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Lessondownloads>IELTSAcademicModulepreparation>Writing>Lesson4
Introduction
InthepreviousIELTSlessonwetookafirstlookatdescribingchartssomethingyoumaybeaskedtodoinPart1oftheIELTSwriting.Youlearnedwhattolookforwhenyoufirstreadachartandhowtotellthedifferencebetweendynamicandstaticcharts.Inthislessonwellbetakingacloserlookatusefullanguagefordescribingdynamiccharts.
SofarintheseIELTSlessonswehavelookedatthreekindsofcompositionyoumaybeaskedtowriteforTask2ofthetest.Theseare:
describecausesofaproblemandoffersolutions presentargumentsinfavourofandagainstanidea expressyouropiniononacontroversialissue
Inthislessonwelllookinmoredetailabouthowtoanalyseaquestionandhowtopresentyourpointofviewclearlyandeffectively.
Inthislessonyouwill
Practisereadingandgettinginformationfromdynamiccharts. Learnstructuresandexpressionsfordescribingincreaseanddecrease. Practiseusingprepositionswhendescribingnumbersanddates. LearnhowtouseamindmaptogenerateideasforTask2. Practisesupportingyouropinionswithreasonsandexamples. Learnusefulwordsandexpressionsforsupportingyouropinions. Learnhowtopicsentenceshelptoorganiseyourwriting
IELTSWRITINGTASK1:MOREABOUTCHARTS
Activity1>Understandingdynamiccharts>10minutes
a)Thechartbelowisincomplete.Inamoment,youregoingtoreadadescriptionofthechartandcompleteit.Beforeyoudothis,though,takeagoodlookatthechartandanswerthequestions.
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UKUnemploymentrates(16+yearolds):May2003July2006
4.2
4.4
4.6
4.8
5
5.2
5.4
5.6
5.8
May03
Jul03
Sep03
Nov03
Jan04
Mar04
May04
Jul04
Sep04
Nov04
Jan05
Mar05
May05
Jul05
Sep05
Nov05
Jan06
Mar06
May06
Jul06
Rate%
Source:NationalStatisticswebsite:www.statistics.gov.ukhttp://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nscl.asp?id=6682CrowncopyrightmaterialisreproducedwiththepermissionoftheControllerofHMSOhttp://www.statistics.gov.uk/copyright.asp
1Whatkindofchartisthis?a)Apiechartb)Alinegraphc)Aproportionalbarchart
2Whatdoesthechartshow?a)Thepercentageoftheworkforceover16whowereunemployedb)Thepercentageoftheworkforceover16whoareunemployedc)Thenumberofpeopleover16whowereunemployed
3Whataretheunitsshownintheverticalaxis(goingup)?a)hundredsb)thousandsc)percentages
4Whatperioddoesthechartcover?a)Justover3yearsb)Almost3yearsc)Justover2years
5Whatwastheunemploymentrateatthebeginningoftheperiod?a)5percentb)5.1percentc)5.2percent
b)Nowreadthedescriptionofthechartanddrawthemissingsectionofthelinegraph.
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ThelinegraphshowsfiguresforunemploymentintheUKworkforcebetweenMay2003andJuly2006.Itisclearfromthechartthattherateofunemploymentfluctuatedagreatdealduringthistime.Atthebeginningoftheperiod,unemploymentstoodat5.1percent.Afewmonthslaterthefigurehadrisenslightlyto5.2percent.UnemploymentthenremainedstableuntilSeptember2003.FromthispointontherewasasteadydownwardtrendandbyJanuary2004theratehadfallento4.9percent.ItstayedatthisleveluntilMaythesameyear,butfromMaytoJulytherewasanothersmalldropof1percent.TherewerenofurtherchangesinthelevelofunemploymentuntilMarchthefollowingyear.FromMarchtoMay2005,therewasasmallincreaseof1percent,butthisdidnotlastlongandthefigurehadfallenbackto4.8percentbyJuly.FromSeptember2005onwards,however,therewasamarkedupwardtrendintherateofunemploymentintheUK.FromSeptember2005toNovemberthesameyear,thefigureshotupfrom4.8to5.2percent.Therateremainedstableforafewmonths,butthenrosesharplyagain,andhadreachedapeakof5.7percentbyJuly2006.
