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Academic IELTS Writing task 1 Sample 1 - Male

and female workers in 1975 and 1995 in several
employment sectors of the republic of Freedonia
Details
Last Updated: Wednesday, 06 April 2016 15:02
Written by IELTS Mentor
Hits: 26045

The graphs below show the numbers of male and female workers
in 1975 and 1995 in several employment sectors of the republic of
Freedonia.
Write a report for a university teacher describing the information shown.
You should write at least 150 words.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Sample Answer 1:
The given diagrams compare the male and female employment status in six different
job sectors in two different years 1975 & 1995. As is seen from the given
illustration, men were well ahead of women in all the job sectors in Freedonia in
1975. However the scenario changed in the 1995 and women did a remarkable
progress in their professions.

According to the given diagrams, men in Freedonia were well ahead of female in
manufacturing, finance/banking, wholesale & retail trade, defence and non-defence
sectors. In manufacturing more than 600 male employees could be seen against only
300 female employees. Except in communication sector, ratio of male employees was
far greater than that of females. Among the given job sectors, public / non-defene
sector had the highest number of employees while the defence sector had the least
number of employees.
After 20 years, women showed an outstanding advancement in the job sectors and
they went well ahead of men in communication, wholesale & retail trade sectors.
They become almost equal in number in finance and banking jobs while the gap
between male and female employees numbers reduced in defence jobs. Only sector
that was still male dominant was manufacturing and the job ratio in this sector
remained almost same as it was 20 years earlier.

Sample Answer 2:
The given line graphs illustrate the number of male and female workers in various
employment sectors of the republic of Fredonia in the year 1975 and 1995. The first
point to note is that, highest number of male and female workers occupied in public
sector and wholesale and retail trade sector in both years.
Public sector occupied same number of employees in both two years that is 840 males
and 640 females. Wholesale and retail trade sector stands close behind with 650 male
and 460 female employees in the year 1975, while a slight reverse order in the year
1995 with 800 females and 650 males. Manufacturing section consumes almost equal
number of employees in both years with 600 males and half of its females.
Interestingly, almost equal number of employees in communication sector in the year
1975 with 240 and 250 females and males respectively, changed to its double in
female workers and with same number of male workers in the year 1995. This same
trend shown in finance and banking sector. However, defense public sector occupied
lowest number with 10 female and 210 male workers in the year 1975 and 100
females and its double male workers in the year 1995.
In conclusion, it is clear from the graphs that, there are fluctuations in the number in
both years. But male employees are more compared to females in almost all the
sectors in the given years.
(Approximately 238 words | Written by - Jayesh Joseph )
Model Answer 3:
The provided illustrations compare the male and female workers in different
employment sectors in Freedonia over 20 years of time by providing data for the years
1975 and 1995. As is observed from the given line graphs, women were far behind in
employment in Freedonia in 1975 but within 20 years they made remarkable progress
almost in all sectors and went well ahead of men in communications and wholesale &
retail trade sectors.
The graphs compare the number of male and female workers in 6 different sectors of

