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GENERAL ENGLISH · IELTS COURSE · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

DODO
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1 Warm up
You are going to watch a short video about the dodo. Look at the picture at the top of the page and
then read the sentences and try to predict the correct option. Use the glossary to help you with the
words in italics.

1. Dodos were large birds which became extinct in modern times / thousands of years ago / because
of climate change.

2. There were originally no predators on the island where they lived, so adult dodos had no fear of
anything / could not fly / had too many babies.

3. Later, rats / cats / dogs ate their eggs.

4. Most pictures of dodos are inaccurate, and we only have one skeleton / a couple of body parts /
written descriptions to study today.

Watch the video to check your ideas.

Glossary:
extinct - not existing anymore because they have all died
predators - animals which hunt, kill and eat other animals
inaccurate - wrong in some way, incorrect or inexact

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Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. What do you think the expression in italics means? "No one uses Facebook anymore - it’s as dead
as a dodo!"

2. How do you feel about what happened to the dodo?

3. Do you think it’s possible to bring extinct species like the dodo back to life?

4. Do you think it’s a good idea to do this? Why/not?

2 Vocabulary

Read the sentences and choose the correct preposition from the box to complete each one - one item
is extra. Then explain the meanings of the underlined phrases.

about / in / of / out / to / with

1. All of the dinosaurs died millions of years ago.

2. One of my dreams is to visit Africa to see lions the wild.

3. People should stay at home if they’ve had contact someone who has Covid.

4. The destruction the Amazon rainforest is having an effect on our climate.

5. Your hard work will certainly lead great success.

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Complete the word table and underline the stressed syllables.

verb noun adjective

1
endanger - put something at -
risk
2
- extinct - not existing anymore
because they have all died

3
fail - to be unsuccessful

4
- inaccurate - wrong in some
way, incorrect or inexact

5
- predator - an animal which
hunts, kills and eats other
animals
6
release - let something go free -

7
support - agree with -
someone’s idea or plan

3 Writing - model answer

Read the instructions in the box for an agree/disagree essay, which is one of the three types of writing
task 2 on the IELTS exam.

Bringing extinct species back to life is an important conservation science priority.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words.

In this type of essay, you can agree with the statement in the task, disagree with it or give some
views which support both sides of the argument. How would you answer the question and what
points would you make?

Read the model answer to see what position the writer is taking.

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Model answer

Many people have wondered what it would be like to see a real dodo or dinosaur walking
around in the wild or in a zoo. It is possible that scientists will soon have the technology to
help extinct species live again, but this is almost certainly not the most important use of our
time and money for several reasons.
First, it’s important to remember that there is more than one reason why a species might
have died out. Although some species such as the dodo became extinct as a result of careless
human activity, others died out because they weren’t able to survive in their environment,
perhaps due to climate change. Bringing recently extinct species back to life may have the
same result, so this effort would clearly be a waste of time and money.
Second, if we bring some extinct species back to life, we may not be able to control exactly
what happens. For instance, releasing predators back into the wild will result in the deaths
of other endangered animals and the destruction of their ecosystems. Finally, there is an
additional risk that contact with these creatures may lead to another terrible pandemic among
humans.
In conclusion, bringing extinct species back to life is not an important scientific priority
since it has a high chance of failure and may actually put other plants, animals and humans
in danger. For these reasons, we should not support these types of projects, but spend our
time and money on conserving the environment as it is now.

1. Did the writer make any of the same points that you did?

2. How many paragraphs does the writer use?

3. What is the topic of each paragraph?

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4 Language point - grammar

In academic writing, it’s very important to connect points in a clear and logical way so the reader can
understand your ideas. We use linking words to show the relationships between ideas within one
sentence or between two sentences. Look back at the model answer and use the words in bold to
complete the table, as in the example.

express this relationship connects ideas within one connects ideas between two
sentence sentences
1
cause and effect because, , -
2
,
3

4
contrast , -
5
,
6
,
7

8
example - ,
9

10
items in a list - ,
11
,
12
,
13
,
14

Add these items to the correct place in the table.

as / despite / even though / for example / next / then

Compare these two sentences.

• Although it rained, we enjoyed the picnic.

• Despite the rain, we enjoyed the picnic.

1. Which linking word is followed by a noun?

2. Which one is followed by a clause (subject + verb)?

Tip: In spite of is used in the same way as despite.

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5 Practice

Read the paragraph and then choose linking words from the table to complete the sentences. Sometimes
more than one answer is possible.

Of course, there are also a few reasons why bringing back an extinct species would be a
1
good idea. , we could re-introduce a species to its original environment after
2
removing the cause of its extinction. , dodos could return to Mauritius if the
3
rats were removed from the island, this might be difficult. This would be an
4
especially good idea for keystone species they have an important part to play
5
in maintaining ecosystems. , some extinct species are very famous, like the
6
dodo, their reintroduction would help raise interest in conservation around
7
the world. , bringing some species back to life would help us understand
more about extinction in general and might help us prevent future loss of animal and plant
8
life. these arguments, it’s very unlikely that scientists will be able to achieve
this goal.

Can you think of any more points in favour of bringing extinct animals back to life?

6 Plan your writing

Read the task and prepare to answer the question by completing the activities.

There are currently many endangered species at risk of extinction and it’s equally important to
save all of them.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words.

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Complete the table with some notes about ideas that you might want to include in your writing. At
this point, it’s a good idea to think about both sides of the argument and then decide which position
you want to take: all endangered species are equally important to save, or only some species are
worth saving. You can also include reasons why you agree and why you disagree with the statement.

What position are you going to take: agree, disagree or a bit of both?

Write your essay. It is helpful to double space for your teacher to make corrections as they read.

7 Optional extension

Conservation and the environment may be the topics of discussion questions in Part 3 of the IELTS
speaking exam. Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups. Include reasons and examples in
your answers.

1. What can we learn from exploring the wild areas of the earth?
2. Who do you think is most responsible for protecting the environment - individuals or the government?
3. What are some of the environmental problems your country faces and how are people working
to conserve the environment?
4. How do you think zoos could be improved?
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in conservation areas where endangered
species live?

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8 Appendix

Marking framework

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