Improve your skills 4.5-6.0

Improve your Skills 
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"--1-B.a 
Improve your Skills 
Writing for IELTS
with Answer Key 
Sam Mccarter• Norman Whitby 
MACMILLAN 
Macmillan Education 
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ISBN 978-0-230-46216-8 (with key) 
ISBN 978-0-230-46470-4 (without key) 
ISBN 978-0-230-46218-2 (with key+ MPO Pack) 
ISBN 978-0-230-46469-8 (without key+ MPO Pack) 
Text© Sam McCarter and Norman Whitby 2014 
Design and illustration© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014 
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First published 2014 
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Illustrated by Kamae Design, p6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 32, 33, 37, 39, 45, 47, 48, 53, 55, 57, 61, 62, 64, 69, 
71, 77, 78, 85. Ed McLachlan, p54. 
Cover photograph by Superstock/Blend images 
Picture research by Susannah Jayes 
Authors' acknowledgements 
Sam McCarter and Norman Whitby would like to thank the editors. 
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0( cr),59(bcr),62(a). 
The authors and the publishers are grateful for permission to reprint the following copyright material: 
Benson, E. (2003, February). Intelligence across cultures. Monitor on Psychology, 34(2). Retrieved from www.apa. 
orglmonitorl. Copyright © 2003 by the American Psychological Association; used with approval; 
Extracts 'Coffee rust' and 'Why Europeans Drink Tea' by Gail L Schumann both taken from www.apsnet.org. 
Copyright © The American Phytopathological Society, reprinted by permission of the publisher; 
Extract from 'Geothermal Energy Facts: Introductory Level and Advanced Level' taken from www.geothermaJ.. 
marin.org, reprinted by permission of Geothermal Education Office, 664 Hilary Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920, USA; 
Extract from 'Youth: The Future of Travel' taken from UN World Tourism Affiliate Members Report Volume 2, © 
UNWTO, 9284402513, reprinted with approval; 
Glinkowski P, Bamford A. Insight and Exchange: An evaluation of the Wellcome Trust's Sciart programme. London: 
Wellcome Trust; 2009. www.weUcome.ac.uklsciartevaJ.uation, reprinted with approval. 
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2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 
 Introduction 
page 4 
Topic 
Unit 1 Change and 
page 6 consequences 
Unit2 The importance 
page 14 of the past 
Unit3 Machines, cycles 
page 22 and processes 
Unit4 Education 
page 30 
Unit5 Youth 
page 38 
Unit6 Culture 
page 46 
Unit7 Arts and 
page 54 sciences 
Unite Nature 
page 62 
Unit ...  CD player
- DVD player
- Mobile phoneWrite at [,east 150 words. 
- Internet connection
United Kingdom 
0-+-----..------.----�----�----�----..------l
1994/95 1996/97 1998/99 2000/01 2002/03 2004/05 2006/07 2008 
Task 1 Checklist 
1 Paraphrase the rubric in the introduction, i.e, change the 
words and the structure where possible. 
5 Use nouns and verbs to describe the trends. 
6 Write at least 150 words. 
2 Write an overview after your introduction or at the end. 
3 Include all the data at the beginning and ends of lines. 
4 Use linking devices. 
Task2 
You slwuld spend about 40 minutes on this task. 
Write about the following topic: 
7 Use at least three paragraphs. 
8 Check your answer for mistakes. 
People oftenfind it d;JJlcult to adapt to new situations in their lives. 
Why do you think this is? What measures can you suggest to make it easier? 
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge 
or experience. 
Write at /,east 250 words. 
■ 
1■ 
importance of the past 
Ballpoint pen, 
Laszlo Biro 
a 
Tin can patented 
by Peter Durand 
Safety pin, Walter Hunt 
.;. 
