Academic Writing Task 1 · Lesson 5 of 7
Many students find map questions difficult and don't prepare for them. With the right method, structure and vocabulary, they can be one of the easiest Task 1 types to score well on.
Step 1
There are two main kinds of map question. Before you write anything, check which kind you have. This tells you which tenses to use.
Two or more maps
The maps show how a town, building or area has developed. You describe what has changed and what has stayed the same. The time periods can be:
One map · less common
One map shows a place as it is now. Often it shows two possible sites (for example S1 and S2) for something new, such as a supermarket or a school. You compare the sites: their location, surroundings, access and nearby facilities.
Choose the sentence that best fits each type of map question.
Step 2
Follow the same four steps for every map question. Each step matches one part of your answer.
| Step | What to do | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Analyse the task | What type of map is it? Does it show the past, present or future? This decides your tenses. Draw a small compass on the question paper. | 1–2 minutes |
| 2. Introduction | Paraphrase the question in your own words. Don't copy it. | 1 sentence |
| 3. Overview | Summarise the biggest changes or differences. No small details. | 1–2 sentences |
| 4. Body paragraphs 1 and 2 | Describe specific changes, grouped by time (first map, then second map) or by location (e.g. north, then south). In the second paragraph, always compare with the first map. | 3–4 sentences each |
Step 3
Task: The maps below show the village of Westbury in 2000 and today. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. (About 20 minutes.)
Study both maps carefully. What has changed? What has stayed the same? We will use these maps in most of the exercises that follow.
Step 4
Your introduction is one sentence that says what the maps show, in your own words. There are two ways to paraphrase the question, and the best introductions use both:
| Technique | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Use synonyms or different word forms | show → illustrate / depict / compare · today → the present day · changes → developments / transformations |
| 2. Change the sentence structure | The maps show the village in 2000 and today. → The maps illustrate how the village has changed since 2000. |
Useful introduction patterns:
The maps illustrate how [place] changed between [year] and [year].
The maps illustrate the changes that [place] has undergone since [year].
The maps compare [place] in [year] with its present layout.
The maps depict the development of [place] over a [number]-year period, from [year] to [year].
The task says: “The maps below show the village of Westbury in 2000 and today.” Choose the best synonym for each word, then choose the best introduction.
Paraphrase each task in one sentence. Use a synonym and change the structure.
Step 5
The overview is the most important part of your answer. Without a clear overview, it is very difficult to score above Band 5 for Task Achievement, however good your body paragraphs are. In one or two sentences, summarise the most important changes. Leave the details for the body paragraphs.
To find your overview, ask yourself:
Which overview is best for the Westbury maps? Then answer the questions about the other two.
| Purpose | Useful language |
|---|---|
| Signal the overview | Overall, … · In general, … · It is clear that … · As can be seen from the maps, … · Looking at the maps, … |
| Describe big changes | [place] + saw / witnessed / experienced / underwent + major changes / striking transformations / significant modernisation / remarkable developments |
| General change verbs | changed considerably · was totally transformed · was completely modernised · was totally redeveloped · was rebuilt |
| Highlight the biggest change | Most noticeably / Most strikingly / The most significant change is that … |
| Add a second key feature | Another notable feature is … · In addition, … |
Type one word in each gap to complete this overview of the Westbury maps.
, it is that Westbury has dramatic changes since 2000. Most , much of the countryside has been replaced by buildings. Another feature is the improvement in transport links.
Overall, it is clear that Westbury has undergone dramatic changes since 2000. Most noticeably, much of the countryside has been replaced by buildings. Another notable feature is the improvement in transport links.
Step 6
Use compass directions (north, south-east, north-west…) rather than left and right. They are more precise and sound more academic. Only use to the left/right of when a plan has no compass, such as some building floor plans. Combine directions with prepositions of place:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| in the + direction of | The school is in the west of the village. |
| in the + direction + corner | The housing estate is in the north-western corner. |
| on the + direction + side of | The park is on the eastern side of the river. |
| to the + direction of | The park is to the east of the river. |
| north / south … of | The houses are south of the main road. |
| next to / beside / adjacent to | The car park is adjacent to the shopping centre. |
| opposite / across from | The apartments are opposite the park, across the river. |
| on the … bank of | The forest was on the east bank of the river. |
| along / across | A bridge was built across the river. |
| parallel to / at right angles to | The river runs at right angles to the main road. |
| in the centre / far from | The shopping centre is far from the school. |
Look at the Westbury maps and choose the correct direction or preposition.
