 |
|
Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health.
You should write at least 150 words.
model answer:
Anyone who has visited a dentist has been told that eating excessive amounts of sweets risks harming the teeth. This is because sweets lower pH levels in the mouth to dangerous levels.
When the pH level in the mouth is kept above 5.5, acidity is such that teeth are unlikely to be in danger of decay. Sweet foods, however, cause pH in the mouth to drop for a time, and the longer pH levels remain below 5.5, the greater the opportunity for decay to occur.
By comparing fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey, which are all common ingredients of sweet foods, we find that cane sugar lowers pH levels for the longest period, thus producing the greatest risk of the three. Approximately five minutes aftfter consuming cane sugar, pH levels drop to as little as pH 3.5. They then begin to rise slowly, but do not rise above pH 5.5 until at least 30 minutes have elapsed. By contrast, fruit sugar, which causes the mouth's acidity to fall to just above pH 4, poses a danger for a shorter period: tooth decay is unlikely 20 minutes after consumption. Honey appears an even less risky substance. Though acidity falls to about pH 4.75 within five minutes of consumption, it returns to above pH 5.5 in under fifteen minutes.
The implications, then, are that people who insist on eating sweet foods should be aware of the ingredients, and that fruit sugar or honey appear preferable to cane sugar.
(242 words)
IELTS Graph #6
The diagram below shows the typical stages of consumer goods manufacturing, including the process by which information is fed back to earlier stages to enable adjustment.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the process shown.
- You should write at least 150 words.
- You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
model answer:
Most consumer goods go through a series of stages before they emerge as finished products ready for sale.
Raw materials and manufactured components comprise the initial physical input in the manufacturing process. Once obtained, these are stored for later assembly. But assembly first depends upon the production planning stage, where it is decided how and in what quantities the stored materials will be processed to create sufficient quantities of finished goods. The production planning stage itself follows the requirements of the goods' design stage that proceeds from extensive research. After assembly, the products are inspected and tested to maintain quality control l Those units that pass the inspection and testing stages are then packaged, despatched and offered for sale in retail outlets. The level of sales, which is the end point of the manufacturing process, helps determine production planning.
A product's design is not only the result of product research, but is also influenced by testing and market research. If the testing stage (after assembly and inspection) reveals unacceptable problems in the finished product, then adjustments will have to be made to the product's design. Similarly, market research, which examines the extent and nature of the demand for products, has the role of guiding product design to suit consumer demands which may change with time. Market research, while influenced by product sales, also serves to foster future sales by devising suitable advertising for the goods.
Thus the reality of consumer goods manufacturing goes well beyond a simple linear production process.
IELTS Graph #7
The table below shows social and economic indicators for four countries in 1994, according to United Nations statistics.
Describe the information shown below in your own words. What implications do the indicators have for the countries?
- You should write at least 150 words.
- Allow yourself 20 minutes for this task.
| Indicators | Canada | Japan | Peru | Zaire |
| Annual income per person (in $US) | ||||
| Life expectancy at birth | ||||
| Daily calorie supply per person | ||||
| Adult literacy rate (%) |
model answer:
A glance at four indicators of economic and social conditions in four countries, Canada, Japan, Peru and Zaire, in 1994 reflects the great differences that exist between wealthier and poorer nations.
The table shows that Japan and Canada had annual incomes of $15 760 and $11 100 per person, respectively. These figures were overwhelmingly greater than the corresponding figures of $160 in Peru and $130 in Zaire.
Health indicators, too, reflected overall levels of affluence in the four nations. Life expectancy at birth, for example, was higher among the more economically developed countries. Japan reported the highest life expectancy, 78. This was followed by Canada, 76; Peru, 51; and Zaire, 47; This suggests that richer societies are able to put more money into health care than poorer ones.
The amount of calories consumed daily per person roughly followed the same ranking. Canadians each consumed some 3 326 calories per day while the Japanese took 2846 calories. The corresponding figures for Peru and Zaire were 1927 and 1749, respectively.
Literacy rates among adults, too, were higher in wealthier countries, no doubt a reflection of ability to invest in education. Canada and Japan both reported literacy rates of 99%, while Peru claimed 68%. Zaire, the least economically developed of the four countries, had a literacy rate of 34%.
The data appear to confirm the often cited link between national wealth and health and education standards.
