IELTS Writing Task 1 and Reading

Language of Trends (FUELS and ENERGY SOURCES)

Always look out for reports that contain language useful for the IELTS writing test.

Reading and understanding this report on trends in CO2 emissions and energy sources will give you lots of useful words and phrases for describing fuel use and pollution - a common data type in IELTS Writing Task 1.

Continue reading for four tasks to help you improve your IELTS READING and WRITING skills...




TASK ONE

Read this report from the BBC and answer the following questions:

1. Are worldwide CO2 emissions increasing?
2. Which energy types are being used more in USA and China, respectively?
3. Which three groups produced over half of the CO2 emissions in total?
4. How much did emissions in China increase by?
5. Is the use of renewable energy sources increasing or decreasing?

TASK TWO

Check your answers using quotes from the report:  

1. Are CO2 emissions increasing? 
 "emissions in 2012 increased at less than half the average over the past decade."

  
2. Which energy types are being used more in USA and China, respectively? 



"Key factors included the shift to shale gas for energy in the US while China increased its use of hydropower by 23%."

 3. Which three groups produced over half of the CO2 emissions in total?


"The main emitters, accounting for 55% of the global total, were China, the US and the European Union."

4. How much did emissions in China increase by in 2012? 
 "Emissions from China increased by 3% but this was a significant slowdown compared to annual increases of around 10% over the past decade."

5. Is the use of renewable energy sources increasing or decreasing?
 "Renewable energy also continued its upward trend, at accelerating speed."


TASK THREE
Check the answers by scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

TASK FOUR
Read the whole report to find other useful sentences and phrases which might be useful when writing about trends in terms of fuels, energy sources or pollution.





 
ANSWERS

1. Are CO2 emissions increasing? (Yes, but more slowly now than in the past)
2. Which energy types are being used more in USA and China, respectively? (shale gas and hydropower)
3. Which three groups produced over half of the CO2 emissions in total? (US, China and the EU)
4. How much did emission in China increase by in 2012? (3%, in previous years it was a 10% increas)
5. Is the use of renewable energy sources increasing or decreasing? (increasing more and more rapidly)