Step 7
The more precise your vocabulary, the higher your Lexical Resource score. Learn these verbs in groups by meaning:
| Meaning | Verbs | Nouns |
|---|---|---|
| Build | build, construct, erect, develop, add, set up, open | construction, development |
| Remove | demolish, knock down, pull down, flatten, remove, clear, cut down, chop down | demolition, removal |
| Disappear (active) | disappear, vanish | disappearance |
| Improve | renovate, modernise, reconstruct, redevelop | renovation, modernisation |
| Make bigger | extend, expand, enlarge, widen | extension, expansion, enlargement |
| Make smaller (active) | shrink, dwindle, narrow | reduction |
| Move | relocate, move | relocation |
| Change use | convert (into), transform (into), replace (with / by), modify, alter | conversion, transformation, replacement |
| No change | remain unchanged, experience no changes, stay the same, still exist, is still there |
Useful nouns for places and infrastructure:
Grammar: for a past and present map, use the passive in the past simple (the forest was cleared) or the present perfect (a bridge has been built). Some verbs are active because nobody does the action: the farmland disappeared, the woodland shrank, the houses remained unchanged.
Choose the meaning group for each word or phrase.
Different features need different verbs. Choose the verb that is not normally used with each feature.
Complete each sentence about Westbury with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use the passive (was built / has been built) unless the verb describes something that happens by itself.
Sentences 7 and 8 are active: nobody “disappears” the countryside, and remain is never passive. For sentence 8, type the verb only (e.g. remained or have remained), since unchanged is already there.
Step 8
Write two body paragraphs of three or four sentences each. Group them by time (paragraph 1: the first map, paragraph 2: the second map, compared with the first) or by location (e.g. paragraph 1: the north, paragraph 2: the south). For every change you describe, answer three questions:
Compare the two Westbury maps. Has each feature changed or stayed the same?
Mentioning what hasn't changed is useful too, for example: “The only feature that remains unchanged is the row of houses in the south.”
Break each sentence into its three parts. Then write your own sentence that includes all three.
1. In the north-east, the forest on the far side of the river was cut down to make way for a shopping centre.
2. The factory, which stood beside the river south of the main road, has been converted into apartments.
The school in the west of the village, just south of the main road, has been considerably expanded.
Step 9
In a single-map question there is no change over time. You compare places on the same map, usually two possible sites for a new building. Use the present simple, and compare the sites' location, surroundings, access (roads, transport) and nearby facilities.
Task: The map below shows the town of Hillford and two possible sites (S1 and S2) for a new supermarket. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Choose S1 or S2 to complete each sentence. Then choose the best overview.
B summarises the main difference objectively. A gives an opinion, and Task 1 asks you to report and compare, not to decide. C gives details (and invents numbers that aren't on the map).
Step 10
You're ready to answer the Westbury task. Follow the four steps, and use compass directions, a range of change verbs, and the passive.
Write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. Then compare your answer with the model.
The maps illustrate how the village of Westbury changed between 2000 and the present day.
Overall, it is clear that Westbury has been transformed from a quiet rural village into a much more developed and residential area. Most noticeably, most of the countryside has disappeared, and transport links have improved considerably.
In 2000, the north-west of the village was farmland, but this has since been replaced by a large housing estate. Similarly, the forest in the north-east, on the east bank of the river, was cut down to make way for a shopping centre with an adjacent car park. Further south, the farmland to the east of the river has been converted into a park with a sports field.
There have also been significant changes to infrastructure and existing buildings. The main road, which used to end at the river, has been extended eastwards, and a bridge has been built to connect the two sides of the village. The factory beside the river has been converted into apartments, and the school in the west has been expanded. The only feature that remains unchanged is the row of houses in the south.
Checklist: introduction paraphrased? Overview with the biggest changes? What, where and how for each change? Compass directions? A range of change verbs and the passive? Logical grouping of the body paragraphs? At least 150 words?
Bonus: the same vocabulary is useful in the Speaking test when you talk about how your hometown has changed. “The old market has been demolished, and a shopping mall has been built in its place.”
After this lesson
Lesson approach adapted from IELTS Advantage (ieltsadvantage.com) and IDP IELTS guidance on map questions. Maps and model answers are original to Tips4IELTS.