Freedonia per thousand. In 1975, more men than women were employed in almost all
the mentioned sectors of job categories. For instance, approximately 650 men were
employed in manufacturing related jobs compared to only 300 women per thousand of
total employees in the same sectors. In almost all other cases, the numbers of male
employees were much higher than the women and in communication sectors men
were bit ahead than female in their employment ration. After 20 years, in 1995,
women made outstanding progress in Freedonian job sectors. For instance, in
communication sectors almost 600 female were employed compared to 300 male
workers per thousand. Women went ahead of men in wholesale & retail trade sectors
too. Except for the public sectors (non-defence) women hold the trends of progress
compared to men in all other sectors. In 1975 only about 40 women worked in
defence sectors and this number grew to more than 100 per thousand after 20 years.
In summary women did remarkable progress in Freedonian job fields over 20 years
and they went ahead of men in many job sectors.
(Approximately 270 words)
(These two model answers can be followed as examples of a well written answer.
However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible approaches.)
Sample Answer 4:
The provided line graphs compare the employment history of men and women in
1975 and 1995 dividing in six major sectors namely: manufacturing, communications,
finance/ banking, wholesale & retail trade, non-defence public sectors and defence
public sectors. As is observed from the given illustration, significant changes have
been made in women's employment and women appear to have made remarkable
improvements in almost the entire job sectors in Freedonia and in some sectors
women went well ahead of men.
Initially in 1975, men were notably ahead of women in every sector of employment.
For example, in communication sector about 260 men worked against 220 women in
every thousand employees. Twenty years later, though the number of men remained
unchanged, the number of women rose to over 550 in one thousand. A similar trend
can be seen in the wholesale and retail trade sector, where the number of women rose
from about 550 to almost 800 in every 1000 employees of this sector two decades
later. The number of men in this sector remained stable over the period, at around
700 / thousand.
Women also made their prominence in both the finance/ banking industries and in the
defence-related public sector during this period. Where 125 women among one
thousand employees worked in finance & banking institutions in 1975, this number
increased to 450 by 1995. The number of men grew only marginally from 425 to 480
over the same period. In defence sector, the number of men declined from 225 to 200
per thousand, while the number of women rose from 25 to over 100 per thousand.
Two sectors that remained almost stable in terms of men and women employee ration
are manufacturing and public sector. In manufacturing about 300 women and 650 men
worked in both surveyed years, and in public sector (non-defence), which employed
650 women and 850 men.

In conclusion, we can say that, women appear to have made gains in the work force in
Freedonia and in some sectors they went well ahead compared to men.
Tips for Answering this Academic Writing Task 1 Question:
1. Two line graphs are provided in this writing task 1, so start the introduction part as
follows:
The given line graphs provide data on.....
Do not use, the give line graph shows... as there are more than one graphs
present in this question.
2. The two line graphs compare the number of male and female employees in 6
employment sectors in Freedonia. The first graph shows the data for the year 1975
while the second graph shows data for the year 1995.
3. The first graph shows that the male employees were well ahead in all the job
sectors in Freedonia. But after 20 years that scenario changed and women did a
remarkable progress in the job sectors.
4. Initially in 1975, men were higher in number in terms of their involvement in
different work sectors. Only in Finance and Banking sector, female were close to the
male.
5. After 20 years in 1995, the number of women employees crossed the number of
men employees in communications & wholesale & retail trade sectors.
6. In communication sector, the number of women employees reached to 550 per
thousand while this number was only 210 per thousand in 1975.
7. Do not only only give the numbers of male and female employees in 6 job sectors
of Freedonia in 1975 and 1995. Rather make a comparison of the male and female
employee numbers and show some of the comparisons for women about how many of
them were employed in 1975 and how these numbers have increased in 1995. Keep in
mind that the writing expects you to be able to compare the women's improvement
and increasing involvement in job sectors of Freedonia.
Summary of the graphs:
In Freedonia, women's involvement in major job sectors has increased remarkably in
20 years. Initially in 1975, they were less in number than the male employees in all
the 6 major job sectors. But within 20 years, they did significant progress and have
crossed the number of male employees in some sectors.
Answer Submitted by IELTS candidates:
Answer 5:
The provided line graphs compare the number of male and female workers in 6 broad
job sectors of Freedonia. As is presented on the two line graphs, women have made
significant improvement in Freedonian job sectors over the 20 years.

