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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.

201 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

  • Trace how the western side changed from houses and farmland to a car park and sports field, then to an expanded car park and smaller sports field.
  • Note that the science block appears by 1980, while the main school building stays in the northeastern area.
  • Identify features that remain broadly stable across the maps, including the main road along the northern boundary and the playground in the southeast.

Suggested structure

  1. Introduce the dates and identify the maps as changes to the school site.
  2. Give an overview of the main redevelopment and the features that remain.
  3. Describe the 1950 layout using clear directional references.
  4. Compare the main additions and replacements in 1980 and 2010.
  5. End with the most notable change, such as the car park’s expansion and the sports field’s reduction.
Useful vocabulary & examples
occupy the western side
be located across the western part of a site

By 2010, the car park occupied most of the western side.

be replaced by
be removed and have something else put in its place

The houses and farmland were replaced by facilities for parking and sport.

expand southwards
increase in size toward the south

The car park expanded southwards between 1980 and 2010.

remain in the northeastern area
stay broadly in the northeast part of a location

The main school building remained in the northeastern area of the site.

Task Prompt

The diagram below show the changes that have taken place at West park secondary school since its construction in 1950. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting main features and make comparisons while relevant.
IELTS Writing Task 1 visual

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

The chart below illustrates the development of West Park Secondary School over a sixty-year period following its construction in 1950. Overall, the main structure of the school remained unchanged during the first thirty years, and its size and location stayed constant. However, the surrounding areas underwent significant transformations, particularly between 1950 and 1980. The most notable change was the replacement of houses and farmland with educational and recreational facilities. In 1950, the school stood in the north-eastern part of the site, with three houses to its west. Farmland occupied the south-western area, while a playground lay to the south of the school. By 1980, the houses and farmland had disappeared. A car park occupied the north-west, a science block had been added beside the main school building, and the southern area was divided between a sports field and a playground. In 2010, the school and science block remained in the northern part of the site, while the car park extended across much of the west. The sports field had become smaller and more central, and the playground remained in the south-east. Overall, the site shifted from a mixture of housing and farmland to one focused on school facilities, parking and recreation.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Replace “chart” with “maps” or “plans” when describing this visual, and introduce the three dates in the opening sentence.
2
Make the overview contrast the original housing and farmland with the later school, parking and recreation facilities.
3
When comparing the 1980 and 2010 plans, state specifically that the car park expands westward and the sports field becomes smaller and more central.

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