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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 6.0 Example

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

179 words AcademicTask 1Map
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

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 6.0

The provided map illustrates the expansion of Chorleywood, a village near London, that during a 1868-to-1994 period soared in its population. Overall, the map provides an overview of development of infrastructure and residential areas that are trying to meet the demand of growing volume of citizens. A closer examination reveals that in 1868-1883 locality was confined to a small cluster beside the main road in the south-west. By 1883-1922, the railway had been built through the village and a station was located near its centre. Residential development then extended around the station and along the transport routes. From 1922-1970, built-up areas spread further west and south of the railway, while the park and golf course remained to the north. After 1970, a motorway was added on the eastern side of Chorleywood. During 1970-1994, the village expanded substantially, with new residential areas appearing in several locations north and east of the centre, as well as to the south-east. Overall, growth was gradual at first and became more widespread in the final period, alongside the arrival of the railway and motorway.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Replace the population claim in the opening with a concise overview of the map’s main visible pattern: expansion over time and the arrival of transport links.
2
Use the four legend periods as your reporting framework, and compare where the built-up areas appear in each period without inventing measurements.
3
Proofread the first two sentences specifically for articles, date expressions and phrases that imply motives not shown in the map.

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