The Grand Banks

This is a classic IELTS passage (history + environment + economics). I’ll give you high-yield vocabulary + collocations + memory tricks, so you can reuse them in Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

🌊 1. Core Geography & Ocean Vocabulary

6

Key terms:

• continental shelf

• submerged highlands

• shallow waters

• ocean currents

• nutrient-rich waters

👉 💡 Must-know collocations:

• nutrients rise to the surface

• support marine life

• create rich fishing grounds

🐟 2. Fishing & Marine Economy Vocabulary (VERY IMPORTANT)

• fishing grounds

• fish stocks

• commercial fishing

• overfishing

• factory trawlers

• catch (n/v)

👉 💡 Collocations:

• deplete fish stocks

• increase fishing pressure

• catch large quantities of fish

• exploit marine resources

⚠ 3. Environmental Problems (HIGH PRIORITY)

• overfishing

• decline in fish populations

• ecosystem damage

• ecological disaster

• resource depletion

👉 💡 Strong phrases:

• drive species to collapse

• cause long-term damage

• threaten marine ecosystems

🏛 4. Policy & Law Vocabulary (IELTS FAVORITE)

• exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

• international waters

• foreign fleets

• moratorium (ban)

• regulation / restriction

👉 💡 Collocations:

• impose a fishing ban

• enforce regulations

• declare an EEZ

• restrict commercial activity

📉 5. Trends & Data Language (VERY USEFUL)

• decline sharply

• dwindling catches

• recover slowly

• fragile recovery

• unprecedented quantities

👉 💡 Example:

• “Fish stocks declined dramatically due to overfishing.”

🛢 6. Energy & Industry Vocabulary

5

• petroleum reserves

• oil field

• offshore drilling

• production platform

• crude oil

👉 💡 Collocations:

• extract natural resources

• develop oil fields

• increase production rates

⚖ 7. Cause–Effect Language (CRUCIAL)

• lead to

• result in

• due to

• as a result of

• take its toll

👉 💡 Example:

• “Overfishing has taken its toll on marine life.”

🧠 8. High-Level Verbs (Band 7+)

• flourish (grow well)

• deplete (reduce resources)

• exploit (use resources, often negatively)

• recover (return to normal)

• devastate (destroy badly)

👉 💡 Example:

• “Marine life flourished in nutrient-rich waters.”

🎯 9. TOP 12 Collocations (MEMORIZE THESE)

These are your score boosters:

• rich fishing grounds

• fish stocks decline

• overfishing takes its toll

• impose a moratorium

• enforce strict regulations

• exploit natural resources

• recover gradually

• fragile ecosystem

• pose a serious threat

• devastate marine life

• unprecedented levels of fishing

• sustain fish populations

🧠 11. Memory Strategy (THIS is what you need)

❌ Don’t memorize:

• “overfishing”

• “decline”

✅ Memorize chunks:

• overfishing leads to stock decline

• impose a fishing ban

• recover from environmental damage

🎁 How this helps YOU

📖 Reading

• Matching headings

• TRUE/FALSE (especially cause-effect traps)

• Summary completion

✍ Writing Task 2 topics:

• environment

• natural resources

• overfishing / energy

🗣 Speaking:

• environment

• natural disasters

• human impact on nature