Describing Maps

IELTS Writing Task 1

Today we will:

• Look at different kinds of map questions• Structure • Learn how to describe changes • Learn how to describe locations • Analyse a model answer • Practice

Question Types

In IELTS part 1 you may be asked to describe a map.

You could be asked to describe: 1. A map in present day2. A map in the future 3. Two maps- one in the past and one in the

present (this is the most common question)

Structure (For comparing two maps)

Paragraph 1• Sentence 1- Paraphrase QuestionParagraph 2• Describe general changes (Overview) Paragraph 3• Describe specific changes in one part of the mapParagraph 4• Describe specific changes in other part

Describing Specific Changes

Tell a partner how your hometown has changed in your lifetime.

Look at the following sentences about change in my hometown and insert the missing verbs

• The council ________ a leisure centre and skate park.

• They ______ a big industrial estate to the north.

• They ______ lots of trees to make way for a new motorway.

• The forest was ______ to ______ for a new stadium.

• A marina was _______ at the mouth of the river.

• All of the old houses were _______ and _____ with a skyscraper.

• An old factory was ______ _____ a hotel. • The whole of the city centre was _______. • The old industrial area was completely _______

and now has lots of restaurants and coffee shops.

Use the verbs in the previous exercise to describe changes to your town.

You will also have to make general statements

You normally use adverb + verb collocation to do this. 1. The town centre was developed dramatically. 2. The neighbourhood was completely transformed. 3. The residential area was totally reconstructed. 4. The old factories were totally redeveloped.5. The old houses were completely rebuilt. 6. The city centre was totally modernized.

Make two general statements about your hometown and two general statements about District 1.

Sample

SampleThe map shows the growth of a village called Chorleywood between 1868 and 1994.

It is clear that the village grew as the transport infrastructure was improved. Four periods of development are shown on the map, and each of the populated areas is near to the main roads, the railway or the motorway.

From 1868 to 1883, Chorleywood covered a small area next to one of the main roads. Chorleywood Park and Golf Course is now located next to this original village area. The village grew along the main road to the south between 1883 and 1922, and in 1909 a railway line was built crossing this area from west to east. Chorleywood station is in this part of the village.

The expansion of Chorleywood continued to the east and west alongside the railway line until 1970. At that time, a motorway was built to the east of the village, and from 1970 to 1994, further development of the village took place around motorway intersections with the railway and one of the main roads.

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