c)Thehighlightedwordsinthedescriptionofthechartthatyouvejustreadareusefulphrasesfordescribingincreasesanddecreases.Readthereportagainandfindphrasesfromthetextwhichmean
wentupanddownfrequentlydidnotchange(2phrases)
wentupalittlewentupveryquickly(2phrases)arrivedatitshighestpointwentupnoticeablyoveraperiod
wentdown(2phrases)wentdowngraduallyoveraperiod
Activity2>Describingincreaseanddecrease(1)>5minutes
a)Inthelasttaskyoulearnedsomeusefulphrasesfordescribingincreasesanddecreases.Therearealsotwousefulsentencestructuresfordoingthis:
1[nounphrase]+[verb]+[adverb]
Forexample: Theunemploymentrate rose rapidlyThecostofliving fell dramatically
2[Thereis/are]+[nounphrase]
Forexample: Therewas ariseinunemploymentTherehasbeen anincreaseinthecostofliving
Finisheachsentencebelowsothatitmeansthesameastheonegiven.
1Thepriceofoilrosesharply.There
2ThereisanoticeableincreaseintemperaturefromMayonwards.Temperature
3Thenumberofpeopleattendingthetheatrehasfallendramatically.There.
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4TherehadbeenasteadyriseinDVDsalesforthefirstsixmonthsoftheyear.DVDsales
5Therehasbeenarapidgrowthintheuseofalternativeenergysources.Theuseofalternativeenergysources
6Thepopularityofselfcateringholidaysdecreasedsignificantlyduringthe1990sThere
Activity3>Describingincreaseanddecrease(2)>5minutes
Youcanalsodescribeincreasesanddecreasesbyusingfractionstoshowthesizeofthechangeoveracertainperiod.Forexample:
Thecostofrentsdoubledinlessthanayear.Birthrateshavehalvedsincetheturnofthecentury.ByJuly,thepriceofpetrolhadfallenbyathird.Thenumberofschoolleaversgoingontouniversityhasrisenbyaquartersince1980.
a)Thechartbelowcomparesmonthlysalesfortwomonthsfromafruitwholesaler.Checkthetitle,thekeyandtheaxessothatyouunderstandthechart.
Fruitsales(kilos)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
oranges apples lemons bananas plums apricots pineapples
kg
JulyNovember
b)NowwritesentencesaboutthechangesinfruitsalesfromJulytoNovember.Usethewordsfromthebox.
aquarterathirddoubledfellbyhalvedrosebytripled
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Orangesalesdoubled.(example)
Applesalesfellbyaquarter.
Lemonsales
Bananassales
Plumssales
Apricotsales
Pineapplesales
Activity4>Makingapproximations>5minutes
Thechartinthepreviousactivityhadveryconvenientnumbers.However,inreallifethingsarentquitesoeasy!ThechartintheIELTStestisnotlikelytoshowfiguresthatriseandfallbyexactfractions,suchasahalforathird.
Whatyouneedtodoismakeapproximations.Forexample,ifrealsalesfiguresfororangesrosefrom4000kilosto7850kilos,youcansaythatorangesalesalmostdoubled.
a)HerearesomeusefulwordsandphrasesformakingapproximationsMatchphraseswiththesamemeaning
1justover aaround
2approximately bnearly
3justunder cslightly morethan
b)Nowwritesentencesaboutthechartbelow,whichshowschangesinthequantitiesofimportsofcertainelectronicgoods.Again,usethewordsintheboxes.
