APIEIELTS Writing: Floods and Extreme Weather
Floods and extreme weather
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
📘 Module 1: Getting Ready
Welcome! In this lesson, you will practice key vocabulary, useful essay phrases, and simple sentence patterns to help you write about weather disasters with confidence.
💡 How to use this lesson
1. Use this as a warm-up exercise to start the unit (15 minutes total).
2. Monitor student responses during the activities to identify common language errors.
1. Complete the vocabulary exercises first to build your word bank.
2. Then move to the sentence building tasks to practice writing full structures.
📝 Part A: Word Forms
Change the given word into the correct form to complete each sentence.
1. The heavy rain caused the entire lower floor of the building to be completely ___ (submerge).
2. Local authorities ordered the immediate ___ (evacuate) of residents living near the swollen river.
3. Without a modern ___ (drain) system, city streets quickly collect water during severe storms.
4. After three days of continuous rain, the main river was ___ (overflow) onto nearby farmland.
5. Emergency workers arrived quickly to provide vital ___ (relieve) supplies to flood victims.
🔗 Part B: Collocations
Choose the word that naturally completes each common flood-related phrase.
6. Heavy floods left dozens of families ___ on their rooftops waiting for rescue boats.
7. Volunteers worked through the night to build a flood ___ around the power station.
8. Weather experts issued an urgent weather ___ warning people of extreme rain.
9. Residents stacked heavy ___ along doorway entrances to prevent water from entering.
10. A sudden ___ flooded the downtown area within less than an hour.
💬 Part C: Common Essay Phrases
Complete each sentence using one phrase from the word bank below. Use each phrase exactly once.
11. Severe storms destroy homes and damage power lines. ___, thousands of people are left without electricity.
12. Many coastal towns are building modern defenses. ___, Tokyo constructed a huge underground water tunnel.
13. Some people believe flood protection is entirely the government's job. ___, others think citizens should prepare their own property.
14. Building stronger barriers is an urgent priority. ___, city councils must improve early warning systems to keep residents safe.
15. ___, governments should focus more on long-term prevention than on temporary fixes.
🔄 Part D: Paraphrase Practice
Rewrite the key part of each sentence using different words with the same meaning.
Original sentence:
"Floods damage many houses every year."
Paraphrase: A large number of homes are ___ by floodwaters annually.
Original sentence:
"Heavy rain makes the river rise above its banks."
Paraphrase: Severe rainstorms lead to the ___ of the river.
Original sentence:
"Governments must move people away from danger zones quickly."
Paraphrase: Authorities need to ___ residents from high-risk areas immediately.
⚙️ Part E: Grammar Short Recap (-ing & -ed)
Learn how to shorten relative clauses to make your writing sound more natural.
📌 Pattern Example:
"The shops closed by the storm opened again on Friday."
(Shortened from: "The shops which were closed by the storm...")
Active Meaning ➔ use -ing
students who study abroad ➔ students studying abroad
a report which explains the plan ➔ a report explaining the plan
Passive Meaning ➔ use -ed
roads which were blocked ➔ roads blocked by trees
the city which was hit ➔ the city hit by the storm
Full clause:
"People who live near rivers face severe flood risks."
Shortened version: People ___ near rivers face severe flood risks.
Full clause:
"Houses that were damaged by floodwaters needed urgent repairs."
Shortened version: Houses ___ by floodwaters needed urgent repairs.
Full clause:
"A new map which shows the flood risk was published yesterday."
Shortened version: A new map ___ the flood risk was published yesterday.
✍️ Module 2: The Essay Task
Now it is time to write your essay! Read the essay prompt below carefully, review the requirements, and use the paragraph starters to organize your ideas.
"In many parts of the world, serious floods are happening more often and are harming more people. What are the causes of this problem, and what solutions can you suggest?"
Essay Requirements
- • Write at least 250 words.
- • Use at least 3 sentences with reduced relative clauses (-ing / -ed).
- • Include at least 5 Unit words (e.g. downpour, forecast, overflow, drainage, submerge, evacuate, stranded, sandbag, barrier, relief).
4-Paragraph Plan
Self-Check List
📝 Write Your Essay
Minimum 250 wordsℹ️ Note: Your essay will be graded on: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
____ (Type your complete essay here...)📖 Module 3: See a Model Essay
Take a look at this model essay to see how the target vocabulary, paragraph plan, and shortened sentence patterns come together in a complete answer.
Model Essay
In this essay I will discuss the main reasons why severe flooding is becoming more frequent nowadays, as well as some practical ways to tackle this serious situation. In recent times, sudden heavy rains cause rivers to burst their banks and submerge nearby areas, leaving many families in danger.
One cause is poor urban planning combined with outdated infrastructure. In many expanding cities, concrete roads replace natural soil, which prevents rainwater from soaking into the ground naturally. Consequently, when a sudden downpour occurs, old drainage systems quickly fail to handle the massive volume of water. For instance, cities hit by heavy rain often experience flooded streets because water cannot flow away fast enough.
Furthermore, climate change causes unpredictable weather patterns, making extreme storms far more common than before. A weather forecast showing a high risk of flooding is now a common warning in many coastal regions.
To reduce the problem, several effective measures should be introduced. First, local communities can construct strong flood barriers and use sandbags to protect vulnerable neighborhoods from rising water. People living near rivers must also prepare early evacuation plans to avoid getting trapped during severe storms.
Second, improving green spaces in urban areas will allow rainwater to drain much faster. Finally, emergency groups should provide fast relief supplies to help citizens who are affected by these unexpected events. In addition, houses damaged by floodwaters should be rebuilt using stronger materials.
In conclusion, frequent flooding is caused by weak city drainage and changing weather patterns. However, building better defenses, updating infrastructure, and preparing emergency plans can effectively protect people and lower future damage.
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