First mercury 
thenmometer, 
Gabriel 
Fahrenheit 
e 
Paper money in China 
ing itlthefltliisl.these 
anning essays 
evelo ing 1cleas 
TASK 1 Comparing infonnation 
1 The pictures and text show some inventions and who invented them.
Answer the questions. 
a Which is the oldest invention? 
b Which is the most recent invention? 
c Which do you think are the most and least important inventions? 
d What other important historical inventions are not included here? 
e What do you think are the three most effective inventions in 
recent years? 
2 The chart shows the results of a survey about the most important
inventions in the last 300 years. Answer the questions. 
Most important inventions in the last 300 years 
,_ __________________ ...,■ Male 
Bicycle Car Tablet Mobile 
phone 
a What is the most noticeable thing 
about the chart? 
b What voting patterns can you see for 
females? 
c What voting patterns can you see for 
males? 
d Do you agree with the survey results? 
Why/Why not? 
■ Female
Radio Internet TV 
Technique 
Circle and number 
important data on the chart 
that you are going to write 
about. Group data that you 
want to write about together 
or compare (e.g. by labelling 
them 2a, 2b, 2c). 
The importance of the past 
3 Complete sentences a-j about the chart in exercise 2 on page 14, using 
the structures in the Technique box. 
a More females _______ males chose the bicycle. 
b The bicycle was more than any other invention. 
c The car was popular among females than males. 
d _______ invention among both sexes was the TV. 
e _______ women than men voted for the mobile phone. 
f _______ invention among both sexes was the bicycle. 
g _______ males than females picked the radio. 
h The tablet was _______ for women than for men. 
i More people selected the bicycle _______ any other 
invention. 
j The TV was _______ popular than any other invention. 
Technique 
Use a range of structures to make 
comparisons. Read these examples 
that describe the chart in exercise 2. 
Examples 
• More males than females chose
the TY. (more + noun + than)
• Fewer females than males chose
the TY. (fewer + noun + than)
• The lV was more popular among
males than females. (more/less +
adjective+ than)
• The most popular form of
communication was the Internet.
(the most/least + adjective)
4 Rewrite the sentences in exercise 3 using the following words: (a) fewer males (b) the 
most (c) more popular (d) less popular (e) fewer (f) more ... than (g) more (h) more (i) the most 
(j) the least 
Example 
a Fewer males than females chose the bicycle. 
5 Compare male and female attitudes to bicycles, cars, tablets, 
mobile phones and the Internet. 
Examples 
Almost as many females as males chose the tablet 
Not as many males as females chose the radio. 
Technique 
Compare information by using as many ... as 
when numbers are very close, or by using not as 
many ... as. Read the examples in exercise 5. 
6 Make comparative sentences based on notes a-g below and the chart in exercise 2. 
Use the passive or active form of the verb in italics. 
Examples 
females/males/select/the bicycle More females than males selected the bicycle. 
males/females/select/the bicycle Fewer males than females selected the bicycle. 
the bicycle/choose/females/males The bicycle was chosen by more females than males. 
a males/females/choose/the car 
b women/men/select/the mobile phone 
c the Internet/choose/males/females 
d females/males/pick/the radio 
e males/females/pick/the radio 
f the tablet/choose/females/males 
g the bicycle/select/males/females 
■ 
■ 
• 
Unit 2 
Using adverbs in comparisons 
1 Read the examples. Then underline the adverbs in sentences a-i.
a Slightly more women than men voted for the bicycle. 
b In the past, considerably more people lived in the countryside than towns. 
c Many more people can use a computer today than thirty years ago. 
d Substantially less time is now spent doing housework than before. 
e There are significantly fewer people now working in manufacturing than 
in the past. 
f Sports programmes are watched by practically as many people now as in 
previous years. 
g The exhibition about cinema attracted far fewer visitors than expected. 
h Illiteracy is much less common than in previous generations. 
i Nearly as many children as adults watch programmes about ancient 
history. 
2 Which adverbs in exercise 1 mean:
a almost? b a lot? c just a few? 
