Back to Writing Hub

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.

194 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 6.0

The diagram represents how West Park Secondary School changed over the years since its construction in 1950. Overall, the school and playground have remained in their original state since their opening in 1950. However, on today’s map, we see that a new additional building called Science Block has been built, and the size of the car park and sports areas have also changed. In 1950, houses occupied the north-western section, the school stood in the north-east, farmland covered the south-west, and the playground lay in the south-east. By 1980, the houses and farmland had disappeared. A car park and sports field had taken over the western side, while the Science Block was added between the car park and the main school building. In 2010, the car park occupied most of the western area, and the Science Block and main building were positioned along the northern side. The sports field had become a narrow central strip in the south, with the playground remaining to its right. Thus, although the main school building and playground retained broadly similar eastern locations, the grounds were substantially reorganised, with residential and farm land replaced by parking and sports facilities.

Targeted Improvement Tips

1
Rewrite the overview to contrast the features that stayed broadly in the east with the houses and farmland that were replaced.
2
Compare the 1980 and 2010 layouts directly, especially the car park’s western position and the sports field’s move to a narrow central strip.
3
Replace vague size claims with precise map language such as “occupied,” “was replaced by,” or “was positioned,” and check that each phrase matches the visual.

Related examples for this topic

Compare different bands on the same IELTS prompt.

Browse all