with people in Ireland and Turkey spending by far the
most on this sector, while spending on both the clothing and the leisure and
education sectors was lower. Commented [TG30]: Mention
differences in both categories and
With regard to food and drink, including tobacco products, 30% of expenditure countries for a clear overview
in both Ireland and Turkey went on these products, while the figures for Italy,
Commented [TG31]: Signposting
Spain, and Sweden stood at between 15% and 19%.
Commented [TG32]: Grouping and
The next most important sector was clothing and footwear, which accounted rounding
for 9% of Italian spending, and about 6% in the other countries cited. Commented [TG33]: Grouping and
rounding
As far as leisure and education are concerned, Turkish people spent the most
Commented [TG34]: Signposting
on these services, at just under 4.5%, which was higher than in Sweden and
Italy, where the figures were both closer to 3%. Finally, Spanish and Irish Commented [TG35]: Grouping and
rounding
consumers allocated only about 2% of their household budgets to this sector.
Commented [TG36]: Signposting
170 words Commented [TG37]: Grouping and
rounding

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QUESTION 5 – NO CHANGES OVER TIME – BAR CHART – REASONS FOR

JOURNEYS

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below gives information about reasons for making
journeys, in a European country in 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Based on a real question

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Commentary

This question is difficult because giving reasons doing for something requires
specific phrases and low-level candidates tend to want to use incorrect phrases
like for the reason of day trips or for the reason taking children to school. Also
it’s not correct to say The least popular reason for making journeys for men
and women was day trips You’d have to say the least popular reason was
going on day trips
Low level candidates also tend to get confused by what the figures represent.
Make sure understand the difference between the number of journeys made
by men and women, and the number of men and women making journeys. If
you write about the
latter, you have
misunderstood the
question and you
will probably get 4
for TA.
I think it’s better to organise by the popularity of the reasons rather than by
gender, although it wouldn’t be wrong to organise by the latter. If you
organise by gender, you’ve got the opportunity to do some grouping,
especially for men, but there’s going to be some duplication if you want to
point out that, for instance, women did the school run twice as often as men,
after you’ve already given the figure for men in the previous paragraph.

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined

The chart shows how many journeys were made by men and women for
various purposes in a particular European country, in 2010. Commented [TG38]: Noun clause
Overall, men and women both made the highest number of journeys to go to
work or to go shopping, although men tended to make more work-related
journeys, and women did more shopping. Commented [TG39]: Clear overview
showing the differences in both
With regard to the most popular reasons, the typical male in this country genders and the reasons. To me, the
made over 300 journeys to work, compared to around 225 made by his female least popular reason – going on day
counterparts. As far as shopping is concerned, the average woman went trips is not important enough to
mention here
shopping over 250 times, which was about 60 more than the number made by
men.
Commented [TG40]: Signposting
Of the less popular activities, the largest gender disparity was seen in taking Commented [TG41]: Great phrase
children to school, as women typically did the school run twice as often as men,
Commented [TG42]: Great phrase to
with respective figures of around 140 and 70. Looking at journeys to visit use if you get a question about
friends, the figures were around 80 per year for both genders and similarly, for males and females
the purpose of enjoying sports and entertainment, men and women made 70 Commented [TG43]: Signposting
and 50 journeys respectively. Finally, both men and women in this country Commented [TG44]: It would not be
went on about 25 day trips in this year. correct to use reason

195 words Commented [TG45]: When the

question uses a slash - “/”, it’s best
to change it
Commented [TG46]: Note the correct
collocation – to go on a day trip

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QUESTION 6 – C5T4 – NO CHANGES OVER TIME – TABLE – URBAN RAILWAYS

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The table below gives information about the railway systems in
6 cites.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Source: Cambridge 5 Test 4

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Commentary

Deciding how to organise your answer is a key skill, and in this question, there
are various options. Writing one paragraph about each city can be ruled out as
it would be too long and it would remove any possibility of grouping and
rounding. Organising by date, length, and number of passengers would be ok,
but it might be difficult to vary the structures. That’s why I organised it into
younger and older networks.
In a question with 18 figures, I would not ignore any if I wanted a high score. I
will use grouping and rounding to keep my answer short and to avoid having to
write to many different
structures. Grouping and
rounding enable me to
keep the answer under
200 words. It is possible
to overuse grouping and
rounding you leave reader
with little idea of what the
figures are. There’s an
example of that to the right.
For clarity, 2 billion passengers is much better than 2,000,000,000, and please
don’t annoy the examiner by writing 2000000000.
In my answer, look at the flexibility in the different methods I’ve use to
describe the lengths of networks – in blue.

