IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING TASK 1

MAP & PROCESS MODEL ANSWERS

The map below is of the town of Canterbury. A new school (S) is planned for the area.
The map shows two possible sites for the school.

The map shows two proposed sites for a new school for the town of Canterbury and the
surrounding area.

The first site (S1) is situated in the countryside, to the north-east of the town centre. It is just
outside the main housing area of the town and not far from the main road that links Sturry with
Canterbury. It would therefore probably be in an ideal location for students coming from Sturry,
which is only 5 kilometres away, and those who live on the east side of Canterbury. If there are
students coming from Chartham, which is 7 kilometres to the south-west, they would be able to
reach the school by taking the main road that runs south-west of Canterbury.

The second site (S2) is located in the town centre itself. There are advantages of this: it makes
it practically equidistant for students coming from either Sturry or Chartham. Moreover, it would
presumably be relatively easy for students who live in the housing area around the town centre
to reach the school. However, because of the no traffic zone in the town centre, no parent would
be able to drive their child all the way to school. This may make travel arrangements difficult for
some parents.
Below is a map of the city of Brandfield. City planners have decided to build a new
shopping mall for the area, and two sites, S1 and S2 have been proposed.

The map illustrates plans for two possible sites for a shopping mall in the city of Brandfield. It
can be seen that the two sites under consideration are in the north and the south east of the
town.

The first possible site for the shopping mall, S1, is just north of the city centre, above the railway
line, which runs from the south east of the city to the north west. If it is built here, it will be next
to a large housing estate, thus providing easy access for those living on the estate and in the
city centre. It will also be next to the river, which runs through the town.

The site in the south east, S2, is again just by the railway line and fairly close to the city centre,
but it is near to an industrial estate rather than housing.

There is a main road that runs through the city and is close to both sites, thus providing good
road access to either location. A large golf course and park in the west of the town prevents this
area from being available as a site.
The diagrams below show the changes that have taken place at Queen Mary Hospital
since its construction in 1960.

The diagrams show Queen Mary Hospital at three different stages in its development: 1960,
1980 and 2000.

In 1960, the hospital was build close to a main road and next to a shopping centre. A large area
behind the hospital was turned into a car park, while the area behind the shopping centre was
farmland.

By 1980, the shopping centre had been demolished in order to make way for two additional
hospital building which became a pharmacy and a cancer centre. Furthermore, the hospital
gained the farmland and converted it into a nursing school.

In 2000, the main hospital building remained unchanged but the cancer centre was extended to
cover the entire nursing school. As a result of this, the original car park was divided into two so
that it provided a smaller car park and a small nursing school.

During this period, the hospital has increased in size and, in addition to a new nursing school, a
cancer centre has been created and extended. Hence the capacity of the car park has been
reduced by a half.
The maps illustrate how Meadowside village and Fonton, which is a neighbouring town, have
developed over three different time periods (1962, 1985 and the present).

Overall, Meadowside village increased in size and has become Meadowside Suburb as it
merged together with Fonton. Furthermore, there have been significant changes in
infrastructure, housing and facilities over the period given.

In 1962, both Meadowside and Fonton were completely separate with no roads or rail
connecting them. While Fonton had a railway line running through it the the North. Meadowside,
located to the West of Fonton, only had a small road from the West.

By 1985, there was a considerable growth in the size of Meadowside village and Fonton. The
small road in Meadowside village had been converted into a main road and was also extended
to the East to connect with Fonton. Meadowside, moreover, had also developed a housing
estate in the West, a leisure complex and a supermarket in the South.

Currently, both Meadowside, which is now a suburb, and Fonton are joined. The railway line,
which runs through Fonton, has been extended to the West where a train station has been built.
To the North of the station, a hotel has been constructed and opposite the station, to the South,
there is now a business park.
The diagram below shows how coffee is produced and prepared for sale in supermarkets
and shops.

The picture illustrates the process of coffee manufacture and preparation for sale on the market.

It is clear that there are 11 stages in the production of coffee. The process begins with the
picking of coffee beans, and ends at the packing stage.

Looking at the coffee production process in detail, coffee beans must first be picked in the fields.
These beans are then dried, roasted, and cooled before being put in a grinding machine, which
turns the beans into coffee granules.

At the sixth stage in the process, the ground coffee is mixed with hot water, and the resulting
mixture is strained. Next, the mixture is frozen and then passed once again through the grinder.
After that, the ground, frozen liquid is dried in a vacuum so that the water evaporates, leaving
the coffee granules. Finally, these granules are packed into coffee jars for delivery to shops.
The diagram below gives the information about the Hawaiian island chain in the centre of
the Pacific Ocean.