3 Add suitable adverbs to the sentences you wrote in exercise 6 on page 15.
Comparing and contrasting 
1 What kinds of clubs do people join? Do you belong to any clubs?
2 What kinds of clubs are shown in the photos below?
Tech ique 
Add adverbs to 
comparisons, such as 
significantly (more) or 
almost (as many) to make 
them more precise. 
E:ra"'nples 
• Significantly more
people voted for the
bicycle than the other
inventions.
• The bicycle was
chosen by almost
as many males as
females.
3 Find the clubs that you named in
exercise 1 on the chart opposite. 
Answer the following about the 
bar chart. 
Membership of various clubs 
a What does the bar chart 
provide information about? 
b What could the numbers on the 
left relate to? 
c What do you think the words 
along the bottom of the chart 
relate to? 
d What do the numbers in the box 
in the top left of the chart refer 
to? 
e Is there a time reference for the 
graph? 
70�-----------------------, 
60 ■ 2�30 ■ 45-65 I-----.----------;
50-+----.--------1
40 
30 
20 
10 
0-+-.__---"-...---'----'-........ ---......... --"--,-----------._._-�"-t 
The importance of the past 
4 Make at least three questions about the data. Then ask your questions to a partner. 
Example 
Which club or society has the most people aged 20-30? 
5 Match sentence beginnings 1-6 with endings a-f to form correct sentences about the chart. 
1 The arts and crafts club has the greatest number of 20-30 year-olds, 
2 Only 25 people from the younger age group are members of the historical club, 
3 Some clubs are clearly more popular with one of the age groups, 
4 The fitness and social clubs have slightly more members in the younger age group, 
5 1n general, the 20-30 year-olds are more actively involved in clubs 
6 The fitness and social clubs attract a broader range of people 
a whereas the archaeological club is equally popular with both. 
b in comparison with the historical club. 
c but it is one of the least popular clubs with the older age group. 
d compared with the older age bracket. 
e while the figure for 45-65 year-olds is about 50. 
f although they are fairly popular with both age groups. 
6 In which of the sentences in exercise 5 could the ending a-f come first? Which connecting 
words in italics are followed by a noun phrase only? 
7 Read the following description of the chart you looked at in exercise 3. In 1-6, two options are 
possible and one is incorrect. Delete the incorrect option. 
The chart provides infurmation about how two age groo� participate in several dubs at a centre fur adults:. 
We can see from the data that the archaeological, fitne� and social dubs are popular with both older and 
f younger people. 1 Llo/hilell-loweve,r/fly contrar;t, the hi�orical and arn and crafu societies clearly appeal 
more to one of the age groups. In the hi�orical society. 50 of the memb� are between 45 and 65, 
2 but/whilelhowevathere are only 25 from the younger age group. For the arn and crafts society. the 
pattern is rev�ed.
There are about 60 memb� aged between 20 and 30, 3 but/whereas: in comparis:on with the number 
of people in the 4 5 to 65 age group is 4 far/s:fi$7tlyl cons:iderahly lower 
The fitne� and social clubs are popular with both age groups, 5 howeve,rfbut/afthough there are slightly 
fewer older people. Memb�hip of the archaeological society �ands at 45 for both groups. 
In general, the younger age group are 6 s:ignificantly/almoi;;t/noticeably more involved in the various 
sodetie-s than the 45-65 year-olds. 
■
■ 
Unit 2 
■ TASK 2 Using it/they/this/these
■ 1 Read the text opposite written by astudent as part of a Task 2 answer. Replace the words in italics with it, 
they, this or these. 
Archaeologists, for example, help us to learn about the past. 
Archaeologists look for evidence in artefacts like pots and 
jewellery. Pots and jewellery reveal a lot of information 
about our ancestors. Revealing information about the past is 
very useful, but the information is still quite limited. 