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined

The table shows the opening dates, lengths of networks, and passenger
numbers of urban rail systems in 6 different cities. Commented [TG47]: Sometimes it’s
just too difficult to make a good
Overall, the older networks are the longest, as the London underground is noun clause. Doing so would be
inelegant – […] what the opening
almost twice as long as that of Paris, and Tokyo’s has the most passengers, dates were, when they opened, and
how many passengers […]
followed by those of Paris and London.
Commented [TG48]: I mentioned the
oldest, the longest, and the ones
Turning first to the oldest networks, London’s and Paris’s were built in 1863 with the most passengers
and 1900 respectively, and they are almost 400 km and 200 km long. By far Commented [TG49]: grouping
the most widely used system, the Tokyo one, which was built in 1927, Commented [TG50]: great Task 1
structure. Look for opportunities to
comprises 155 km of track, and serves almost 2 billion passengers per year.
use it
Meanwhile, the respective figures for London and Paris are lower, at 775 Commented [TG51]: referencing
million and almost 1.2 billion passengers per year. Commented [TG52]: grouping

With regard to the newer systems, those of Washington DC and Kyoto were Commented [TG53]: signposting -
don’t leave it to the examiner to
both built around 1980, and the one in LA was completed in 2001. Of these, at
guess what your organisation is
126 km, Washington’s is the longest and has nearly 150 million passengers per Commented [TG54]: referencing
year. Finally, both the LA and Kyoto systems carry around 50 million Commented [TG55]: grouping
passengers a year, and they are both under 30km in length. Commented [TG56]: rounding
Commented [TG57]: referencing
191 words Commented [TG58]: grouping and
rounding

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QUESTION 7 – PROCESS / DIAGRAM – ALUMINIUM RECYCLING

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The flowchart below gives information about recycling
aluminium.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Source: Vocabulary for IELTS

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Commentary

The weakness in the design of this question is that it’s not actually shown that
the molten aluminium is poured onto the rolling machine. Figure 5 is also
difficult, but the intention is that one of the factories makes cans from sheets
of aluminium, and the other fills them with soft drinks.
Note and memorise my overview. Also see
my comment about it.
Ignoring the overview is a common mistake
of candidates in process questions, but the
problem is not limited to candidates. The
“model” to the right is from the book
Vocabulary for IELTS, and shockingly, it has
no overview, which means it would get 5 for
TA. The absence of any paragraphing would
also limit the score to band score 7 for C&C.
Organisation in processes should be
straightforward, but you need to pay
attention to linking phrases. Don’t rely too
much on then, next, firstly, etc. If you
overuse these words you’re at risk of getting a 6 for C&C.
This question provides excellent opportunities to show off your less common
lexis, and the way to find it is to ask yourself questions like Where do people
put their used cans? [a recycling bin] Who deposits their used cans? [members
of the public] Why are the cans cleaned? [to remove dirt]
Most people know that to answer a question with a process requires the use of
lots of passive voice structures. The challenge is to vary them to avoid making
it seem too repetitive. Note the different passive voice structures in blue.
Other structures that I couldn’t use in this answer include.
• they can be printed (modal + be + V3)
• it is now ready to be washed (ready+ to be + V3)
Do not omit any key features. You shouldn’t ignore any steps that are named
in the diagrams as they are all key features.

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined
blue is used to show different passive voice
structures

The diagram shows the steps and equipment used in the process of recycling Commented [TG59]: I use this in most
aluminium cans. processes

Overall, there -are multiple steps in the process from used cans being Commented [TG60]: I’m definitely not
deposited at collection centres by members of the public, through the various going to say 6, because many of the
diagrams have more than one named
processing steps, to cans made from recycled aluminium being sold at retail
step.
establishments.
Commented [TG61]: Clear overview. I
can’t mention all the steps, and to
mention random ones makes no
sense, so I just mention the first and
In the first step, the general public deposit their used cans in recycling bins, last, but with the key phrase through
various processing steps
from where they are later taken to the recycling plant. Here, the cans are first
Commented [TG62]: Plant - similar to
cleaned to remove paint and impurities, and then sorted and shredded into factory
small pieces, before being crushed into rectangular blocks of uniform size.
Commented [TG63]: Give extra
These are then loaded manually into an industrial furnace, where the information when you can
temperature is high enough to melt the aluminium. Commented [TG64]: Give extra
information when you can
Commented [TG65]: Take every
opportunity to use complex passive
voice structures
Commented [TG66]: Key lexis
Commented [TG67]: This is much
better than using a worker loads […]
. We have the passive voice because
we don’t care about the agent
Commented [TG68]: Great phrase