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Importsofelectronicgoods
3
2.1
6.2
4
6.25.8
1.7
8.5
5.2
2.8
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
DVDplayers CDplayers Televisions Radios Videorecorders
millionsofunits
20002006
aquarterathirddoubledfellbyhalvedrosebytripled
justoverapproximatelyjustunderaroundnearlyslightlymorethan
1(DVDplayers)2(CDplayers)3(Televisions)4(Radios)5(Videorecorders)
Activity5>Prepositionsoftime>5minutes
InthelastIELTSlessonyoulearnedhowimportantverbtensesarewhendescribingdynamicchartsandtables.Correctuseofprepositionsisalsoimportant.Herearesomeofthemainprepositionsyouwillneedtouse:
in[month/year/morning,afternoonetc]at[9oclock,10.30ametc]from..[apointintime]..to[anotherpoint]between[apointintime]..and[anotherpoint]during[aperiodoftime]before[apointintimeoraperiodoftime]after[apointintimeoraperiodoftime]by[apointoftimearrivedat]until[apointoftimereached]since[fromapointinthepastuntilnow]
a)Gobacktothedescriptionofthechartinactivity1bandunderlineexamplesoftheprepositionsoftimelistedabove.
b)Nowcompleteeachofthesesentenceswiththecorrectpreposition.
1 Januarytherewasanoticeableriseinthenumberofpeopletakingsickleavefromwork.
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2Temperaturesusuallyreachapeak about1oclockintheafternoon.3From1997 2006therewasasteadyincreaseinsalesoforganicproduce.4 therecession,unemploymentgrewsteadily.5Televisionsaudienceviewingfiguresrisedramatically 6oclockintheevening.6 Junesalesfigureswerelow,butlatertheybegantoincreaserapidly.7Thepriceofoilhadshotupto$70perbarrel August.8FromNovember theendoftheyearenergyconsumptioncontinuedtorise.9Therehasbeenamarkeddecreaseinroadaccidents thenewlawswereintroducedin2005.
Activity6>Prepositiontodescribeincreaseanddecrease>10minutes
Youwillalsoneedtobecarefulwhenusingprepositionswithnumbers.Simplychangingtheprepositioncanchangethewholemeaningofasentence.Forexample,whatsthedifferencebetweenthesetwosentences?
1)Newspapercirculationroseby20,000newspaperspermonth.2)Newspapercirculationroseto20,000newspaperspermonth.
Sentence1describesthesizeoftheincrease.Perhapsnewspapercirculationwasalready40,000permonth,andtherehasbeena20,000permonthincrease.Thefinalfigurewillbe60,000permonth.
Sentence2showsthepointreached.Perhapsnewspapercirculationhadbeen15,000permonthanditthenrosebyanother5,000toreach20,000permonth.
Rememberalsothatnotallwordsfordescribingriseandfallwilltakeapreposition,andtheprepositionwilldependonwhetheryoureusingthewordasaverboranoun.Seethetablebelowformoredetails:
Verbsthattakeapreposition
Verbsthatdonttakeapreposition
Nounsthattakeapreposition
riseto/byincreaseto/byfallto/bydropto/byshootupto/byplungeto/bystayatremainatfluctuatebetween/around
reach ariseofanincreaseofafallofadecreaseof
Nowlookatthechartandcompletethereportbelowwithasuitableprepositionwhereneeded.
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Crudeoilprices:USdollarsperbarrel
10
20
30
40
50
60
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
IranIraqwar
InvasionofKuwait
SecondGulfcrisisIranianrevolution
Araboilembargo
Sourceforchart: OECDFactbook2006ISBN9264035613OECD2006http://stats.oecd.org/WBOS/default.aspx?DatasetCode=CSP6
Thechartshowsfluctuationsinthepriceofcrudeoiloverathirtyfiveyearperiod,andclearly
illustrateshowoilpricesareaffectedbyworldevents.
Ingeneraltherehasbeenanupwardtrendinthepriceofcrudeoil[1]..1970,whenitwasonly
$1.30perbarrel.Theoilembargooftheearly1970s,however,causedthepricetorisesharply
[2]..nearly$11perbarrel.Thecrisisendedsoonafterwards,butthepriceremained[3]..
around$11to$13perbarreluntil1979.TheIranianrevolutionofthatyearhadahugeimpactonoil
prices,whichshotup[4]..$17toreach[5]..about$30perbarrelinthesameyear.
