IELTS Writing Task 2: Peatlands and Carbon Storage

This 55-minute lesson prepares C1 learners to write about peatlands by practicing essential vocabulary and advanced sentence patterns step by step.

Check student responses in real time using the automated feedback and reference answers provided in each exercise.

First, read the grammar guide below and complete the vocabulary, collocation, and sentence exercises in Module 1.

Next, use your new words and structures to write your response in Module 2 before checking the model essay in Module 3.

so fragile an ecosystem

so + adj + a + noun

too great a risk

too + adj + a + noun

as large a store

as + adj + a + noun

how serious a loss

how + adj + a + noun

however small a share

however + adj + a + noun

this massive a carbon pool

this + adj + a + noun

1. The process of carbon ____ in peat bogs helps slow down climate change. (sequester)

2. Heavy rainfall leaves the soil completely ____, preventing decay. (waterlog)

3. The industrial ____ of peat for fuel damages natural ecosystems. (extract)

4. After rewetting the land, ecologists observed the natural ____ of wild plants. (regrow)

5. Land ____ for farming releases vast amounts of stored gases. (convert)

1. Scientists measure the carbon in peatlands in millions of ____.

2. A blanket ____ is an acidic wetland habitat formed in wet, cool regions.

3. Draining wet soils increases dangerous ____ emissions into the atmosphere.

4. An alkaline wetland fed by mineral-rich water is known as a ____.

5. Industrial ____ extraction destroys centuries of natural carbon accumulation.

1. ____, converting land to agriculture creates immediate economic returns for farmers.

2. ____ the short-term profits of farming, long-term climate damage cannot be ignored.

3. ____ preserving natural ecosystems is far more valuable than temporary food production.

4. Agricultural soil releases carbon when plowed. ____, untouched wetlands capture carbon year after year.

5. Soil drainage leads to rapid decomposition. ____, huge amounts of stored greenhouse gases escape into the air.

1. Original: "Peatlands hold a huge amount of carbon, so we must protect them."

2. Original: "Draining bogs for farmland brings a very high risk of climate damage."

3. Original: "Even if a bog covers a small area, it plays a big role in storing carbon."

1. Restoring every bog at once is ___________ for one team to manage.

2. Few citizens realize ___________ the destruction of local peatlands truly is.

3. Peat drainage releases greenhouse gases, creating ___________ to the global climate.