IELTS Graph #8
The diagram below shows the average hours of unpaid work per week done by people in different categories. (Unpaid work refers to such activities as childcare in the home, housework and gardening.)
Describe the information presented below, comparing results for men and women in the categories shown. Suggest reasons for what you see.
- You should write at least 150 words.
- You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
model answer:
The diagram reveals that the number of hours per week spent in unpaid work is unequally distributed between men and women.
In households where there are no children, women are reported to work some 30 hours per week in such tasks as housework and gardening. Men's contribution to these unpaid jobs averages a considerably lower 18 hours.
When children enter the household, however, the inequality becomes even more pronounced. In families of 1 - 2 children, men maintain approximately the same number of hours of unpaid work as in childless households, but the number of hours women work in the home rises to 52 per week, much of it, on doubt, due to childcare responsibilities.
Interestingly, when there are three or more children in the household, men are found to work even fewer hours around the house than before the appearance of the third child. Whereas women's unpaid hours rise to approximately 56 per week, the corresponding figure for men, 16, actually represents a decrease.
The data suggest that the increased presence of women in the paid work force has yet to lead to an increased role for men in the home.
IELTS Graph #9
The chart below shows the sleep patterns of people in five different occupations according to a Canadian study.
Write a report for a university lecturer, describing the information below.
Give possible reasons for the differences.
- You should write at least 150 words.
- Allow yourself 20 minutes for this task.
| asleep: | awake: |
| Occupation | Student | Truck Driver | Full-time mother | Business Executive | Doctor |
| 6-7 pm | |||||
| 7-8 pm | |||||
| 8-9 pm | |||||
| 9-10 pm | |||||
| 10-11 pm | |||||
| 11-12 pm | |||||
| 12-1 am | |||||
| 1-2 am | |||||
| 2-3 am | |||||
| 3-4 am | |||||
| 4-5 am | |||||
| 5-6 am | |||||
| 6-7 am | |||||
| 7-8 am | |||||
| 8-9 am | |||||
| 9-10 am | |||||
| 10-11 am | |||||
| 11-12 am | |||||
| 12-1 pm | |||||
| 1-2 pm | |||||
| 2-3 pm | |||||
| 3-4 pm | |||||
| 4-5 pm | |||||
| 5-6 pm |
model answer:
Differences in sleep patterns appear to reflect differences in individuals' occupations.
A Canadian study has pointed out, for example, that students typically sleep for a consecutive 8-hour period each night, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. This may be because the central activity in their lives, study, takes place in normal daylight hours. Similarly, business executives sleep consecutive hours, but perhaps because their jobs are especially busy and stressful they sleep for 6 hours on average, getting up around 5 a.m..
By contrast, truck drivers, probably because of their need to keep their trucks on the road over long periods, tend to sleep in two 3-hour blocks: one between 7 and 10 a.m. and another from 4 to 7 p.m. Another occupation associated with broken sleep schedules is that of doctors. They tend to retire to bed around 1 a.m. and start their day at 7 a.m.., but may be woken up to deal with emergencies in the middle of the night. Finally, full-time mothers, especially those with young children, tend to sleep when their babies do. Typically, they will sleep from 10 p.m. and be awoken at 1 a.m. to comfort their babies for a couple of hours. They then go back to bed to wake at 6 a.m., but nap for two hours or so in the early afternoon.
Thus the influence on one's sleep pattern is worthy of consideration when choosing an occupation.
IELTS Graph #10
The chart below shows the amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women of different employment status.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.
- You should write at least 150 words.
- Allow yourself 20 minutes for this task.
model answer:
The chart shows the number of hours of leisure enjoyed by men and women in a typical week in 1998-9, according to gender and employment status.
Among those employed full-time, men on average had fifty hours of leisure, whereas women had approximately thirty-seven hours. There were no figures given for male part-time workers, but female part-timers had forty hours of leisure time, only slightly more than women in full-time employment, perhaps reflecting their work in the home.
In the unemployed and retired categories, leisure time showed an increase for both sexes, as might have been expected. Here too, men enjoyed more leisure time over eighty hours, compared with seventy hours for women, perhaps once again reflecting the fact that women spend more time working in the home than men.
Lastly, housewives enjoyed approximately fifty-four hours of leisure, on average. There were no figures given for househusbands! Overall, the chart demonstrates that in the categories for which statistics on male leisure time were available, men enjoyed at least ten hours of extra leisure time.
IELTS Graph #11