ThefollowingIranIraqwarcausedafurtherincrease,andthepricereached[6]..apeak
[7]..nearly$36in1980.Fromthatpointuntil1985,thepricefellsteadily.However,from1985to
1986thepricesuddenlyplunged[8]..$13.Forthenextfewyearsthepricefluctuated[9]..
$14,butwiththeinvasionofKuwaitin1990therewasasuddenrise[10]..$5.Thepricequickly
fellagainandremainedstableformostofthe1990s.
Thingschangedonceagainattheendofthedecade,andfrom1999to2000thepriceincreased
[11]..almost$10perbarrel.Despiteaslightdropin2000,therisecontinuedandbytheendof
theperiod,thepriceofcrudeoilhadshotup[12]..apeakof$50perbarrel.
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IELTSWRITINGTASK2: USINGAMINDMAP
Activity7> Gettingstartedusingamindmap >15minutes
Gettingstartedwithyourcompositioncanbetheworstpart.Sometimesitcanbedifficulttothinkofideas,buttherearethingsyoucandotohelp.Onetechniqueistodrawamindmap.
Amindmapissimplyawayofgeneratingideasaboutatopicbylookingatitfromdifferent angles.Eachangleisaheadinginthemindmap.Youshouldkeeptheheadingsasgeneralaspossiblebecausethiswillhelpgeneratemoreideas.Forexample,youcanlookatalmostanyquestionfromoneoftheseangles:
personal,economic,political,educational,scientific,psychologicaletc.
Letslookatanexample.HeresatypicalIELTStask2writingtask:
Presentawrittenargumentorcasetoaneducatedreaderwithnospecialknowledgeofthefollowingtopic.
Levelsofdepressionandantisocialbehaviourinchildrenhaveincreaseddramaticallyinmodernsocieties.Thissituationhasledmanypeopletobelievethatchildhooditselfisincrisis.Towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththisview?
Youshoulduseyourownideas,knowledgeandexperienceandsupportyourargumentswithexamplesandrelevantevidence.
Belowisamindmapforthequestionyouvejustread.Therearefiveverygeneralheadings,eachonerepresentingadifferentwaytolookatthequestionofchildhoodincrisis.
a)Trytothinkoftwoideasofyourowntonotedownundereachheading.
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b)Herearesomeideaswethoughtof.Nowcompletethemindmapbyputtingeachoftheseideasunderthebestheading.
ChildrenspendingmoretimealoneComputergamesoftenpromoteviolenceDangersoftheInternetDisappearanceoftraditionalhomeroutinessuchasfamilymealtimesExposuretosexandviolenceonTVatanearlyageLessclearviewsinsocietyaboutsuitablebehaviourforchildrenandadultsLessstructureddaysathomee.g.nofixedbedtimeLongworkinghoursinterferewithfamilylifeMarketingofproductsandimagecreatesconsumersfromchildrenMoreandmoretestingandexamsatschoolsMorecompetitivesocietyaddstopressuretosucceedToomuchtimetakenupbylonelyactivitiessuchascomputersandTVParentsoftenabsentordisinterestedPeerpressurefromfriendsandclassmatesPoordisciplineinschooldisruptsroutinesandpatternsPressurefromparentstosucceedandachieve
Activity8>Statingandsupportingyourpointofview(1) >5minutes
TheIELTSwritingtask2questionoftenendswiththewordsTowhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththisview? Youdonthavetoagreewiththestatement,butitisimportantthatyouexpressanopinionofyourown.Whetheryoudisagreeoragree,youshouldgivegoodreasonswhy.Examinerswantyouto:
stateyouropinion clarifywhatyoumean givereasonsforyourviews giveexampleswhenappropriate emphasiseimportantpoints
a)Herearesomeusefulwordsandphrasesfordoingthesethings.Putthemunderthecorrectheadings.
