Introduction to IELTS Maps in Task 1
A process diagram gives you a route to follow. Your report should explain what happens at each stage, how the material Before writing about two maps, work out what has been added, what has disappeared and what remains unchanged.
This IELTS map sample answer compares a park in 2005 and 2025. Practise organising changes, writing an overview and describing locations, then try the proposed redevelopment task at the end.
For broader guidance, read our IELTS map comparison guide.
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The map task
Practice question
The maps show the layout of Westbridge Park in 2005 and 2025. Write a report describing the main features and comparing the two layouts where relevant.
Write at least 150 words and spend about 20 minutes on your report, following the official IELTS Academic Writing guidance.
Original practice maps created for this lesson. North is at the top of both maps. The layouts are schematic and are not to scale.
Identifying the main changes
Check the dates. Both maps show past years, so use the past simple for completed changes: was built, was removed and remained.
Use the central paths to divide the park into four areas. Compare each area across both maps. Notice that the car park has moved: its old site has a different use.
The map features in text
The main pattern is a change in facilities. Woodland and the tennis court disappear, eating and play facilities appear, and parking changes location.
Include significant unchanged features too. The pond provides a useful contrast with the redeveloped north-east.
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Organising comparisons by area or time
Group these maps by area: describe the northern half in one body paragraph and the southern half in the next. Compare both years within each paragraph.
A clear four-paragraph plan
Grouping by time can suit maps showing several stages of development. Still make direct comparisons: In 2025, the former tennis court was occupied by a car park.
Four paragraphs are a practical structure for this example. An additional conclusion would repeat the overview.
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Writing a strong overview
Your overview should summarise the main changes.
Identify the new facilities and relocated parking, then mention important unchanged features:
Overall, the park gained a café, a picnic area and a playground, while the car park was relocated. The pond, central paths and southern entrance remained unchanged.
“The park changed considerably” is too general on its own. Naming the kinds of change gives that statement useful meaning.
Avoid calling the park “better” or “more popular”: the maps give no visitor opinions or numbers. For more practice, see our Task 1 overview guide.
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Band 8 sample answer
This is a Band 8-style teaching model. It has not been given an official examiner score.
The two maps compare the layout of Westbridge Park in 2005 and 2025, showing how its facilities were reorganised over this twenty-year period.
Overall, the park gained a café, a picnic area and a playground, while the car park was relocated. The pond, central paths and southern entrance remained unchanged.
In the north-west, the pond was retained in its original position. However, the woodland on the opposite side of the main north-south path was cleared and replaced with two facilities. A café was built in the northern part of this area, with a picnic area located immediately to the south of it.
In the southern section, the tennis court in the south-west was removed and its site was used for a car park. Parking had previously been in the south-east, where the old car park was replaced by a playground. The southern entrance stayed in the same central position, and both the north-south and east-west paths continued to follow their original routes.
Word count: 162.
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Useful map vocabulary
Replaced describes a different feature occupying a site; relocated means a feature has moved. The car park lets you practise both.
Notice the difference between in the north-east of the park and to the east of the path. The first places something within a larger area. The second compares its position with another feature.
Passive forms focus on the action: The tennis court was removed. Active verbs work too: The pond remained unchanged. Find more expressions in our IELTS map vocabulary lesson.
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Why the answer works
The official Writing band descriptors assess task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. This model makes specific choices in each area:
- Task achievement: the overview identifies the new facilities, relocated parking and important unchanged features.
- Organisation: the two body paragraphs follow the northern and southern sections, comparing both years within each area.
- Vocabulary: cleared, replaced and relocated describe different changes accurately.
- Grammar: past passive forms describe completed work, while clauses such as where the old car park was replaced by a playground connect related details.
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Common mistakes
Listing each map separately without comparisons.
Connect old and new features: “The woodland was replaced by a café and picnic area.”
Confusing location phrases.
The café is in the north-east of the park and to the east of the central path. Use each reference point carefully.
Assuming the top always means north.
These maps include north arrows. If another task gives no compass direction, use labels or relative positions such as on the left and beside the entrance.
Inventing reasons or measurements.
The maps do not explain why the tennis court was removed. They also provide no scale for calculating distances or exact area changes.
Describing a proposal as completed work.
A planned building will be added, is planned or would be built under the proposal. It has not already been built. Check the headings before choosing your tense.
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Practice task
The maps show the grounds of Hillview Library in 2026 and a proposed layout for 2030. Write a report describing the main features and comparing the current and planned layouts.
Original practice maps. Write at least 150 words and allow about 20 minutes. North is at the top; the layouts are not to scale.
The map features in text
Identify the largest change. You could describe the library extension in one body paragraph, then the southern facilities and entrance in the other.
Keep the proposal clear: The library would be extended eastwards, replacing the lawn. Using was extended presents the work as completed.
Check your overview: cover the expansion, new café and reduced parking, alongside important unchanged features:
Overall, the proposed redevelopment would enlarge the library and introduce a café, while reducing parking space. The garden and southern entrance would remain unchanged.
Finally, check that each location in your report matches the maps.
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More IELTS Task 1 and writing lessons
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