The Hawaiian island chain, in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, is approximately 2,700 km in
length. It is formed of volcanoes and the active ones are at the south-east tip of the archipelago,
where Hawaii itself is located.

It is believed that the chain began to form nearly 80 million years ago. Each island started to
evolve after an eruption on the sea floor. First, a `hot spot' existed on the ocean bed, which let
out a plume of material called magma. This magma may originate as deep as 2,883km below
the ocean bed. Next, further eruptions took place, which built up the volcano. Eventually, it
emerged above the surface of the ocean.

Since that time, the spume of magma has remained static as the Pacific tectonic plate moves in
a north-west direction across it at a speed of 7-9cm per year. As it moves, a volcano forms as it
passes over the hotspot and then become inactive when it has passed it.
The diagram below shows the typical stages of consumer goods manufacturing,
including the process by which information is fed back to earlier stages to enable
adjustment.
Most consumer goods go through a series of stages before they emerge as finished products
ready for sale.

Raw materials and manufactured components comprise the initial physical input in the
manufacturing process. Once obtained, these are stored for later assembly. But assembly first
depends upon the production planning stage, where it is decided how and in what quantities the
stored materials will be processed to create sufficient quantities of finished goods. The
production planning stage itself follows the requirements of the goods' design stage that
proceeds from extensive research. After assembly, the products are inspected and tested to
maintain quality control l Those units that pass the inspection and testing stages are then
packaged, despatched and offered for sale in retail outlets. The level of sales, which is the end
point of the manufacturing process, helps determine production planning.

A product's design is not only the result of product research, but is also influenced by testing
and market research. If the testing stage (after assembly and inspection) reveals unacceptable
problems in the finished product, then adjustments will have to be made to the product's design.
Similarly, market research, which examines the extent and nature of the demand for products,
has the role of guiding product design to suit consumer demands which may change with time.
Market research, while influenced by product sales, also serves to foster future sales by
devising suitable advertising for the goods.

Thus the reality of consumer goods manufacturing goes well beyond a simple linear production
process.
The diagram below shows how a central heating system in a house works.

This diagram provides an overview of a domestic central heating system. It shows how the tank,
boiler and pipes ensure a constant flow of hot waterto both the radiators and the taps.

The cold water enters the house and is stored in a water storage tank in the roof. From there ü
flows down to the boiler, located on the ground floor of the house.

The boiler, which is fuelled by gas or oil, heats up the water as it passes through it. The hot
water is then pumped round the house through a system of pipes and flows into the radiators,
located in different rooms. The water circulates through the radiators, which have small tubes
inside them to help distribute the heat, and this warms each of the rooms. Some of the water is
directed to the taps to provide hot water for the house.

Once the water has been through the pipes and radiators, it is returned to the boiler to be re-
heated and circulated round the house again.
The diagrams below give information about the Eiffel Tower in Paris and an outline
project to extend it underground.

The Eiffel Tower is situated close to the Seine River in Paris. It is a metal structure that is 1,063
feet high and weighs 7,417 tonnes. The tower has been a tourist attraction since 1889, when it
was built, and there are 1,665 steps that can be climbed in order to reach the two viewing
platforms.

There are now plans to build below the foundations of the tower. These plans include the
development of five underground levels that will incorporate the tower's ticket office, shopping
facilities, a cinema and museum and two floors of underground parking.

Although details have yet to be finalised, the principle is that the five floors will be connected by
two vertical passenger lifts on either side of the tower. In addition, the floor immediately below
the tower, which is planned to house the ticket office, will also consist of a large atrium with a
glass ceiling so that visitors can look directly up at the tower itself.
The diagrams below show how houses can be protected in areas which are prone to
flooding.

The diagrams compare two different methods of defence for homes which are at risk of being
flooded.

The key difference between the diagrams is that they show flood protection with and without a
stopbank. In either case, the at-risk home is raised on stilts above ground level.

The first diagram shows how a stopbank acts as a flood barrier to stop river water from flooding
homes. The stopbank is a small mound of land next to the river that is higher than the 100-year
flood level, and prevents the river from bursting its banks. Nearby houses can be built on stilts to
prevent flooding from rainwater, and a floodgate beneath the stopbank can be opened to allow
this ‘ponding’ to drain off into the river.

When there is no stopbank, as shown in the second diagram, there will be nothing to stop the
river from flooding. In this case, the solution is to put buildings on stilts. The height of the stilts is
measured so that the floor of the house is 300mm above the 100-year flood level. This
measurement is called the ‘freeboard’.
The diagram shows how electricity is generated by a hydroelectric dam.

The diagram illustrates the basic principles of hydroelectric power.

The process requires the construction of a large dam connected to a powerhouse. The dam
creates a large reservoir and the powerhouse is where the electricity is generated.

