The diagram shows how a dredging boat will be used to keep the canals in Venice clear of mud. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

(Sample IELTS Essay)

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Writing task 1: Talk about this diagram with a partner. What could you write in an IELTS essay?

Writing Task 1: Dredging Boat

The diagram shows how a dredging boat will be used to keep the canals in Venice clear of mud. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Cut up strips and post them around the room. Put students in pairs. One pair can go around the room and look at the strips, and then report back to their partner. The partner writes the phrases in the appropriate blanks. The student who looks at the words cannot write them, and the student who does the writing cannot leave their seat to look at the words.

The picture shows

This

Which

There is

First of all

Then

This is then

Finally

In conclusion

Fill in the missing words

(1) __________________ a new dredging boat that will be used to dig up the mud from canals in Venice. (2) __________________ will replace the old system whereby the canals had to be drained of water so that this mud could be removed.

The boat has two hydraulic arms, (3) __________________ are connected to a centrifugal pump and rotor blades. (4) __________________a long tube connecting the pump to a large container called a ‘shuttle boat’.

Operating the dredging boat is a simple procedure.(5) __________________, the hydraulic arms are lowered until the rotating blades reach the mud below. (6) __________________, the blades turn the mud into slurry. (7) __________________sucked up by the pump. It passes through the long tube and into the shuttle boat. (8) __________________, the shuttle boat is towed out of Venice and the mud and slurry are dumped.

(9) __________________, the dredging boat will provide Venice with an effective means of keeping its canals clean, without having to drain them.

Answers:

(1) The picture shows a new dredging boat that will be used to dig up the mud from canals in Venice. (2) This will replace the old system whereby the canals had to be drained of water so that this mud could be removed.

The boat has two hydraulic arms, (3) which are connected to a centrifugal pump and rotor blades. (4) There is a long tube connecting the pump to a large container called a ‘shuttle boat’.

Operating the dredging boat is a simple procedure.(5) First of all, the hydraulic arms are lowered until the rotating blades reach the mud below. (6) Then, the blades turn the mud into slurry. (7)This is then sucked up by the pump. It passes through the long tube and into the shuttle boat. (8) Finally, the shuttle boat is towed out of Venice and the mud and slurry are dumped.

(9) In conclusion, the dredging boat will provide Venice with an effective means of keeping its canals clean, without having to drain them.

Writing Task 1: Dredging Boat

The diagram shows how a dredging boat will be used to keep the canals in Venice clear of mud. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Paragraph 1: What it is What it will do Paragraph 2: Describe the parts Paragraph 3: Describe how it works Use time-order words Active and passive tense Conclusion: Reword the introduction

The picture shows a new dredging boat that will be used to dig up the mud from canals in Venice. This will replace the old system whereby the canals had to be drained of water so that this mud could be removed. The boat has two hydraulic arms, which are connected to a centrifugal pump and rotor blades. There is a long tube connecting the pump to a large container called a ‘shuttle boat’. Operating the dredging boat is a simple procedure. First of all, the hydraulic arms are lowered until the rotating blades reach the mud below. Then, the blades turn the mud into slurry. This is then sucked up by the pump. It passes through the long tube and into the shuttle boat. Finally, the shuttle boat is towed out of Venice and the mud and slurry are dumped. In conclusion, the dredging boat will provide Venice with an effective means of keeping its canals clean, without having to drain them.

Word count: 163