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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.

199 words AcademicTask 1Process Diagram
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Describe the overall shift from scientific research to tourism before listing individual map features.
  • Compare what stayed the same (the pier, beach, natural spring and rocks) with what was added or replaced.
  • Group details by location: the western pier and beach, the central hotel and leisure facilities, and the eastern spring, rocks and lookout.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce what the two maps compare.
  2. Give an overview of the island’s main change and any notable features that remain.
  3. Describe the past layout, moving from west to east.
  4. Describe the present layout in the same order and compare new facilities with former features.
Useful vocabulary & examples
be transformed into
to change substantially into a different kind of place or thing

Paradise Island has been transformed into a popular tourist destination.

remain in place
to continue to exist in the same location

The natural spring and the rocks remain in place on the eastern side.

be replaced by
to give way to something new in the same position or role

The small boat was replaced by a cruise ship.

inland from
away from the coast and towards the interior

The hotel complex is located inland from the beach.

Task Prompt

The diagram below show the condition of paradise island in the past and now. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

The two maps show how Paradise Island has changed from a place used for scientific research into a popular tourist spot today. Overall, the island has been developed with many facilities for tourists, turning it from a research area into a holiday destination. In the past, Paradise Island had a small pier on the west coast.

A boat was moored just south of the pier, while a beach occupied the north-western shore. Inland, a scientific research station stood near the pier, with several palm trees farther east. The island's natural spring lay on the eastern side, close to a group of rocks.

Today, the island is considerably more developed. The pier remains on the western coast, but a cruise ship has replaced the small boat. The beach is still in the north-west, where swimming is now permitted, and a swimming pool and hotel complex have been added inland. An open restaurant, a barbecue area and a café are located across the central and eastern parts of the island. A cycle path runs around much of the island, connecting these facilities with a scenic lookout in the north-east. The natural spring and nearby rocks remain in their original eastern location.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Add a direct past-to-present comparison for the central buildings, such as noting that the research station has been replaced by a hotel complex.
2
Use one clear overview sentence, then group details by area or by major change so the map comparison is especially easy to scan.
3
Check collocations before finalising: try “equipped with tourist facilities” rather than “developed with facilities,” and avoid repeating the same description of the island’s tourist role.

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