First of all, water trapped in the reservoir behind the dam is forced through an intake. It then
flows into a narrow chamber called a penstock, where the resulting high pressure turns a
turbine. The turbine is connected to a generator in the powerhouse above, and this is where the
movement of the turbine is converted into electricity. The resulting electricity leaves the
powerhouse via cables that carry it over long distances to where it can be used.

It is interesting to note that a hydroelectric dam creates no harmful byproducts and relies
entirely on natural forces to produce electricity. After the turbine stage, water flows out through a
second channel and into a river. The process is renewable, thanks to the water cycle in nature.
The illustration below shows the process of tying a bow tie. Write a report explaining to a
university lecturer how to tie his bow tie.

The diagram illustrates how to knot a bow tie in eight stages.

To begin with, the tie should be placed around the neck, with one end slightly longer than the
other. Then place the longer end over the other and pass it upwards and behind the point where
the two ends cross.

Next, take the other end of the tie and bend it twice to form an ‘S’ shape. Bring the longer end
down and in front, so that it holds the ‘S’ curve in place. Now comes the trickiest part of the
process. Take the long end of the tie and form a similar ‘S’ shape before passing it through the
narrow gap behind the other end. This creates a knot and the bow should now be held securely
in place.

Finally, adjust both sides of the bow to make it symmetrical and prepare to be the envy of your
friends.
The diagram below shows the production of electricity using a system called Ocean
Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC).

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is a system that converts heat energy into the
electric power using the temperature difference between surface seawater, which can be up to
29 degrees Celsius, and deep seawater, which is only 5 degrees Celsius.

The main components of the system are an evacuated evaporation chamber, a turbine and a
condensing chamber. The solar energy of the sun heats up the surface water and this warm
water is introduced into the evacuated evaporation chamber, where it boils. As it boils, salt is
deposited and water vapour is generated. This vapour then drives a turbine to generate
electricity. After it powers the turbine, the water vapour enters the condensing chamber, which is
cooled by the water from the depths of the ocean. The water vapour is condensed in this
chamber, producing drinking water. Meanwhile, waste salt water is discharged into the ocean
and the process can be repeated.
 The diagrams show a structure that is used to generate electricity from wave power.

The two diagrams show how electricity can be generated from the rise and fall of water caused
by sea waves.

The process involves a structure which is mounted on the side of a cliff or sea wall. This
structure consists of a large chamber. One end is open to the sea, and the other leads into a
vertical column, which is open to the atmosphere. A turbine is installed inside this column and
this is used to generate the electricity in two phases.

The first diagram indicates that when a wave approaches the device, water is forced into the
chamber, applying pressure on the air within the column. This air escapes to atmosphere
through the turbine, thereby producing electricity.

The second diagram illustrates the next part of the process when wave retreats. As the water
level falls, the air from outside the column is sucked back in through the turbine. As a result,
electricity continues to be generated. The turbine rotates only in one direction, regardless of the
direction of the air flow.

In conclusion, we can see that this structure is useful as electricity is generated in both phases:
entering and retreating of water.
The diagram below shows the production of steam using a gas cooled nuclear reactor.

A gas-cooled nuclear reactor consists of the reactor itself and a heat exchanger. The reactor
contains uranium fuel elements which are surrounded by graphite moderators and topped by
charge tubes for loading fuel elements, and boron control rods. The whole reactor is contained
in a pressure vessel surrounded by a concrete shield.

From the reactor the hot gas flows through a duct into the heat exchanger which is outside the
concrete radiation shielding. In the heat exchanger, steam is generated in a secondary loop.
There a pipe brings in water which is heated to steam, and this then flows out to the turbo-
alternator. Meanwhile the hot gas sinks to the bottom of the heat exchanger and passes through
a gas blower which pushes it into a cool gas duct and back to the reactor.

As can be seen, this is a continuous cycle that keeps the reactor from overheating, while
carrying away the heat and steam, which will power the turbines.
The following diagram shows how greenhouse gases trap energy from the Sun.

Energy from the Sun reaches the Earth as heat. Some of this heat energy
is subsequently/thenradiated into space, while some of it is trapped by greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere and reflected back to Earth. This is a natural process, but in recent decades,
human activities have led to an increase in the amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
which is now trapping too much heat.

One of the main greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, and extra quantities of this are
released/have been released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels as a source
of energy in power stations, factories and homes. Exhaust gases from cars and lorries result
in/have resulted in further emissions of carbon dioxide.

Plants serve to remove some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by absorbing it through
their leaves. However, as large areas of forest are (being) felled/have been felled in the Amazon
and elsewhere, less carbon dioxide is removed in this way.