IELTS Writing Task 1: The Life Cycle of the Salmon
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Writing Prompt
The diagram below illustrates the life cycle of the salmon. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The cycle is continuous and has five main stages. It begins when adult salmon lay their eggs among the stones of a shallow freshwater river. After several weeks, the eggs hatch into tiny fish, still living in the river and sheltering among the rocks. As these young fish grow larger, they swim downstream and eventually reach the open sea, where they spend most of their adult lives feeding and growing to full size. When they are ready to reproduce, the mature salmon swim back up the same rivers in which they were born. There they lay a new set of eggs, and the cycle begins again.
Show Band 8–9 model answer
The diagram shows the continuous five-stage life cycle of the salmon, from egg to mature adult and back to reproduction in freshwater.
Overall, salmon begin and end their lives in shallow rivers but spend the bulk of their adult stage in the open sea. The process is cyclical, involving migration from freshwater to saltwater and a return journey to the original spawning grounds.
The cycle starts when adult salmon lay their eggs among stones and rocks on the riverbed of shallow freshwater streams. After several weeks, these eggs hatch into small fish that remain in the same river environment, using the rocks as shelter and protection while they develop.
As the young salmon increase in size, they migrate downstream. Moving gradually away from the sheltered, rocky areas, they follow the river’s current until they eventually enter the open sea. In this marine environment, the salmon spend most of their adult lives, feeding and growing to full size.
Once they reach maturity and are ready to reproduce, the adult salmon undertake a return migration. They swim back upstream to the very rivers in which they were born. Upon reaching the shallow, stony sections again, they lay a new generation of eggs, completing the cycle and initiating the next life stage.
Why this response works
This response would score highly because it provides a clear overview highlighting both the cyclical nature of the process and the contrast between freshwater and marine stages. It covers all five stages in a logical, fully developed sequence, using a wide range of process-related vocabulary (e.g. “migrate,” “spawning grounds,” “return journey”) with accurate collocation. Grammatical control is strong, with varied complex structures and precise referencing, while cohesion is achieved through effective paragraphing and linking phrases without overuse of mechanical connectors.
Your Answer
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