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Process diagram: Formation of a volcanic island

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 a volcanic island forms and later erodes.

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

Write at least 150 words.

Formation of a volcanic island
  1. 1Magma risesHot rock moves up through the sea floor
  2. 2EruptionLava breaks through under the ocean
  3. 3CoolingLava hardens into solid rock
  4. 4Cone buildsRepeated eruptions build up a cone
  5. 5Island appearsThe peak rises above sea level
  6. 6Soil formsWeathering creates soil
  7. 7Plants arriveSeeds are brought by birds and wind
  8. 8ErosionWaves slowly wear the island away

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 formation of a volcanic island is a linear process of eight stages, from magma rising through the sea floor to the island eventually being worn away.
  2. 2Magma erupts under the ocean and the lava cools and builds up a cone, until the peak finally breaks the surface.
  3. 3Once the island appears, weathering creates soil, plants arrive, and the waves slowly erode it.

Write it on the clock

Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.

20:00

0 words of 150 minimum

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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 (177 words)

The diagram shows how a volcanic island forms and later erodes, in a process that consists of eight stages.

Overall, the process is linear. The island is built up by volcanic activity beneath the sea, then it is colonised by plants, and it is finally worn away by the waves. The first five stages build the island, the next two allow life to become established, and the last wears the island away.

First, hot rock moves up through the sea floor as magma rises. Lava then breaks through under the ocean in an eruption, and it cools and hardens into solid rock. After repeated eruptions, a cone is built up, and eventually the peak rises above sea level so that an island appears. Each stage therefore depends on the one before it.

Once the island has appeared, life gradually becomes established. Weathering creates soil, and seeds are brought to the island by birds and wind, so that plants arrive.

In the final stage, the island is slowly worn away by the waves in a process of erosion.

Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
magmamolten rock beneath the ground
eruptburst out
lavamolten rock on the surface
conea volcano's cone-like shape
above sea levelhigher than the sea
wear awayslowly remove by erosion

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