Atypicalexampleis,Clearly,Forexample,Forinstance,Frommypointofview,Iamconvincedthat,Infact,Inmyopinion,Inotherwords,Indeed,Itismybeliefthat,Needlesstosay,Obviously,suchas,Thatistosaythat,Thereasonsforthisare,Thisisbecause,Thisisdueto,Thisisonaccountof,WhatImeanbythisis
Statingyouropinion
Clarifyingwhatyoumean
Givingreasonsforyourviews
Givingexamples
Emphasisingimportantpoints
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Activity9>Statingandsupportingyourpointofview(2)>5minutes
Everytimeyoustateanopinion,itsimportantthatyoufollowthisupwithyourreasonsorexamples.Belowareopinionswhichcouldbeexpressedinanswertothequestionaboutchildhood.Matchtheopinions(15) withthesupportingsentences(AE).
1 Schoolhasbecomeasourceofanxietymorethanasourceoflearning.2 Todayschildrenleadamuchmorelonelylifestylethanpreviousgenerations.3 Therehasbeenagradualbreakdownofthebondsbetweenchildrenandtheirparents.4Childrenneedthesecurityofroutine,butthisisoftenlackingintodaysfamilies.5 ThefrequencyofunsupervisedaccesstotelevisionandtheInternetisalsohavinganeffectonthepsychologicalstateofmanymodernchildren.
A Forinstance,theywouldmuchratherplaycomputergamesalonethanplayintheparkwithfriends.B Inotherwords,childrenarebeingallowedtoviewprogrammesandinternetsitesthataretotallyunsuitablefortheirage.Asaresult,theirunderstandingoftheworldisoftenmisbalancedorconfused.C Thisisduetothefactthatschoolpupilsfacemoreandmoretestsandexamseachyear.D Oneofthemanyreasonsforthisisthatparentssimplyspendlesstimewiththeirchildren.E Insomefamilies,forexample,therearenosetmealtimesandchildrenmaybenotbegoingtobedbefore11.00pm
Activity10>WritingTask(1)>10minutes
Nowitsyourturntowrite.
a)MakeaplanforyourownanswertothequestionyoureadinActivity7.Youcanusetheideasinthemindmapfromearlier,oryourownideas.Rememberthatyoudontneedtousealltheideas.
b)Writeyouranswer.Youneedtowriteatleast250words.TrytousesomeoftheexpressionsfromActivity8andremembertofollowupallyouropinionswithreasonsorexamples.
Activity11> Topicsentences>10minutes
Agoodwritermakesthingseasyforthereaderandyouneedtomakethingseasyfortheexaminer.Onewayyoucandothisistousetopicsentences.Topicsentencesintroducethethemeofaparagraph.Theyarelikesignpostsinyourcompositionandtheytellthereaderthatyouaremovingontoanewtheme.
a)Readthesampleanswerandmatchthetopicsentenceswiththecorrectparagraphs[A,B,C].
Anotherareaofconcernisthepressuretosucceed.ThereisalsowhatIwouldcallthepressuretogrowupormaturetooearly.Thefirstisthepressuretoconform.
Crisisisastrongwordtodescribeasituation.AlthoughIwouldnotgosofarastosaythatchildhoodisincrisis,Iwouldcertainlyagreethat modernchildrenareundermorepressurefrommoredirectionsthaneverbefore.Butwhatarethesepressuresandwhatproblemsdotheycause?[1.]therearethreemainareasofconcern.
[A..][2.],childrenareunderpressuretobelikeeachotherandtobeliketherolemodelsthattheyseeinthemedia.Popandrockculturehasbecomesomuchapartofchildrenslivesthatitisnowthedefiningcharacteristicofthe1018yearoldagegroup.[3.]arepurelyeconomic.Thepopmusicandfashionindustriesareworthafortune,andtheybenefitfromthemosteasilypersuaded
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consumers:children.Theresult,however,isthatchildrenasyoungastenfeellikeoutcastsamongtheirpeersunlesstheybuythelatestCDsandclothes. [4.],notbeingabletoconformwiththegroupcanleadtoconflictwithparentsandevendepression.
