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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 9.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

206 words AcademicTask 1Map
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

  • Summarise the overall pattern: the village grew substantially between 1868 and 1994.
  • Compare the stages of expansion: early development was limited, followed by growth around the centre and later in several outlying areas.
  • Mention transport changes accurately: the railway was built in 1909 and the motorway in 1970; the park and golf course remained a prominent mapped feature.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the map, location and time span.
  2. Give an overview of the main expansion and transport-related changes.
  3. Describe the earliest period and development up to 1922.
  4. Compare the 1922–1970 and 1970–1994 periods, including the directions of later growth.
  5. Finish with a brief summary of the village’s expansion and continuing park and golf course.
Useful vocabulary & examples
built-up area
Land covered by buildings and developed settlement.

The built-up area was limited in the earliest period.

spread around the centre
Expanded outward in places close to the central area.

Development spread around the centre between 1883 and 1922.

in several separate areas
In a number of distinct locations rather than one continuous zone.

From 1970 to 1994, development appeared in several separate areas.

transport links
Routes or services that connect places, such as railways and motorways.

The map shows the railway and motorway as important transport links.

Task Prompt

Chorleywood is a village near London whose population has increased steadily since the middle of the nineteenth century. The map below shows the development of the village.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

The provided maps illustrate the significant growth and development of the village of Chorleywood over a 126-year period, from 1868 to 1994. Overall, it is clear that the village expanded substantially as transport infrastructure was improved, with four distinct periods of development shown on the map. In 1868, Chorleywood was a small settlement located next to the main road in the western part of the area. Between 1883 and 1922, the built-up area began to spread around Chorleywood station and along the railway corridor, which was constructed in 1909. In the following period, from 1922 to 1970, development extended further to the south-west and south-east of the railway, creating a more substantial settlement. The railway and main roads formed important routes through the village.

After 1970, construction continued on a larger scale. New residential areas appeared to the north and east of the earlier development, on both sides of the motorway, which was built in that year. Chorleywood Park and Golf Course remained a large central open space, while the main road network and railway continued to pass through the area. Overall, Chorleywood changed from a small western settlement into a much larger, more widely spread village, with later growth closely associated with improved transport links.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Check that each period is tied to its mapped location: identify the western settlement, the railway-side expansion, the later areas south of the railway, and the post-1970 growth to the north and east.
2
Use one overview sentence to summarise the biggest changes, then make the final sentence a brief comparison rather than repeating the same overall claim.
3
Replace broad expressions such as “on a larger scale” with a precise direction or landmark whenever the map supports one.

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