2 Match 1-4 with a-d to explain how to use it, they, this and these. 
1 It and this refer to a nouns and phrases at the end of the previous sentence. 
2 They and these refer to b plural nouns. 
3 This and these are often used to refer to c situations and processes. 
4 This can also refer to d singular nouns. 
3 Underline the exact text which it, they, this and these refer to in sentences a-h.
The first one has been done for you. 
a History teaches children not just facts, but a range of skills. For example, they can learn 
how to analyse material, do basic sorting and research. 
b Old buildings help create a more relaxing environment in cities than concrete office 
blocks. This makes them more pleasant to work and live in. 
c Studying history may trigger an interest in other subject areas. This, in turn, may lead to 
different hobbies. 
d Built-up areas can be made more attractive by adding monuments and statues. These can 
then enrich people's lives considerably. 
e Governments should provide more money to preserve historical sites. By doing this, our 
heritage would be saved for future generations. 
f Tradition does not hold us back as some people believe. In fact, it helps us to build the 
future. 
g Schools and colleges need to emphasize history and related subjects as these will help give 
them a wider view of the world. 
h The Internet and computers can be used to preserve the past. For example, they can be 
used by children to do basic research and store images. 
4 Complete sentences a-g with it, they, this or these. Some answers have more than one option.
a If the past is to be preserved, _______ must be done by using modern technology. 
b The art and language of a country represent its history, so it is important that 
_______ are both preserved. 
c The primary role of advertising is to encourage the public to replace the old with the new. 
------- is called progress by some people. 
d History broadens the minds of most people who study _______ , but 
------- also has the potential to narrow the minds of some. 
e History should be given more emphasis in school, as _______ will help children 
to understand better the world they live in. 
f If history is emphasized more in schools, _______ will lead to a better 
understanding of the world. 
g The past informs us of the present and the future, but few people are sufficiently aware of 
The importance of the past 
5 Complete each blank space in the paragraph below with a sentence of your own. Begin each
sentence using either it, they, this or these to refer back to the phrases in bold. 
One of the most important developments in technology over the past decades has been the 
Internet. l _____________ Reading a webpage is, however, not like reading a 
book. We read webpages much more quickly and then make an immediate connection to 
something on another page. 2 ____________ Books are also gradually being 
replaced bye-readers. 3 ___________ _ 
Planning essays 
1 Read the historical facts in a-f below. Rank the events 1-6 according to how important you think
they were in human history (1 = most important; 6 = least important). What other events would 
you add to the list? 
a In 1792, France abolished the monarchy and replaced it with the first republic. 
b In 1953, Francis Watson and James Crick described the structure and importance of DNA. 
c In October 1492, Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas. 
d In 1885, Karl Benz built and patented the first automobile. 
e In 1983, a computer system connecting universities was created, which later became the 
Internet. 
f In the ninth century, gunpowder was first invented and used by the Chinese. 
2 Read the Task 2 essay question below.
It is sometimes said that hist,ory never repeats itself, yet there is much in it which is
rei,evant to our modern world. In what ways can the study of hist,ory help us today? 
Decide which of points a-g are relevant to the answer to this question. 
a There is often uncertainty about what really happened with regard to 
well-known historical events. 
b Studying other historical periods gives insights into different ways of life. 
c We can learn about the recent past by asking older family members. 
d History involves investigation and interpretation, so its study develops thinking skills. 
e Learning about conflicts in the past can teach us how to avoid them in future. 
f History is a more difficult area of study than most people imagine. 
g The past can often provide explanations for the situations we face today. 
3 Read the statement below and use the trigger words in a-d to develop this point. The first one
has been done for you. Refer to Unit 1 page 12 for more examples of similar phrases. 
Studying other historical periods gives insights into different ways of life. 
For example, students can investigate the way in which people lived in ancient limes. 
such as ______ _ 
As a result, ______ _ 
Therefore, ______ _ 
Furthermore, ______ _ 
4 Look back at the other relevant sentences you chose in exercise 2 above. Develop those ideas in
the same way using trigger words. Then write out your ideas in a paragraph. 
■
■