Initially in 1975, men were ahead in all job sectors than women. In manufacturing job
fields, around 220 women were employed while the number of male employees was
well over 600 per thousand. Men were ahead of women in terms of their involvement
in jobs in all of the mentioned 6 broad sectors. In Finance/ Banking, whole sale &
retail trade, non-defense public sector, women were far more behind than their male
counterpart. Only in communications sector women were close to men. Among 1000
employees in defense public sector women were less than 50 where men were around
250. The first graph thus depicts the men and women workforce in Freedonia in 1975.
But after 20 years in 1995, the scenario had changed significantly. Women crossed
men in terms of their job involvement in communication and wholesale & retail trade.
In defense, the number of women workers doubled that the number of 1975, where as
the number of men had decreased to 200. In non defense sector, the differences had
not changed that much but in communications and Finance/ Banking sector women
have done significant improvement compared to their number 20 years back.
In summary, women in Freedonia had done a remarkable progress in job sectors and
in some cases had superseded their male counterparts.
(Approximately 225 words)
Sample Answer 6:
The line graph illustrates the number of male and female workers in various sectors in
Freedonia in 1975 and 1995.It is evident that manufacturing, trade and non defence
public sector employed most number of people.
From the graph it is clear that in 1975, male workers were involved in much greater
numbers than females specially in manufacturing where about 700 men were involved
which was more than twice the number of females. Similarly men were employed
over five times the number of females in banking. In all the other sectors men were
considerably ahead in terms of employment in 1975.
Then in 1995 female employment rocketed in communications, becoming almost
double of that for males (300). It surpassed the male employment in retail trade as
well (800 women per thousand employees). Except in manufacturing where the
situation remained the same as 1975, women employment increased significantly in
all the other sectors.
Thus it is clear that male employment was much higher in 1975 compared to women
but women employment have rocketed through the 20 years and has surpassed the
male employment in some sectors.
(Approximately 184 words | by Siddhartha Dey)
Model Answer 7:
In the year 1975, men have outnumbered female workers in each and every sector in
most of the cases the gap between them was very wide except in case of
communication. To start with, in manufacturing there were around 700 men to a total
of 300 women and for finance/banking these number were 450 and 150 respectively.

Maximum number per thousand employees was in public sector (900) with least
number in defense (only 200). Same was true for women as well with.
In the year 1995, statistics changed drastically and women exceeded in number to
men in the field of communication and wholesale & retail trade. They were the
maximum in wholesale sector and continue to be least in defense sector. Overall there
is no major change for male workers in any sector except in defense where a minute
decline in numbers can be seen. There still is huge gap in male and female workers in
manufacturing sector but in case of finance the gap is now narrowed down to almost
nil.
(Approximately 172 words | by Bhupender )
Model Answer 8:
The graph gives us a brief idea about the various changes that has taken place in 6
different employment sectors in Freedonia based on the population of different sex
from 1975 to 1995. Though there isn't a major increase in the overall number of
employees, some of the individual sectors showed notable increase in its work
population.
The defence sector had the least number of men and women and even though there
was a slight variation in the number of women the number of men in this sector
remained the same in both the years. Manufacturing at 600 above men, 250 women
and public sector apart from defence at 800 above men and 600 above women has no
significant changes in both the years whatsoever. Most changes had been in the
communication, finance and wholesale sectors with a large increase in the number of
people from 1975 to 1995 speaks out in volume of the interest of the general public
towards these sectors. Communication and wholesale sector had seen a huge hike in
the number of women even overtaking men in the process.
On these grounds, I conclude by saying the prominence of women in employment
sectors in Freedonia is evident when we compare the graph of 1995 and 1975.
(Approximately 172 words | by Abhijith )
Model Answer 9:
As can be seen from the graph, among all the sectors, non-defense public sector was
the most popular working field for both the genders in 1975, in which, the number of
males and females was around 900,000 and 700,000 respectively. Interestingly, the
figures for both the genders in this sector remained the same even in1995, followed
by whole sale and retail sector, where the rate of women employees was 570,000
in1975 which rose to 800,000 after 2 decades whereas the figures for their
counterparts worked in the same sector stayed at a constant figure of 800,000
throughout the period.
Likewise, in the field of manufacturing, the number of males and females had no
change after 20 years from 700,000 and 300,000 respectively. Noticeably, the number
of men occupied in the field of communication and banking /finance remained steady
during the time period at 300,000 and just over 400,000 correspondingly; whilst the
figures for female employees in communication sector underwent a threefold increase

from about 300,000 by 1995.