[B..][5.]isthatschoolchildrenarebeingtestedontheirlearningmuchmorefrequently.Furthermore,mostchildrenthesedaysareexpectedtotakeexamsforuniversityentrance. Constanttestingmakeschildrenanxiousaboutschool.Likewise,childrenwhoarenotsuitedtoacademicstudyfeelinadequatewhentheytakeexamsandthenfail.[6.],insteadofhelpingchildrensmindsgrow,theeducationsystemhasbecomethecauseofmanymentalhealthproblemsintheyoungtoday.
[C..][7.]manymodernchildrenarebeingforcedtobehavelikeadultsbeforetheyareready.[8.],manychildrennowhavetolookafterthemselvesathomebecausetheirparentsarestayingeverlongerhoursatwork.Moreworrying,though,istheeffectofunsupervisedtelevisionviewingandinternetsurfing.Childrenareexpectedtohavethejudgementtodecidewhatissuitableforthem.[9.],theydonothavesuchjudgement.Asaresult,youngchildrenareoftenexposedtomaterialthatcanfrighten,worryandconfuse.
Tosumup,although[10.]childhoodisincrisis,therehaverecentlybeenworryingchangesinthewaychildrengrowup.Ifthesetrendscontinue,theremayindeedbeacrisis.
b)NowlookbackatthemindmapforthisquestionfromActivity7.Ticktheideasthatwereusedinthefinalcomposition.
c) Nowusethewordsandexpressionsbelowtocompletethesampleanswer.
ForinstanceIbelieveInfactInotherwordsIndeeditisnotmybeliefthatNeedlesstosayThereasonsforthisThisistosaythatWhatImeanbythis
LessonReview
Inthislessonyouhave:
Practisedreadingandgettinginformationfromdynamiccharts. Learnedstructuresandexpressionsfordescribingincreaseanddecrease. Practisedusingprepositionswhendescribingnumbersanddates LearnedhowtouseamindmaptogenerateideasforTask2. Practisedsupportingyouropinionswithreasonsandexamples. Learnedusefulwordsandexpressionsforsupportingyouropinions. Learnedhowtopicsentenceshelptoorganiseyourwriting
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Lesson4>Answerkey
Activity1a)1b2aNoticethattheuseofthepasttensewere.3cthechartdoesnotshowactuallynumbers4a5b
b)Yourcompletechartshouldlooksomethinglikethis:
UKUnemploymentrates(16+yearolds):May2003July2006
4.2
4.4
4.6
4.8
5
5.2
5.4
5.6
5.8
May03
Jul03
Sep03
Nov03
Jan04
Mar04
May04
Jul04
Sep04
Nov04
Jan05
Mar05
May05
Jul05
Sep05
Nov05
Jan06
Mar06
May06
Jul06
Rate%
c)wentupanddownalot:fluctuatedagreatdealdidnotchange(2phrases):remainedstable,stayedatthislevel
wentupalittle:therewasasmallincreasewentupveryquickly(2phrases):thefigureshotup,rosesharplyarrivedatitshighestpoint:reachedapeakwentupnoticeablyoveraperiod:therewasamarkedupwardtrend
wentdown(2phrases):hadfallento,therewasanothersmalldropwentdowngraduallyoveraperiod:therewasasteadydownwardtrend
Activity21Therewasasharpriseinthepriceofoil.2TemperatureincreasesnoticeablyfromMayonwards.3Therehasbeenadramaticfallinthenumberofpeopleattendingthetheatre.4DVDsaleshadrisensteadilyforthefirstsixmonthsoftheyear.5Theuseofalternativeenergysourceshasgrownrapidly.6Therewasasignificantdecreaseinthepopularityofselfcateringholidaysduringthe1990s.
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Activity3b)Applesalesfellbyaquarter.Lemonsalesrosebyathird.Bananasalesfellbyathird.Plumsaleshalved.Apricotsalestripled.Pineapplesalesrosebyaquarter.
