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Process diagram: The carbon cycle

Pick out the main features of this process diagram for your overview, write your report on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.

WRITING TASK 1

Process diagram

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram below shows how carbon moves between the atmosphere, plants, animals and the soil.

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

Write at least 150 words.

The carbon cycle
  1. 1PhotosynthesisPlants absorb carbon dioxide from the air
  2. 2Plant growthCarbon is stored in leaves, stems and roots
  3. 3Animals eat plantsCarbon passes along the food chain
  4. 4RespirationLiving things release carbon dioxide
  5. 5Death and decayBacteria break down dead matter
  6. 6Fossil fuel formationBuried remains turn into coal and oil over time
  7. 7Burning fuelsCombustion returns carbon to the air
  8. 8Ocean absorptionSeawater takes in some atmospheric carbon dioxide

The cycle then repeats from stage 1.

GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.

What your overview should say

An overview names the main trends or differences in one or two sentences, without numbers. These are the features a strong answer picks out:

  1. 1Overall, the carbon cycle is a continuous process with eight stages, in which carbon moves between the atmosphere, living things, the ground and the oceans.
  2. 2Plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store it, and it passes to animals when they eat plants.
  3. 3Carbon returns to the air through respiration, decay and the burning of fossil fuels, while some is absorbed by the oceans.

Write it on the clock

Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.

20:00

0 words of 150 minimum

Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.

Band-8 model answer

Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.

Show model answer (175 words)

The diagram shows how carbon moves between the atmosphere, plants, animals and the soil in the carbon cycle.

Overall, the cycle has eight stages, and carbon is constantly exchanged between the air and living things. Carbon is removed from the air by plants and ocean water, but it is returned to the air by respiration, decay and the burning of fuels.

The cycle begins when carbon dioxide is absorbed from the air by plants through photosynthesis. The carbon is then stored in the leaves, stems and roots as the plants grow. When animals eat the plants, the carbon is passed along the food chain. All living things release carbon dioxide into the air through respiration.

When plants and animals die, their remains are broken down by bacteria in a process of death and decay. Over time, buried remains turn into coal and oil, which are known as fossil fuels. When these fuels are burned, combustion returns carbon to the air. Finally, some of the atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken in by seawater through ocean absorption.

Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
photosynthesisprocess by which plants make food from sunlight
absorbtake in
carbon dioxideCO2 gas
decomposebreak down
fossil fuelscoal, oil and gas
combustionburning

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