Similarly, in banking sector, women had a fourfold rise to almost 450,000. It can be
seen that, only 25,000 women worked in defense public sector in1975, while the
figures for men was more than 225,000. However, the rate of the former rose by 4
times and reached 100,000 after 20 years whereas the figures for the latter had a fall
to 200,000.
To conclude, the occupational data for men had no considerable change whereas
massive changes took place in the case of women workers over a 20 year period.
(Approximately 256 words | by Sriya Bimal )
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.83 (6 Votes)
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Comments
0 # Anzal 2016-03-28 07:21

Hello, I've heard the word limit for Writing task 1 shouldn't cross above 150.
But here and I've seen writings above the limit of 200. Please guide me with the
actual word limit. Secondly, I've written for the first time Can you please check
and report me with the errors and the appropriate score? Regards. Thank you!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
0 # Fred 2016-03-28 14:14

It should not be less than 150 words. You are free to write more than 150
words. However, our recommendation is that, your writing should not cross
180 words in most of the cases.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
+1 # Arzu 2016-03-21 10:44

Hello it's my first time. I have written writing task 1. Can you check and say
my score?
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
0 # IELTS Mentor 2016-03-24 07:31

Send your writing to info ielts-mentor.com

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
+2 # Ilias 2016-01-28 05:41

The participation of women in whole sale and retail trade has significantly
improved in 1991 than 1975 in comparison to male. In fact women made best
in this sector than men did.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
0 # Ulzii 2015-09-29 21:34

Yeah, you're right. There shouldn't be a conclusion. Have to write an overview.

Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
0 # Sony 2015-08-20 07:26

Dear all, I am trying to improve my writing test band and targeting to get a 8.
Please help advise me on what to prepare and practice.

I am looking for a variety of writing samples. Please kindly share via my email above.
Best,
Sony

Reading Lesson 1 - Matching Paragraph

Headings
Objective: to practice matching paragraph headings to paragraphs.
A common type of IELTS Reading question will ask you to select
headings of paragraphs and match them to the paragraphs from a text.
On this page there is a full reading text and some practice questions. At the
end of the page, there is a discussion of the answers and how you should
have identified the correct match.

Strategies to answer the questions

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

Quickly read through the paragraph headings so you can see what
they say.
Then look at the first paragraph.
Often only the topic sentence needs to be read carefully because the
main idea and answer are there - you may be able to just skim the rest.
Sometimes, however, the answer is not in the topic sentence and the
whole paragraph needs to be read more carefully.
If a match is not immediately obvious, move on to the next one.
If you are unsure between two answers at first, put them both in. You
may be able to eliminate one answer later if it fits another paragraph
better.
If at the end you are still stuck between two answers for a question,
pick which fits best.

Things to beware of
1.

There are always more choices of paragraph headings on the list than
paragraphs, so be careful when matching them.
2.
Watch out for synonyms - often words in the paragraphs and paragraph
headings will not be the same; they will be synonyms.
3.
Having a noun from a heading that is in the paragraph does not
guarantee they match - you still need to read it carefully to check.

One Paragraph Practice Exercise

Before you do a full reading, we'll have a practice with one paragraph.
This is the first paragraph from the full reading you will do. There are only five
choices of paragraph headings for this first one (less than on the full reading).
Follow the procedure shown above, and click on what you think is the correct
answer. The topic sentence is in red to remind you to focus on that.

Yoruba Towns
A. The Yoruba people of Nigeria classify
their towns in two ways. Permanent towns
with their own governments are called ilu,
whereas temporary settlements, set up to
support work in the country are aba. Although
ilu tend to be larger than aba, the distinction is
not one of size, some aba are large, while
declining ilu can be small, but of purpose. There
is no typical Yoruba town, but some features
are common to most towns.
1.

Match the correct heading to the paragraph.

Town facilities
Colonisation
Urban divisions
Architectural home styles
Types of settlements

Now you know some strategies and have practiced with one paragraph, you
can now practice matching paragraph headings with a full text.