Activity4a)1c2a3b
b)1ImportsofDVDplayersnearly/almost/approximatelydoubled2ImportsofCDplayersfellbyjustunder/approximately/nearlyaquarter3Thenumberoftelevisionsimportedrosebyjustover/slightlymorethanathird.4Thenumberofimportedradiosrosebyslightlymorethan/justoveraquarter.5Importsofvideorecordersapproximatelyhalved.
Activity5a)ThelinegraphshowsfiguresforunemploymentintheUKworkforcebetweenMay2003andJuly2006.Itisclearfromthechartthattherateofunemploymentfluctuatedagreatdealduringthistime.Atthebeginningoftheperiod,unemploymentstoodat5.1percent.Afewmonthslaterthefigurehadrisenslightlyto5.2percent.UnemploymentthenremainedstableuntilSeptember2003.FromthispointontherewasasteadydownwardtrendandbyJanuary2004theratehadfallento4.9percent.ItstayedatthisleveluntilMaythesameyear,butfromMaytoJulytherewasanothersmalldropof1percent.TherewerenofurtherchangesinthelevelofunemploymentuntilMarchthefollowingyear.FromMarchtoMay2005,therewasasmallincreaseof1percent,butthisdidnotlastlongandthefigurehadfallenbackto4.8percentbyJuly.FromSeptember2005onwards,however,therewasamarkedupwardtrendintherateofunemploymentintheUK.FromSeptember2005toNovemberthesameyear,thefigureshotupfrom4.8to5.2percent.Therateremainedstableforafewmonths,butthenrosesharplyagain,andhadreachedapeakof5.7percentbyJuly2006.
b)1In/During2at3to/until4During5after/from6Before/Until/In7by8until/to9since(noticetheuseofpresentperfectinthemainverb)
Activity6
1since2to3at
4by56
7of8to9around
10of11by12to
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Activity7
b)
Activity8a)StatingyouropinionInmyopinionFrommypointofview
ItismybeliefthatIamconvincedthat
ClarifyingwhatyoumeanInotherwordsThatistosaythat
WhatImeanbythisisthat
GivingreasonsforyourviewsThisisbecauseThereasonsforthisare
ThisisduetoThisisonaccountof
GivingexamplesForinstanceForexample
Atypicalexampleissuchas
EmphasisingimportantpointsClearlyObviouslyNeedlesstosay
IndeedInfact
Activity91Schoolhasbecomeasourceofanxietymorethanasourceoflearning.CThisisduetothefactthatschoolpupilsfacemoreandmoretestsandexamseachyear.
2Todayschildrenleadamuchmoresedentarylifestylethanpreviousgenerations.
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AForinstance,theywouldmuchratherplaycomputergamesthanplayinthepark.
3Therehasbeenagradualbreakdownofthebondsbetweenchildrenandtheirparents.DOneofthemanyreasonsforthisisthatparentssimplyspendlesstimewiththeirchildren.
4Childrenneedthesecurityofroutine,butthisisoftenlackingintodaysfamilies.EInsomefamilies,forexample,therearenosetmealtimesandchildrenmaybenotbegoingtobedbefore11.00pm
5ThefrequencyofunsupervisedaccesstotelevisionandtheInternetisalsohavinganeffectonthepsychologicalstateofmanymodernchildren.BInotherwords,childrenarebeingallowedtoviewprogrammesandinternetsitesthataretotallyunsuitablefortheirage.Asaresult,theirunderstandingoftheworldisoftenmisbalancedorconfused.
Activity11
a)A Thefirstisthepressuretoconform.B Anotherareaofconcernisthepressuretosucceed.CThereisalsowhatIwouldcallthepressuretogrowupormaturetooearly.
b)1Ibelieve2Inotherwords3Thereasonsforthis4Indeed5WhatImeanbythis6Infact7Thisistosaythat8Forinstance9Needlesstosay10itisnotmybeliefthat