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In the next step, the molten aluminium is poured into a rolling machine which Commented [TG69]: Used for metal.
produces aluminium sheets to a thickness of 2.5 to 6mm. These are used for Melted is used for butter
various purposes including the production of cans for the soft drink industry, Commented [TG70]: Key lexis
which fills them with their products, and these are subsequently sold to the Commented [TG71]: Note this correct
public. phrase
Commented [TG72]: Use the active
voice when you can to break up the
In the UK, about three-quarters of all cans sold are later recycled. series of passive voice structures
Commented [TG73]: Which would be
ok but two consecutive which
189 words clauses is not great style
Commented [TG74]: This is
hyphenated, and it’s much better
than saying 74%

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 25 of 33

QUESTION 8 – PROCESS / DIAGRAM – CANNING FRUIT

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The diagrams show how canned fruit is produced.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Source: Grammar for IELTS

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 26 of 33

Commentary

The organisation in most processes is obvious – you’re going to start at the

beginning and finish at the end.
Note my overview and memorise it. Also
note the similarity between this overview
and that of the aluminium recycling
question. You can use this structure in
many different processes.
To the right is the model answer from
Grammar for IELTS. Note the absence of
an overview and paragraphing, which
means it would get 5 for TA and 6 for C&C.
The key to finding vocabulary in a process
like this is to ask questions. Where is the fruit picked? Why is the fruit
washed? What is peeled? How are the fruit halves
placed in the tins? Processes like this are an excellent
opportunity for you to show off some less common lexis,
which you need for a band score 7 for LR.
I used 5 different types of passive voice – in blue. It’s not usually possible to
use them all, but aim for 2 or 3, especially the one in the overview.
I’ve put the linking phrases in bold, so you can see alternatives to firstly, next,
then, which any low band score candidate can use. The use of the present
perfect provides some relief from the tedium of all those present simple
passive voice structures: Once the cans have been filled they are sealed and
cooked, sterilizing the contents. When the cans have cooled down, a label is
attached, after which they […]

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Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined
blue is used to show different passive voice
structures
The diagram shows the steps and equipment involved in the process of canning
pears.

Overall, there are multiple steps in the process, from the pears being
harvested, through the various processing steps, to the delivery of cases of Commented [TG75]: High band score
passive voice structure
canned pear halves to retail outlets.
Commented [TG76]: It’s not possible
or required to mention all the steps.
First of all, in the orchards where it grows, the fruit is hand-picked when it is If you mention some, it seems rather
ripe, before large trucks transport it to the cannery. Here, it is washed and random. I usually mention the first
and last, and use a high level way of
then quality checked, at which point any bruised or inferior fruit is rejected, referring to the other steps.
while the high quality fruit is cooled in industrial refrigerators. Commented [TG77]: Fruit is normally
non-countable
In the next step, after being weighed and graded to ensure uniformity of size, Commented [TG78]: If you get the
opportunity to use the active voice,
it is peeled, sliced in two, and the cores and seeds are removed. At this stage, use it
the fruit halves are ready to be placed into cans, which is done by a Commented [TG79]: High band score
mid-sentence cohesion
mechanical device.
Commented [TG80]: Great linker with
high band score passive voice
Once the cans have been filled they are sealed and cooked, sterilizing the
Commented [TG81]: Vary the passive
contents. When the cans have cooled down, a label is attached, after which voice
they are stored in a warehouse. They can now be delivered to supermarkets Commented [TG82]: Or a mechanical
claw
for sale to the public.
Commented [TG83]: When / Once +
present perfect. Take every chance
188 words to vary structures

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 28 of 33

QUESTION 9 – C10T4 – A NATURAL CYCLE – THE LIFECYCLE OF THE SALMON

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The diagrams below show the life cycle of a species of large
fish called the salmon.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Source: Cambridge 10 Test 4

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 29 of 33

Commentary

The organization here is obvious – it starts with eggs being laid. Don’t let the
numbered stages confuse you – their purpose is to show the sizes of the fish at
different stages and not to suggest you start at number 1.
Make sure you use all the information given, including the sizes and lengths of
time spent in the different stages. There is a similar but inferior question
available for the lifecycle of a frog. The problem is that it doesn’t provide and
sizes or time periods, which in fact, makes the question much more difficult.
The correct tense is the present simple, and I suggest you resist the temptation
to drift into the future simple in any
answer to a process question. The
present simple is the best tense
because what happens in a process
is always true. Using the future
simple is a big distraction for the
reader, as seen to the right.
As is often the case with processes, the biggest challenge is in finding
vocabulary. It would be difficult to answer the question if you didn’t know that
animals including fish mate, and that eggs are laid and later they hatch. See
my comment below about maps for advice on how to improve your
vocabulary.

