APIEIELTS Academic Writing: Science in Everyday Life
Science in everyday life
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
How to Use This Lesson
For Teachers
• Guide students through this 40-minute build-up before any writing task.
• Check answers together and provide immediate feedback on word choice.
For Learners
• Complete all four practice sections to build your recycling vocabulary.
• Check your score after each section to see how well you know the words.
Step 1: Word Workout – Recycling Plastic Bottles
Learn key word forms, collocations, phrases, and sentences used to describe the plastic recycling process.
Part A: Word Forms (5 Questions)
Choose the correct form of the word to complete each sentence about the recycling steps.
1. Used plastic bottles are taken to special recycling centers during the initial ______ stage.
2. Workers must carefully ______ colored bottles from clear ones by hand.
3. The sorted plastic flakes are heated until they turn into a thick ______ liquid.
4. Through this heating method, old bottles undergo a complete ______ into reusable plastic pellets.
5. At the final step, factories use the pellets to ______ brand new drink containers.
Part B: Collocations for Process Description (5 Questions)
Select the single word that naturally fits each collocation.
6. The collection rate of recycled bottles managed to ______ a peak of 85% in the summer months.
7. Clear plastic bottles ______ for nearly two-thirds of the total volume collected.
8. All collected bottles must ______ a strict cleaning process before crushing.
9. Inside the extruder, the shredded pieces are ______ into tiny uniform pellets.
10. The overall cycle ______ to an end when the new items reach supermarket shelves.
Part C: Fill in Common Phrases (5 Questions)
Word Bank (Use each word once):
11. The entire recycling process [ ... ] of six distinct steps.
Type the missing word from the bank:
12. At the initial [ ... ], trucks deliver compressed bales of plastic to the plant.
Type the missing word from the bank:
13. The sorted bottles are washed thoroughly and [ ... ] chopped into small pieces.
Type the missing word from the bank:
14. The clean plastic pellets act as [ ... ] material for manufacturing other goods.
Type the missing word from the bank:
15. Crushing is a method [ ... ] hollow containers are flattened into compact blocks.
Type the missing word from the bank:
Part D: Paraphrase (3 Questions)
Choose the option that best expresses the same meaning as the original sentence without changing the facts.
Original Sentence:
"Workers sort the bottles by color before machines shred them."
Which sentence is the best paraphrase?
Original Sentence:
"The melted plastic is formed into tiny pellets so that factories can transport it easily."
Which sentence is the best paraphrase?
Original Sentence:
"In the final stage, recycled material is manufactured into goods like clothes and new bottles."
Which sentence is the best paraphrase?
Step 2: The Writing Challenge – Why Is the Sky Blue?
Review the prompt and the 6-stage scientific process below, check the requirements, then write your summary report.
"The flow chart shows how sunlight makes the sky look blue. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features."
Process Flow: Sunlight and the Atmosphere
Follow the sequence from solar emission to human perception (Steps 1 to 6)
Sunlight (white light) enters the Earth's atmosphere
The light meets tiny gas molecules in the air
Short blue waves are scattered in all directions
Longer red and orange waves pass through more directly
Scattered blue light reaches the eyes from every part of the sky
The sky looks blue
Checklist for Process Writing
Verify that your summary satisfies all 5 core writing criteria before submitting:
Summarise the general process and main result in 1–2 sentences.
Follow the chronological steps smoothly from beginning to end.
Connect ideas with transition words (e.g., initially, once, subsequently, as a result).
Accurately report wavelengths, gas collisions, and scattering directions.
Ensure full elaboration without omitting any of the 6 steps.
Write Your Response
Compose your complete summary report. The automated evaluator assesses your submission across four standard criteria.
💡 Tip: Use passive constructions (e.g. "is scattered", "are transmitted") to maintain an objective scientific tone.
Min: 150 wordsStep 3: Teacher's Model & Why It Works
Study this complete 165-word model report. Read the full text first, then examine how each highlighted phrase strengthens the flow, clarity, and precision of the description.
Model Process Report
The diagram illustrates the natural process by which sunlight makes the sky look blue. Overall, the process has six stages, beginning with sunlight entering the Earth's atmosphere and culminating in the sky looking blue. Each stage leads to the next, so the steps must be described in the correct order.
At the first stage, sunlight, which is white light, enters the Earth's atmosphere. At the second stage, the light comes into contact with tiny gas molecules in the air. After that, short blue waves are scattered in all directions. By contrast, longer red and orange waves pass through more directly, so the two kinds of waves do not behave in the same way.
As soon as the blue waves have been scattered, the scattered blue light reaches the eyes from every part of the sky. In other words, the eyes receive blue light from all over the sky. In the final stage, the sky looks blue, resulting in a sky that appears blue everywhere.
Key Phrase Analysis
Explore why these 7 phrases make this answer coherent, natural, and accurate without relying on complicated jargon.
Why this works
Instead of simply repeating "shows how", this phrase clearly frames the topic as an ongoing physical mechanism. It allows the writer to state the cause (sunlight) and the outcome (blue sky) smoothly in a single opening sentence.
Why this works
Pairs seamlessly with "beginning with" to anchor your summary overview. It highlights the ultimate end point of the sequence in a polished way, avoiding repetitive words like "finishing with" or "ending with".
Why this works
A more formal way to say "meets". It shows two things coming together (the light and the gas molecules) without sounding stiff or overly technical.
Why this works
Comparing both pathways (blue light scattering versus red and orange light passing through more directly) is useful in process tasks. "By contrast" sets up a clean, sharp comparison with the sentence before it.
Why this works
The passive voice ("are scattered") keeps the focus squarely on what happens to the light rays rather than on the gas particles. Adding "in all directions" precisely captures Step 3 of the visual diagram.
Why this works
Instead of overusing basic linkers like "Then" or "Next", "As soon as" connects two events in direct succession, showing that the blue light reaches the eyes right after the scattering has happened.
Why this works
A participle phrase that attaches the final conclusion directly to the sentence. It explains the physical consequence cleanly, wrapping up the final step of the entire chart with natural elegance.
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