Matching Paragraph Headings - Practice

Read and focus on the topic sentences in the text below and then match the
paragraph headings to their paragraphs. One has been done for you.

The reading passage has seven paragraphs: A G.

Choose the most suitable paragraph headings B G from the list of headings
on the right.
Write the appropriate numbers (i ix) in the text boxes below the headings.
NB There are more paragraph headings than paragraphs so you will not use
them all.

Yoruba Towns
A. The Yoruba people of Nigeria classify their towns in
two ways. Permanent towns with their own
governments are called ilu, whereas temporary
settlements, set up to support work in the country are
aba. Although ilu tend to be larger than aba, the
distinction is not one of size, some aba are large,
while declining ilu can be small, but of purpose. There
is no typical Yoruba town, but some features are
common to most towns.
B. In the 19th century most towns were heavily
fortified and the foundations of these walls are
sometimes visible. Collecting tolls to enter and exit
through the walls was a major source of revenue for
the old town rulers, as were market fees. The markets
were generally located centrally and in small towns,
while in large towns there were permanent stands
made of corrugated iron or concrete. The market was
usually next to the local rulers palace.
C. The palaces were often very large. In the 1930s,
the area of Oyos palace covered 17 acres, and
consisted of a series of courtyards surrounded by
private and public rooms. After colonisation, many of
the palaces were completely or partially demolished.
Often the rulers built two storey houses for
themselves using some of the palace grounds for
government buildings.
D. The town is divided into different sections. In some
towns these are regular, extending out from the
center of the town like spokes on a wheel, while in
others, where space is limited, they are more random.
The different areas are further divided into

compounds called ile. These vary in size

considerably from single dwellings to up to thirty
houses. They tend to be larger in the North. Large
areas are devoted to government administrative
buildings. Newer developments such as industrial or
commercial areas or apartment housing for civil
servants tends to be build on the edge of the town.
E. Houses are rectangular and either have a courtyard
in the center or the rooms come off a central corridor.
Most social life occurs in the courtyard. They are
usually built of hardened mud and have roofs of
corrugated iron or, in the countryside, thatch.
Buildings of this material are easy to alter, either by
knocking down rooms or adding new ones. And can be
improved by coating the walls with cement. Richer
people often build their houses of concrete blocks
and, if they can afford to, build two storey houses.
Within compounds there can be quite a mixture of
building types. Younger well-educated people may
have well furnished houses while their older relatives
live in mud walled buildings and sleep on mats on the
floor.
F. The builder or the most senior man gets a room
either near the entrance or, in a two storied house,
next to the balcony. He usually has more than one
room. Junior men get a room each and there are
separate rooms for teenage boys and girls to sleep in.
Younger children sleep with their mothers. Any empty
room are used as storage, let out or, if they face the
street, used as shops.
G. Amenities vary. In some towns most of the
population uses communal water taps and only the
rich have piped water, in others piped water is more
normal. Some areas have toilets, but bucket toilets
are common with waste being collected by a night
soil man. Access to water and electricity are key
political issues.
569 words

Paragraph Headings Answer Discussion

Paragraph B
(vi) - Historical foundations
B. In the 19th century most towns were heavily fortified and the foundations of
these walls are sometimes visible. Collecting tolls to enter and exit through
the walls was a major source of revenue for the old town rulers, as were
market fees. The markets were generally located centrally and in small towns,
while in large towns there were permanent stands made of corrugated iron or
concrete. The market was usually next to the local rulers palace.
In this first question, the word 'foundation' is in the topic sentence. This does
not automatically make 'vi' the correct answer. However, it is a good reason to
flag this up as a possibility. The heading also refers to 'history', so the
reference to '19th century' in the topic sentence tells us the paragraph is
about the history. A quick skim of the paragraph confirms this.
Paragraph C
(ix) - The residences of the rulers
C. The palaces were often very large. In the 1930s, the area of Oyos palace
covered 17 acres, and consisted of a series of courtyards surrounded by
private and public rooms. After colonization, many of the palaces were
completely or partially demolished. Often the rulers built two storey houses for
themselves using some of the palace grounds for government buildings.
The topic setence mentions the palaces, which is where the rulers of Yaruba
would likely live, and the heading mentioned the homes (residences) of the
rulers, so it is likely to be ix. Reading the rest of the paragraph confirms that
the whole paragraph talks generally about the palaces in Yoruna. Don't be
tricked by the 'colonisation' heading. This only refers to one sentence in the
paragraph, not the whole paragraph. It is therefore a supporting point rather
than the main idea.
Paragraph D
(iii) - Urban divisions

