IELTS Topic : Life Cycle of Silkworm

The lifecycle of silkworm in IELTS exam is one of the toughest questions of the writing section of IELTS. Many students preparing for IELTS will know about this but very few of them know how to attempt it. Read the blog to know more about how you can attempt the answer up to mark.

What is IELTS Academic Writing

Very few students know about the IELTS writing section. Let us first understand what contains in the writing section of IELTS. An IELTS Writing Section contains 2 tasks:

• Task 1: In task 1 the student has to describe an image in his own words which could be either in the form of a chart, table, graph or diagram. The student will be given 20 minutes and after 20 minutes he has to write about the visual information in 150 words. Usually, this question is about the lifecycle of silkworm in IELTS exam.
  
• Task 2: In task 2 the student will be given a problem or a point of view on a topic and he has to discuss it. The time limit for the task is 40 minutes and the word limit is 250 words.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Examples

The questions which can come in the IELTS writing task 1 are as follows:

• Pie Chart: A pie chart is a type of graphical representation which shows data in a circular-shaped graph.
  
• Table: A table is another visual which can come in the IELTS writing section. A table shows the data in tabular form.
  
• Bar Chart: Bar Chart is another type of graph which uses 2 axis x and y axis to show the relationship between 2 things like time and money, time and sales. Time is usually the common element which is present in almost every table.
  
• Process Diagram: Process diagram also known as flow diagram that shows the sequence of activities.
  
• Line and Bar Chart: Line and Bar chart is a combination of a Bar Chart and lines to show the trend of something.
  
• Diagram: A diagram is another visual which shows the process of something. For example, generating electricity from water.

IELTS Writing Task 1: Tips to exceed

Following are some strategies which if successfully used can help the student score well in IELTS writing task 1:

• Read passages carefully: It’s one of the most important steps to proceed with the question. Without reading and understanding what the examiner wants to ask one cannot write the correct answer. An individual must take some time to carefully understand what the question is and then answer it.
  
• Create an outline: The next step will be to make a draft answer that the student can extend further. In this step, the student has to think of the words he will choose. He can make the structure of how he is going to write the answer.
  
• Formal Tone: As IELTS is a professional language efficiency test therefore one must try to keep his language formal and avoid an informal tone.
  
• Word Count: Another important parameter that needs to keep in mind is the word limit which is 150 words.

Most common question of IELTS Writing Task 1

The most common question of IELTS writing task 1 is the lifecycle of the silkworm. The student gets 20 minutes to write the answer and the word limit is 150 words. The student will be given a diagram showing the life cycle of silkworm and the production of silk cloth and he has to explain it.

How to attempt the answer?

Let’s see how one should write the answer to “the lifecycle of a Silkworm”. Below are some samples answers. One can take reference from them.

Sample Answer 1
First of all, the mother worm lays eggs and after 10 days the silkworm larvae come from the eggs. Then silkworms larva eat mulberry leaves and in 4-6 weeks complete the second stage of the life cycle. The third stage starts when they start creating silk thread shells and for the next 3 to 8 days remain there only and then they create an oval cocoon. For the next 16 days, the cocoon remains as it is. In the final stage, they become moths. With time, the moths grow up and recycle the processes again.

The second picture describes the process of silk cloth production which has more than 5 stages. In the first stage, some silk thread shells of the silkworm are selected and in the second stage, they are boiled in water. After boiling the threads become 300 to 900 meters long. Then after twisting and dyeing, those are weaved into silks. To produce good quality silk this process of twisting and dyeing is repeated more than once.

Sample Answer 2
In the first picture, it can be seen that the lifecycle of a silkworm has started when the mother worm has laid eggs. Then in 10 days silkworm eggs transform into the shape of larva. Now the second stage starts, in which the larva eats mulberry leaves to grow.

The food process continues for 4 to 6 weeks and then at the end of the second stage larva starts making silk thread. Then silk thread shell creates a cocoon in the third stage which happens for 3 to 8 days. After 16 days the final stage starts and the cocoon transforms into a moth. The whole process gets repeated as the moth grows up.

In the second picture, the process of silk production can be seen which in total has 5 stages. In the first stage silk thread shells are selected and then boiled into water. After that shells are unwinded properly which extends to 300 to 900 meters long. Then twisting and dyeing of threading starts. Then, at last, the silk is again dyed.

For making high-quality silk this process of twisting and dyeing gets repeated many times

Conclusion
Attempting IELTS writing task 1 is not difficult if one keeps practicing different topics regularly. The life cycle of silkworm IELTS can be attempted well if the student works on his writing skills. If you still have any doubts related to this writing task 1 then do talk with Canamprep to get a better understanding of the topic.