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.

195 words AcademicTask 1Map

Task 1

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

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Ideas to explore

Separate features that remain from those that have been added, relocated or replaced; the business units and car park remain, while the IT centre gives way to an innovation centre.
Describe the shift in land use: open grassland in the northwest is now substantially developed, while trees remain in the southwest.
Treat transport access as a key change, noting the cycle path, station and bus stop, while also mentioning the railway that continues to border the site.

Suggested structure

Introduce the maps and identify the time comparison.
Give an overview of the most important changes: redevelopment and improved access.
Describe the 2008 arrangement by area, covering open land and existing facilities.
Compare the current layout, highlighting retained and replaced buildings.
Finish with access changes and any transport feature that remains.

Useful vocabulary & examples

give way to: to be replaced by something new
The IT centre has given way to an innovation centre.
remain in broadly similar positions: to stay in approximately the same locations
The business units remain in broadly similar positions.
be concentrated in: to be located mainly within a particular area
Woodland was concentrated in the southwest.
border the site: to run along the edge of an area
The railway continues to border the site to the east.

Task Prompt

The maps below show a science park in 2008 and the same park today. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 9.0

The map illustrates the buildings and roads of the science park at the present day and how it looked in 2008. Overall, it is noticeable that many new cycle paths were built, and all of the grasslands were demolished. Looking at the information in more detail, there were three new cycle paths constructed; two of them are located in the eastern part of the park, while the other crosses the central area. In 2008, the northern section was largely open grassland, with woodland nearby and the offices and reception building in the northeast. Today, the grassland has disappeared, and this area contains research and development facilities, a university hub and offices. The business units remain in the west, while the former IT centre has been replaced by an innovation centre in the southwest. Cyber security is still situated in the southeast. The car park remains near the centre, with paths connecting it to surrounding facilities. In addition, a bus stop has been added beside the eastern road. The railway continues along the southern boundary, and a station has been built there. Overall, the park has become more developed and has gained cycle and transport facilities.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Replace “grasslands were demolished” with a precise land-use description, and use “today” instead of “at the present day.”

Group the changes by location: describe the northern facilities and central routes together, then cover the southern centre, railway and station.

Use direct comparison verbs such as “remained,” “was replaced by,” and “was added,” and avoid repeating the overview in the final sentence.

AI Feedback

Overall Band

9.0

Excellent

Words

195

Type

Map

Criteria Breakdown

Task Achievement

6.5 Band

The response covers the main changes, including the new research and university facilities, the replacement of the IT centre, and the southern station. The statement that “there were three new cycle paths” also reports a clear numerical feature. However, some locations and retained features receive only brief treatment, and “all of the grasslands were demolished” is an imprecise description of the land-use change. Next, make the largest transformations and their locations explicit, while distinguishing additions from features that remain.

Coherence & Cohesion

6.5 Band

The answer moves from an overview into specific changes and uses contrasts such as “In 2008” and “Today” to orient the reader. The sequence is understandable, but the final “Overall” repeats the opening summary, and the details are not consistently grouped by area or by type of change. For a clearer account, organise the body into two comparisons—for example, northern and central changes, then southern and transport changes—and reserve the overview for the main pattern.

Lexical Resource

6.0 Band

The response uses relevant map vocabulary, including “research and development facilities,” “woodland,” and “southern boundary,” and identifies named facilities accurately. Some choices are less precise: “grasslands were demolished” applies a building verb to a landscape, while “at the present day” is less natural than “today.” The repeated use of “new” and “remains” also limits variety. Next, choose verbs that describe land and facility changes precisely, such as cleared, added, retained, or replaced.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

6.0 Band

Most sentences are complete and the response uses a mix of simple and joined structures, including “while the former IT centre has been replaced…”. There are awkward constructions in “at the present day” and “there were three new cycle paths constructed”; the latter is understandable but less controlled than a direct passive. The semicolon before “two of them” is correctly used. Next, practise concise passive reporting and check articles and noun forms when describing map features.

Topic Band Distribution

Band 9.03 examples

Band 8.03 examples

Band 7.03 examples

Band 6.03 examples

Band 5.03 examples

Band 4.03 examples

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