D. The town is divided into different sections. In some towns these are
regular, extending out from the center of the town like spokes on a wheel,
while in others, where space is limited, they are more random. The different
areas are further divided into compounds called ile. These vary in size
considerably from single dwellings to up to thirty houses. They tend to be
larger in the North. Large areas are devoted to government administrative
buildings. Newer developments such as industrial or commercial areas or
apartment housing for civil servants tends to be build on the edge of the town.
The answer is first seen in the topic sentence. The word 'divided' should have
flagged this up to you as a possibility. Notice the use of the synonym 'urban'
to replace 'town'. It is common to see synonyms in paragraph headings
questions and other IELTS reading questions.
Paragraph E
(iv) - Architectural home styles
E. Houses are rectangular and either have a courtyard in the center or the
rooms come off a central corridor. Most social life occurs in the courtyard.
They are usually built of hardened mud and have roofs of corrugated iron or,
in the countryside, thatch. Buildings of this material are easy to alter, either by
knocking down rooms or adding new ones. And can be improved by coating
the walls with cement. Richer people often build their houses of concrete
blocks and, if they can afford to, build two storey houses. Within compounds
there can be quite a mixture of building types. Younger well-educated people
may have well furnished houses while their older relatives live in mud walled
buildings and sleep on mats on the floor.
The topic sentence starts to give you a clue that 'iv' is the correct choice of
the paragraph headings as it discusses houses and their styles. This is then
discussed further in the supporting sentences that follow.
Paragraph F
(vii) - Domestic arrangements
F. The builder or the most senior man gets a room either near the entrance or,
in a two storied house, next to the balcony. He usually has more than one
room. Junior men get a room each and there are separate rooms for teenage
boys and girls to sleep in. Younger children sleep with their mothers. Any
empty room are used as storage, let out or, if they face the street, used as
shops.

In this context, 'domestic' means of or relating to the home, so the heading is

referring to the arrangements within the home. Again, just by reading the topic
sentence you can see that this paragraph is discussing home arrangements
and skimming through the rest of the paragraph confirms this.
Paragraph G
(i) - Town facilities
G. Amenities vary. In some towns most of the population uses communal
water taps and only the rich have piped water, in others piped water is more
normal. Some areas have toilets, but bucket toilets are common with waste
being collected by a night soil man. Access to water and electricity are key
political issues.
'Facilities' is a synonym of 'amenities' so this is the first clue that this could fit
this paragraph, but you need to read on to confirm that the paragraph is
discussing the facilities of the town, which it is.

Return from Paragraph Headings Practice to IELTS Lessons

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Post your comment here.

Lesson 2: IELTS Multiple Choice Practice

Objectives:

To practice IELTS multiple choice questions

To practice scanning techniques

To look at the use of synonyms in IELTS reading questions

Strategies to answer the questions

1.
2.
3.
4.

Look through the questions first

Underline key words from the question
Then scan the text for those key words that you have underlined
The answer should be found close to that word

5.

The answers will be found in the text in the same order as the
questions

Things to beware of
1.

There will be synonyms used in the reading - the words in the IELTS
multiple choice questions may not be the same as in the text

One Paragraph Practice Exercise

Before looking at a longer reading, we'll have a practice with two paragraphs.
It is the first part of the full reading you will do.
Identify the key word in the question first of all. Then scan the text to find it.
When you have done this, read the sentences around this key word and see
what information best matches the three choices you have.
1.

What is dry farming?

