The Diagrams Below Show the Life Cycle of a Species of Large Fish Called the Salmon
Written by Lilie
Scored a 7 twice in the writing test
October 20, 2021
The diagrams below show the life cycle of a species of large fish called the salmon.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
This essay question is from Cambridge IELTS 10 Test 4 Writing Task 1.
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Sample Essay
The diagrams display the life cycle of the salmon, which is a large fish species.
Overall, salmon have an average lifespan of nine years and their life cycle consists of four main stages: egg, fry, smolt, and adult. While the first three stages occur in freshwater, the last one takes place in saline water. (The red part is correct. You can understand it this way: the egg stage, the fry stage, the smolt stage and the adult stage.)
The life cycle begins when salmon eggs are laid among small stones at the base of reeds in the upper part of a river, where the current is slow. After approximately 5 to 6 months, fry which measure 3 to 8 centimeters long can be seen in the water. The fry then swim to the lower, faster-flowing part of the river. After growing and feeding there for about 4 years, they reach 12 to 15 centimeters and are considered smolts.
They then head to the ocean where they grow/mature into adult salmon which average 70 to 76 centimeters long. They spend around 5 years there, after which they migrate upstream to their birthplace to spawn, and the entire journey is repeated all over again. (179 Words)
Verbs for Describing a Life Cycle
Does the Life Cycle Have 3 or 4 Stages?
The numbers in the diagrams are not stages. They are there to refer you to the matching numbered items in the legend. (A legend is a table on a map or chart, listing and explaining the symbols used.) The life cycle has four main stages: egg, fry, smolt, and adult.
Common Mistake
The plural form of “salmon” is also “salmon”, not “salmons”.
✅ The salmon has an average lifespan of nine years. (Here, “the salmon” refers to the species and therefore is singular.)
✅ Salmon have an average lifespan of nine years. (Here, “salmon” refers to the fish themselves and therefore is plural.)
When meaning small fish, “fry” is both singular and plural.
✅ After the eggs hatch, the baby salmon hide among the stones for approximately 5 to 6 months to mature into fry that measure 3 to 8 centimeters long.
❎ After the eggs hatch, the baby salmon hide among the stones for approximately 5 to 6 months to mature into fries that measure 3 to 8 centimeters long.
Warning
The diagrams are very misleading. For example, it looks like only after salmon leave the oceans do they become adults. However, in fact, it is in the oceans where they grow into adults. I suggest you read some articles online to get an idea of when salmon grow into fry, smolts and adults.
19 CommentsLeave A Comment
I’d never heard of smolt before, and the legend at the bottom of the diagram led me to think the plural is smolt. Three little fish, labelled ‘smolt’!
should I use the plural form of salmon in whole writing? or can I do just samlon and write like ‘its’ size is
To use ‘its size’, you need ‘the salmon’, which refers to the species and therefore is singular.
You could say, “Adult salmon [plural] range from 70 to 76 cm in length.”
Why did you say the fry then swim? Isn’t “fry” considered singular after the article “the” so the verb should be swims?
Hi Shereen, the plural form of ‘fry’ is also fry. The definite article is used to refer to the fry mentioned in the previous sentence.
Which is better to write overall after an introduction or at the end of the writing? Can you advice me?
Sorry, I didn’t see your comment until now. Either way works but I prefer to write it after the introductory paragraph.
I think we should write the overview after the introduction in case you run short of time your writing still has all the necessary parts, but just misses some details in the body paragraphs, which won’t make you lose as many scores as when you lack the overview.
Where it’s indicate about the life span of salmon?
Hi, thanks for your comment. Since most salmon die after spawning, we can get the average life span by adding up the time frames shown in the diagrams.
What band score can I expect from this?
The given pictures illustrate the life cycle of salmon, a species of large fish.
Overall, salmons have a lifespan of roughly 9-10 years and their entire life cycle can be divided into four stages: egg, fry, smolt and adult. While the first three stages occur in freshwater the final happens in sea.
At first, adult salmon lays eggs on reeds and small stones in rivers with slow water currents. The eggs remain there for approximately 5-6 months before younglings, also known as “fries” can be seen. They are just about 3-5 cm long and travel to lower, fast flowing river where they stay for about 4 years. After these four years, they grow from 12 to 15 cm and are called smolts.
During this third stage, they go to open sea where they live for another 5 years or so, which is when they become adults of about 70-76 cm. During breeding season, these adult salmons travel back upstream to lay eggs and thus, the cycle repeats.
Thanks! It’s really helpful 😇
i see 3 stages.
The egg stage doesn’t count?
I also see three stages according to the labelling.
Hey Godwin, thanks for your comment. In my opinion, those numbers are not stages. They are keys to the legend below the diagrams. (A legend is a table on a chart, listing and explaining the symbols used.)
Can I write just
“The diagrams give information about the salmon life cycle.”
in the introduction? Is it enough?
Yes, it’s enough.