IELTS Writing Task 1: 'in' and 'by' with dates

Look at the following description:

In 2002, the cost of an average house in the UK was around £130,000. By 2007, the average house price had risen to almost £190,000, but it fell back to just under £150,000 in 2008.

Notice the verbs used with "in" and "by":

• I used "in" with the past simple (was, fell).
• I used "by" with the past perfect (had risen) to give the idea that the increase had happened in the years leading up to 2007.
• To avoid worrying about "by + past perfect" you could write: "Between 2002 and 2007, the average house price rose to..."

Comments

[claire]

Hi Simon
I'm just wondering if i use "by", do i have to use past perfect, and cannot use past simple tense?

[claire]

Also, how to use "see" in various contents, can you give us a summary about when we can use see? thanks in advance.

[Simon]

Hi Claire,

"by" is usually best with past perfect.

"By 2007, the average house price ROSE to almost £190,000" is not strictly correct, but it's not a huge problem.

You CAN write "By 2007, the average house price WAS almost £190,000". So using 'was' is another way to avoid the past perfect.

I'll write something about "see" this weekend.

[jawairia]

Hi Simon,
I read a question in cambridge 1 writing task 2

(There are many different types of music in the world today.Why do we need music?Is the traditional music of a country more important than the international music that is heard everywhere mow a days.
Use your own ideas knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence)

Please give some ideas about this question and topic.

Thanks
Regards.

[Simon]

Hi Jawairia,

After the introduction, I'd write one main paragraph about why we need music. This site has some ideas:

http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-listening-to-music-19402577

Then write another main paragraph about which type of music you think is more important. Here are some arguments for traditional music:

http://www.ehow.com/info_8157535_advantages-disadvantages-traditional-music.html

[jawairia]

thanks a lot Simon.