Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information in the graphs

below.

You should write at least 150 words.

Allow yourself 20 minutes for this task.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram below shows the production of steam using a gas cooled nuclear reactor.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Task 1 Question

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.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You live in a room in college which you share with another student. You find it very difficult to
work there because he or she always has friends visiting. They have parties in the room and
sometimes borrow your things without asking you.

Write a letter to the Accommodation Officer at the college and ask for a new room next term.
You would prefer a single room. Explain your reasons.

You should write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write your own address. Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir/Madam,
model answer:

The graphs compare the number of deaths caused by six diseases in Someland in 1990
with the amount of research funding allocated to each of those diseases. It can be
clearly seen that the amount of research funding in many cases did not correlate with
the seriousness of the disease in terms of numbers of deaths.

In 1990 there were around 0.2 million deaths from AIDS, 0.1 million deaths from
leprosy, 0.3 million deaths from tropical diseases, 0.5 million deaths from diarrhoea, 0.4
million deaths from malaria and 1.8 million deaths from TB. These figures can be
contrasted with the amount of funding allocated for each disease. In 1990 AIDS received
180 million dollars in research funding, leprosy 80 million dollars in research funding,
tropical diseases 79 million dollars in research funding, diarrhoea 60 million dollars in
research funding, malaria 50 million dollars and TB 20 million dollars in research funding.

In conclusion it is clear that funding allocation for disease research in Someland is not
wholly determined by the number of deaths for which each disease is responsible in a
given year.

model answer:

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.
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/passive forms. A good balance of
simple and complex sentences is used throughout.

Model answer 1
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my
room-mate. As your know we share one room, I can
not study in the room at all any more if I still stay
there.
She always has friend visiting and has parties in the
room. They make lots of noise and switch on the
radio very loudly, for me this environment is very
difficult to study and I need a quiet room. Even
borrows my things without asking, it is very impolite.
I request you can give me a new room next term
because I have been asked her has parties in other
place many times they still have parties in the room.
I really can not stay in the same room with her.
I would be grateful if you could change me a single
room.
EXAMINERS EXPLANATION
Band 5
The answer is below the word limit and there is
some repetition of the task rubric. (Length is a
common problem in General Training scripts).
Answers that are short lose marks because there is
insufficient material in the answer for the examiner
to give credit for accuracy and coherence. Despite
these problems, the introduction to the letter is
appropriate and the purpose of the writer is clear.
The points are not always linked together well and
punctuation is sometimes faulty. The sentences are
kept quite simple and mistakes occur as soon as
more complex structures are attempted.
Model answer 2
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction with
my roommate and request for another
accommodation next term.
My main problem is that I cannot study in my room
because my roommate always has friends visiting.
He also has parties which usually end early in the
morning, several times a week. Furthermore, he
often borrows my things without asking me.
I cannot accept this situation any longer. Especially
because I have very important exams next term and
I really must study hard. This is why I would be very
grateful if I could have another room next term. It
would be most convenient for me not having to
share my room with someone else.
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Your faithfully,
Ivan Sidorov
EXAMINERS EXPLANATION
Band 7
The answer is also short. Although ideas are often
provided in the task rubric, candidates are at liberty
to include some of their own ideas in their answers.
In this case, the candidate has attempted to
incorporate some original material. The answer
reads quite fluently, is well organised and there is
good use of conjunctions to link points. There are
some grammatical errors but these do not affect the
reader greatly and there is evidence of some more
complex sentence structures.
 IELTSWritingTask1:UsefulLanguage

Some IELTS test-takers memorise a stock of useful phrases for both writing tasks. This is not
cheating learning expressions by heart and reproducing them in an appropriate context is one of the
most fundamental ways to improve in a second language. The key is to stick to learning effective
signposting phrases; that is, expressions whose only function is to link ideas and which can therefore
be used when writing about any topic. See the list below for suggestions for IELTS Writing Task 1.
For each function, the language is graded for level, from regular use (Bands 5-6) to higher-level use
(Bands 7-9).

Introducing the topic Also worth noting is that

The graph shows / The table reveals
The chart displays / The diagram
illustrates
Some interesting facts concerning are
revealed in the diagram.
Several key trends are revealed by the graph
showing
Introducing the first set of data
Beginning with the
To begin with the
Let me begin by describing the
Introducing the second set of data
Meanwhile, the shows that
As for the , it shows that
Turning to the , it can be seen that
Introducing the first major trend
First of all, it is clear that
Most noticeably of all, it can be seen that
The first result worth pointing out is that
Exceptions to the main trend
However, this was not always the case.
However, it should be pointed out that
There was one noticeable exception, however.
Comparing and contrasting
Similarly, / By contrast,
A similar trend can be observed in
The results for , however, reveal a markedly
different trend.
Adding figures
The figures were X and Y respectively.
, at X. / , with Y. (Usage note: use at
when you mean the figure was; use with
when you mean something had)
, at/with X and Y respectively.
Concluding and summarising
To sum up, / In summary, / In short,
Overall, / On the whole,
The main thing that can be observed here is
that

Introducing lesser trends

Another trend that can be observed is that
It is also worth pointing out that