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 30 of 33

Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined
The diagram gives information about the various stages in the life of the
salmon.
Overall, the full lifecycle of the salmon takes 9-10 years, from eggs hatching in
the upper river, including time spent growing in the lower river and the sea or
ocean, to new eggs being laid by salmon returning to their spawning grounds. Commented [TG84]: High band score
passive voice structure. You can
The life cycle of the salmon begins when the adult female lays eggs in the often use this describing a process.
upper, slow moving river, which she does among small stones and reeds. The See my answer to the fruit canning
eggs hatch and spend 5 to 6 months developing into fry, which are from 3-8cm question
in length, after which they head downstream to the fast-moving lower river, Commented [TG85]: In a process, it’s
and stay there for approximately 4 years. usually impossible to mention all the
steps in the overview, so I usually
In the next stage, the so-called “smolt”, which are now 12-15cm long, head for just mention the first and last. In this
the open sea, where they spend about 5 years developing to their full mature case, the other stages are referred to
as time spent growing in […]
size of 70-76cm, at which point they return to the slow moving river to mate
Commented [TG86]: Signposting
and lay eggs close to where they originally hatched.
Commented [TG87]: High band score
170 words linking phrase
Commented [TG88]: Excellent lexis
Commented [TG89]: Excellent lexis
Commented [TG90]: High band score
linking phrase

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 31 of 33

QUESTION 10 – C9T1 – MAP – ISLAND

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The map below shows an island, before and after the
construction of some tourist facilities.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Cambridge IELTS 9 Test 1

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 32 of 33

Commentary

There are various ways of organising an answer to a map question, which is

why making the organisation clear with signposting is important. Another
method or organising would be to go round geographically, pointing out what
changed and what didn’t. As there’s not much to describe in the first map,
describing them separately is the best approach here.
The commonest mistake in answering this question is to ignore the
dimensions. It’s a really good idea to give an indication of the shape as well –
roughly rectangular. If you didn’t give the size, give yourself 4 for TA as you’ve
ignored a key feature. The fact that it’s mentioned twice should be an
indication of its importance.
As no years are given, it is reasonable to assume the after map represents the
current state of the island, and to use the present simple, and the adverb now.
In maps and processes,
finding appropriate
vocabulary can be a
challenge, as seen to the
right. The time to learn
vocabulary is now, and
one of the ways to do this
is by studying high band
score answers and by
using active reading and
Anki.

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 IELTS Writing Task 1 - Model Answers Page 33 of 33

Model Answer

KEY C&C bold

LR italics
GRA underlined
Commented [TG91]: Noun clause
The maps show how an island changed with the development of some tourist Commented [TG92]: The overview
infrastructure. shows the main changes. I would
not try mention everything as it’s
Overall, as a result of the changes, the central and western areas are now covered by other tourist facilities
dominated by accommodation, a reception, and other tourist facilities, while Commented [TG93]: Signposting –
the eastern part of the island remains unchanged. this shows the examiner that this
paragraph is about the first map.
Looking first at the island in its original state, it is roughly rectangular in This is important in a map as there
shape, and is about 250m in length from east to west, with a width of 60-80m. are various ways of organising an
At this time, it was completely undeveloped, and its only features were some answer
trees in the east, and a smaller number of trees in the west, where there is Commented [TG94]: Referencing
also a beach. Commented [TG95]: Indefinite article
for first time the beach is referred to
Commented [TG96]: Signposting
Commented [TG97]: It is a fair
assumption that the after map
represents the current state – hence
After the development of the tourist facilities, the only means of access onto the present simple and present
the island is now by a pier, which has been built in the bay in the south. From perfect.
the pier, one can use the island’s only vehicle tracks to reach the restaurant Commented [TG98]: The neutral
pronoun
and reception area, on either side of which are separate areas of
accommodation, each consisting of a circle of huts, served by footpaths. Commented [TG99]: High band score
mid-sentence cohesion
Commented [TG100]: Definitely not
With regard to other facilities on the island, pleasure boats are now available houses.
in the south around the pier, and in the extreme west, a footpath leads to a Commented [TG101]: Or connected
by
swimming area by the beach.
Commented [TG102]: Signposting
211 words
Commented [TG103]: Definite article
for the previously mentioned beach

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