Preserving nitrates and moisture.
Ploughing the land again and again.
Cultivating fallow land.

Australian Agricultural Innovations:

1850 1900
During this period, there was a wide spread expansion
of agriculture in Australia. The selection system was
begun, whereby small sections of land were parceled
out by lot. Particularly in New South Wales, this led to
conflicts between small holders and the emerging
squatter class, whose abuse of the system often
allowed them to take vast tracts of fertile land.
There were also many positive advances in farming
technology as the farmers adapted agricultural
methods to the harsh Australian conditions. One of
the most important was dry farming. This was the
discovery that repeated ploughing of fallow,
unproductive land could preserve nitrates and
moisture, allowing the land to eventually be
cultivated. This, along with the extension of the
railways allowed the development of what are now

great inland wheat lands.

To answer this question you should have highlighted the word dry farming.
You should then have been able to scan the two paragraphs to quickly find
this word.
Reading the information around it more carefully would the give you the
answer:
Cultivating means to improve and prepare (land) by ploughing or fertilizing,
for raising crops.
So the answer was "the ploughing of fallow land...to eventually be
cultivated."
_________________________________________________________
__

Full Practice - IELTS Multiple Choice

1. What is dry farming?
Preserving nitrates and moisture.
Ploughing the land again and again.
Cultivating fallow land.
2. What did H. V. McKay do?
Export the stripper.
Improve the stripper.
Cut, collect and sort wheat.
3. What was the stump jump ploughs innovation?
It could cut through tree stumps.
To put the plough shear on wheels.
It allowed farmers to cultivate land that hadnt been fully cleared.
4. What did John Custance recommend?

Improving wheat yields.

Revitalising the industry.
Fertilizing the soil.
5. Why was William Farrers wheat better?
It was drought resistant.
It wasnt from England or South Africa.
It was drier for Australian conditions.

Australian Agricultural Innovations:

1850 1900
During this period, there was a wide spread
expansion of agriculture in Australia. The
selection system was begun, whereby small
sections of land were parceled out by lot.
Particularly in New South Wales, this led to
conflicts between small holders and the
emerging squatter class, whose abuse of the
system often allowed them to take vast tracts of
fertile land.
There were also many positive advances in
farming technology as the farmers adapted
agricultural methods to the harsh Australian
conditions. One of the most important was dry
farming. This was the discovery that repeated
ploughing of fallow, unproductive land could
preserve nitrates and moisture, allowing the land
to eventually be cultivated. This, along with the
extension of the railways allowed the
development of what are now great inland wheat
lands.
The inland areas of Australia are less fertile than
most other wheat producing countries and yields
per acre are lower. This slowed their
development, but also led to the development of
several labour saving devices. In 1843 John
Ridley, a South Australian farmer, invented the
stripper, a basic harvesting machine. By the
1860s its use was widespread. H. V. McKay, then

only nineteen, modified the machine so that it

was a complete harvester: cutting, collecting
and sorting. McKay developed this early
innovation into a large harvester manufacturing
industry centred near Melbourne and exporting
worldwide. Robert Bowyer Smith invented the
stump jump plough, which let a farmer plough
land which still had tree stumps on it. It did this
by replacing the traditional plough shear with a
set of wheels that could go over stumps, if
necessary.
The developments in farm machinery were
supported by scientific research. During the late
19th century, South Australian wheat yields
were going down. An agricultural scientist at the
colonys agricultural college, John Custance,
found that this was due to a lack of phosphates
and advised the use of soluble superphosphate
fertilizer. The implementation of this scheme
revitalised the industry.
From early days it had been obvious that English
and European sheep breeds had to be adapted
to Australian conditions, but only near the end of
the century was the same applied to crops. Prior
to this, English and South African strains had
been use, with varying degrees of success.
William Farrer, from Cambridge University, was
the first to develop new wheat varieties that
were better able to withstand dry Australian
conditions. By 1914, Australia was no longer
thought of as a land suitable only for sheep, but
as a wheat growing nation.
422wds

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