The Flowchart Illustrates The Production Of Coloured Plastic Paper Clips In A Small Factory (2) 5u3821

The flowchart illustrates the production of coloured plastic paper clips in a small factory.

model answer: There are four main stages in the production of plastic paper clips from this small factory. Two of these stages involve actual preparation of the clips, while the other two consist of quality control before the clips are sent out from the factory to the retailers to be sold to the public. To begin with, molten plastic is poured into three different moulds depending on the colour required; the colours are red, blue and yellow. Once these clips emerge from the moulds a quality control machine checks them for strength. Unsatisfactory clips are rejected. In the third stage in the process the clips are sorted by hand into two groups, mixed and single colours. When this stage is complete the groups are checked a second time to ensure that the colour mixtures are divided correctly into single colours and mixed colour batches. Finally, the clips are packed and dispatched to the markets. (152 words)

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.

Map of Brandfield with two proposed sites for a shopping mall

Model Answer 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 diagram shows how tea leaves are processed into five tea types.

IELTS process writing sample answer The diagram presents the manufacture of five different types of tea. It is immediately apparent that although all the teas are produced from the same leaf, the differences in the manufacturing process result in five different types of tea. The first three stages of manufacture are the same for all of the five teas. The leaves are grown, they are then plucked, and following this withering of the leaves occurs. The final stage is also

the same, which sees all the leaves dried in an oven. However, in the stages in between this, differing methods of production are employed. To begin, white tea is unique as it involves no other processing. In contrast, green, oolong and large leaf black tea are all rolled as part of the process. However, while green tea is steamed before being rolled but is not fermented, the other two teas are first rolled and then both fermented (oolong only slightly but large leaf black completely). Finally, small leaf black tea is neither steamed nor rolled, but is crushed before being fully fermented. _________________________________________

Comments This IELTS process writing sample is a well-organized response that covers all the important features of the diagram. It is easy to follow as it discusses each tea in turn, but not only this, it also groups similar processes together and identifies the differences. For example: Similarities: The first three stages of manufacture are the same for all of the five teas. …green, oolong and large leaf black tea are all rolled as part of the process. Differences: …white tea is unique as it involves no other processing. However, while green tea is steamed before being rolled but is not fermented, the other two teas are first rolled and then both fermented. The candidate decides to mention the first three stages and the last one together in one paragraph as they are exactly the same for every tea, and the differing stages in the middle following this. This may seem odd to mention the stages in this order, and it is likely that when you describe a process you will discuss each stage in turn, but for this particular process it works well as the candidate can then focus on the differences. The appropriate voice is also used in the description, which is the ive. When we write about a process, we are interested in the actions, NOT who is doing them. In this case we use the ive voice. Here are some examples of the ive voice from this IELTS writing sample process: ...the teas are produced from the same leaf

The leaves are grown, they are then plucked ...differing methods of production are employed It may not always be possible, but if you can you should also try to use synonyms for some of the words from the diagram rather than copying them all. For example, ‘completely’ fermented is used instead of ‘fully’. Make sure you also make use of a mix of ‘time’ transitions to guide the reader through the description: …they are then plucked, and following this withering of the leaves occurs. …the other two teas are first rolled and then both fermented The candidate also demonstrates the ability to accurately use a mix of complex structures necessary to achieve above a band 6 for ‘grammatical range and accuracy’: Noun Clauses: It is immediately apparent that although all the teas are produced from the same leaf... Relative Clauses: The final stage is also the same, which sees all the leaves dried in an oven. Adverbial Clauses: …although all the teas are produced from the same leaf …white tea is unique as it involves no other processing. …while green tea is steamed before being rolled but is not fermented, See the IELTS grammar page for an explanation of what is required for grammar in writing task 1 and 2..

The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.

Sample Answer :

The map shows two potential locations (S1 and S2) for a new supermarket in a town called Garlsdon. The main difference between the two sites is that S1 is outside the town, whereas S2 is in the town centre. The sites can also be compared in of access by road or rail, and their positions relative to three smaller towns. Looking at the information in more detail, S1 is in the countryside to the north west of Garlsdon, but it is close to the residential area of the town. S2 is also close to the housing area, which surrounds the town centre. There are main roads from Hindon, Bransdon and Cransdon to Garlsdon town centre, but this is a no traffic zone, so there would be no access to S2 by car. By contrast, S1 lies on the main road to Hindon, but it would be more difficult to reach from Bransdon and Cransdon. Both supermarket sites are close to the railway that runs through Garlsdon from Hindon to Cransdon. The diagram shows how electricity is generated by a hydroelectric dam.

Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer explaining how the process works.

Model Answer 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. (163 words, IELTS 8.0) Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score? Task achievement: The introduction paraphrases the question and describes the constituent parts of the process. The body describes each stage of the process in sequence.

Coherence and cohesion: The model answer has an introduction, body and conclusion. Sequencing expressions such as first of all, then and after are used appropriately. The articles a and the are used effectively to introduce and refer back to different elements of the process. Lexical resource: The labels in the diagram are well integrated into the model answer and appropriate verbs such as converted, flows and leaves are used throughout. Less-common words such as byproducts and renewable are introduced by the writer. Spelling is always accurate. Grammatical range and accuracy: The writer uses the present simple tense and has good control of subject-verb agreement and active/ive forms. A good balance of simple and complex sentences is used throughout.

IELTS Writing Task 1: How to Organise Your Answer

Here’s a quick guide on how to organise an IELTS Writing Task 1 answer into paragraphs. This applies only to the Academic module. Note that the organisation of the answer may change depending on the question type. First paragraph: Introduction Key technique: Be direct.

When writing an introduction to Task 1, get straight to the point as you only have 20 minutes to write your answer. One or two sentences are often sufficient. Two things you should try to include in the introduction are:  

Paraphrase of the question: What does the diagram show? (Don’t describe the results yet!) General description: Are the differences great or small, many or few? Is there one very obvious trend or feature that stands out? Hint: Many people make the mistake of continuing with all the details. Stop here and begin your first body paragraph. Body paragraphs Key technique: Divide the body into two or three paragraphs. Use a logical way to divide the body of your report into two or three paragraphs. Are there two or more sets of data? Great, then write a paragraph about each one. Is there only one set of data? Count the variables and divide them into two or three groups. You can divide by natural similarity (e.g. some academic subjects are sciences; others are arts.) Or you can divide by similarity of results (e.g. some exam scores went up; others went down.) Or you can divide a process, a time period or age range into two or three stages (e.g. the 20th Century can be divided into the early, mid, and late 20th Century.) Now that you have a paragraphing system, make sure each paragraph is organised as follows:

  

Link to the previous paragraph: By contrast, turning to, finally, etc. Topic sentence: Describe the main point, change or comparison in general without giving specific information. ing sentence(s): Quote a figure or other evidence that s the claim made in the topic sentence. Hint: If you find yourself writing more than two consecutive ing sentences, include a general sentence (e.g. There were also significant differences in…) to guide the reader, or consider starting a new paragraph. Final paragraph: Conclusion Key technique: Add overall coherence. Due to lack of time, many people will omit the conclusion from Task 1. However, there are several reasons you should write a conclusion. One is that writing a summarising sentence takes very little time and may push you past the 150-word limit. Another is that a good summary can add coherence to your answer, which could rescue your score if you have drifted a lot. Finally, since the purpose of Task 1 is usually to compare, the conclusion allows you to make direct comparisons of the different sets of data, which is

especially important if you have described them in separate body paragraphs. Here are some things that can go in the conclusion to Task 1:  

Concluding signal: In conclusion, in summary, overall, etc. Summary: Paraphrase the overall trend or the two or three main points made in the body. Never

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include statistics or other evidence in the conclusion. Direct comparison: If there are several sets of data, here is your chance to make a connection

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between them. Don’t go into too much detail. Prediction: If the data includes a timeframe, you could make a prediction about what is likely to

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happen next. Concluding comment: If you really need some extra words, you could add a comment on the data. Is it surprisingly, alarming, expected? Comments such as these are not required by the question but are better than incurring a penalty for not meeting the word requirement. Hint: You don’t need to include all of the above in your conclusion. Two sentences are generally enough. See model IELTS Writing Task 1 answers for examples of how to use paragraphing in practice.

IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Organise Your Answer

See below for an easy-to-follow guide to planning, organising and paragraphing an essay in IELTS Writing Task 2. This advice applies to both General Training and Academic Writing modules, but there are different ways of organising an answer depending on the question type.

First paragraph: Introduction Key technique: Don’t begin with your thesis statement. Never begin an essay with I believe, I agree, or In my opinion. These indicate your thesis statement and should go at the END of your introduction, after you have introduced the topic and problem to be discussed. As a rule, start generally and take several sentences to build to your main idea. Note that the style of thesis statement will vary depending on the question type. Study the question carefully first to determine if you should give your opinion in the introduction or in the conclusion.  

Introductory sentence: What topic is to be discussed? Recently, there have been… Narrow the focus: What issue concerning the topic is to be resolved? However, some people

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argue that… Thesis statement (opinion essay): What is your opinion on this issue? This essay will argue that…

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Thesis statement (argument essay): What will happen in this essay? This essay will look at both sides of the argument before stating my own opinion. Thesis statement (problem/solution essay): What are you going to write about? The main problems are X and Y and I will propose solutions to both in this essay. Hint: You can choose either to write in the first person (I believe...) or third person (This essay will…). The third person sounds more objective and academic. Hint: Don’t include your main reasons or arguments in the introduction, these should go in each of the body paragraphs. Body paragraphs Key technique: Make a paragraph plan In Task 2, you will need to write between two and four body paragraphs. Each paragraph should express one main idea in relation to the thesis statement (see above) and how you order these paragraphs is also important for the overall coherence of the essay. In an opinion essay, if you express a strong opinion (I firmly believe…), then all body paragraphs should it. However, if your opinion is weak (I agree to some extent…), consider writing one paragraph against followed by two paragraphs in favour (see hint below). In an argument essay, it is best to give equal space to both sides of the argument, which means writing either two or four body paragraphs. If you write three body paragraphs, i.e. there is clearly a bias towards one side of the argument, make sure your final opinion is in favour of that side! In a problem/solution essay, make sure you give equal treatment to all parts of the question. Two problems and two solutions are enough. It is best not to write about problems you can’t offer solutions to.

There are many ways to organise such an essay. You can write about a problem and its solution in one paragraph or you can deal with all the problems first and the solutions later. Once you have decided on a paragraph plan, make sure each paragraph is organised as follows:   

Link to the previous paragraph: First, Furthermore, On the other hand, etc. Topic sentence: Describe the main idea of the paragraph in general . ing sentences: Use examples or further explanation to the claim made in the

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topic sentence. Qualifying sentence: Sometimes it is clear that an idea isn’t perfect or there may be exceptions.

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You can point this out as long as you don’t destroy your main idea completely. Summarising sentence: If you have included a qualifying sentence, or if you have written several ing sentences, consider returning to your main point by paraphrasing your topic sentence at the end. Hint: If one of your body paragraphs goes against your main idea, put this paragraph first so that the remaining body paragraphs flow logically to your conclusion. The same is true in an argument essay. Discuss the side you don’t agree with first, so that the opinion expressed in your conclusion follows naturally from what has come before. Final paragraph: Conclusion Key technique: Give your reader something to consider. One habit of IELTS test-takers is to end with a simple summary of their opinion and main ideas. This is absolutely fine and can add essential extra coherence, but try also adding some kind of concluding comment. This will leave the examiner with a powerful final impression of your essay when he or she comes to score it. A full conclusion should contain:

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Concluding signal: In conclusion, In summary, Overall, etc. (Re)state opinion: In an opinion essay, you can simply paraphrase your original thesis

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statement. In an argument essay, this is where you state your opinion, often using a phrase such as Having considered both sides of the argument, I believe… Summary: Paraphrase the main idea of each body paragraph in very brief . Never include

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examples or explanations. These go in the body of the essay. Concluding comment: Give the reader something to think about. Highlight the importance of the issue you have just discussed. Ask the reader to consider the future consequences if the issue is not resolved. Recommend a course of action that the reader or society should follow. Hint: Don’t include anything in the introduction that is completely new or requires detailed explanation. This is also true for the concluding comment. Keep it obvious. Don’t write an idea that you then need to explain.

See model IELTS Writing Task 2 answers for examples of how to use paragraphing in practice.