Writing Task 1 (Academic Test)
WRITING
Model Answer:
The chart provides information on the trends in world grain production both in terms of the amount of grain produced and the amount of land used for production. Overall, it is evident that grain production has increased significantly over the period shown, while the use of land has varied more over time.
In 1960, approximately 800 million tons of grain was harvested around the world, while roughly 635 million hectares of land was used to grow the crops. Between 1960 and 1982 the area of land used went up significantly, increasing to around 730 million hectares. Over the same period, the amount of grain produced increased steadily and by 1982 had almost doubled.
Over the following 20 years, the amount of land used for grain production plummeted, and by 2002 had returned to almost the 1960 level. Surprisingly, world grain production did not fall over this period, and in fact, continued to rise over time, reaching approximately 1800 million tons by 1998. In 1998, production hit a plateau and remained constant for several years before continuing its upwards trend. After 2002 the amount of land used started to increase again and reached about 650 million hectares by 2010.
Useful Vocabulary:
trend (noun [c]): the direction up or down that the level or amount of something changes over time
vary (verb): to be different at different times
harvest (verb): to collect or pick cereal crops, fruit or vegetables that are ready to eat
roughly (adverb): approximately
hectare (noun [c]): an area of land (10,000m2)
crop (noun [c]): a large amount of a plant such as wheat or corn that is grown and collected for food
steadily (adverb): gradually
plummet (verb): to quickly fall a large amount
18. Line Graph
The line chart below shows world grain (cereal) production from 1960 through 2011 measured in million hectares planted and million tons harvested.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.