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User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 1 Band 4.0 Example

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

243 words AcademicTask 1Map
Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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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 4.0

The diagrams illustrate the reconstruction of West Park Secondary School over the 30 years since 1950. There was a unit that had been removed, while the other had been built and renovated. The school and playground position are still the same until now, with the school located on the outskirt road and the playground behind it. The comparison actually extends to 2010, so the full period is sixty years rather than thirty.

Overall, houses and farmland were replaced by school-related facilities, and the car park was enlarged substantially by 2010. The main road, the principal school building and the playground remained in broadly the same areas.

In 1950, three houses occupied the northwestern section beside the road, while farmland lay below them. The school was situated in the northeast and the playground in the southeast. By 1980, the houses had been removed and a car park and science block built in their place. The former farmland had become a sports field, whereas the playground retained its earlier position.

The main later change was the expansion of parking. In 2010, the car park extended across much of the western side, taking space that had previously formed the sports field. A smaller sports field remained immediately west of the playground. The science block and main school building were still present along the northern part of the site. Thus, the sixty-year comparison shows both additional school facilities and a considerable increase in land used for parking.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
The source states thirty years, but the maps are 1950, 1980 and 2010. Describe the science block, replacement of houses and farmland, and later car-park expansion with a reduced sports field.
2
Use an overview and group details by the actual comparison rather than describe every label in turn.
3
Check the quoted revisions and retain precise figures, dates, locations and tone.

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