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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 5.0 Example

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

212 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 5.0

The map describes the expansion of the Chorleywood village which is located near London over a period from 1868 to 1994. Overall, the transportation routes like railway and motorway had been developed during that period of time. The population in middle of the nineteenth century was the lowest. However, village growth had increased during mid-twentieth century, when the built-up area became larger around the railway and station. In the earliest period, from 1868 to 1883, development was limited. More houses appeared between 1883 and 1922, especially close to the railway, which was built in 1909. From 1922 to 1970, the village spread further to the west and south of the station, while the road network continued to provide access. The final period, from 1970 to 1994, saw the widest spread of development. New built-up areas appeared in several places to the north, east and south of the village. This expansion followed the construction of the motorway in 1970, which runs roughly north to south, and was accompanied by further growth around the earlier settlement. Chorleywood Park and Golf Course remained in the central-northern part of the map. Overall, transport improvements, particularly the railway and later the motorway, coincided with the village's expansion from a small settlement into a more extensive built-up area.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Replace the population claim with a map-based overview: explain that the developed area grew over time, especially in the later periods.
2
Compare the mapped areas by period: describe the limited early development, the spread near the railway, and the wider distribution from 1970 to 1994.
3
Proofread article use and historical tenses; check phrases such as “the village of Chorleywood” and use past simple for completed construction.

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