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Process diagram: Life cycle of a butterfly

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 the stages in the life cycle of a butterfly.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Life cycle of a butterfly
  1. 1Eggs laidThe female lays eggs on a host plant
  2. 2Eggs hatchTiny larvae emerge after about a week
  3. 3Caterpillar feedsThe larva eats leaves and grows rapidly
  4. 4MoultingThe caterpillar sheds its skin several times
  5. 5Pupa formsIt attaches to a twig and forms a chrysalis
  6. 6MetamorphosisThe body is transformed inside the chrysalis
  7. 7Adult emergesThe butterfly breaks out and dries its wings
  8. 8MatingAdults mate and the female lays new eggs

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 life cycle of a butterfly is a continuous process with eight stages, starting with the eggs and ending with adults that lay a new generation.
  2. 2In the first phase, the eggs hatch into larvae, which feed and moult as caterpillars before forming a pupa.
  3. 3In the second phase, the body is transformed inside the chrysalis, and the adult emerges, mates and lays eggs, so the cycle repeats.

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 (181 words)

The diagram shows the stages in the life cycle of a butterfly, from egg to adult and back to egg.

Overall, the cycle has eight stages. The butterfly passes through four different forms, namely egg, larva, pupa and adult, and the cycle is completed when the adult lays new eggs. It is only in the final stage that the insect is able to mate.

First, the female butterfly lays eggs on a host plant. After about a week, the eggs hatch and tiny larvae emerge. The larva, known as a caterpillar, then feeds on leaves and grows rapidly. During this period of growth, the caterpillar sheds its skin several times in a process called moulting.

When the caterpillar is fully grown, it attaches itself to a twig and a chrysalis, or pupa, is formed. Inside the chrysalis, the body is completely transformed in a stage known as metamorphosis. Subsequently, the adult butterfly breaks out of the chrysalis and dries its wings.

In the final stage, the adults mate, and the female lays new eggs, so that the cycle can begin again.

Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
lay eggsproduce eggs
hatchcome out of an egg
moultshed skin
chrysalisthe protective case of a pupa
undergo metamorphosischange form completely
emergecome out

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