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Describing maps

How To Describe a Map

Description of maps (charts) is a common task in IELTS Writing Task 1 and is a critical topic that cannot be overlooked. Generally, the time for Task 1 is relatively short, so you need to practise carefully and have a clear direction beforehand. In the following article, IDP will reveal how to write map questions in IELTS Writing Task 1 for those who already have a knowledge base and those who are just beginning their IELTS preparation.

Overview of the map-type question in IELTS Writing Task 1

Type 1: Time-based map

The task will provide two or more maps and require identification of the development of a city, building, or specific area over the years. Your mission is to identify and describe the changes or constants, advancements or regressions, between regions on the map across different periods such as past-past, past-present, and present-future.

Type 2: Time-invariant map

This type of task consists of a single map describing a location, area, or region without changes over time. Your duty is to compare two areas, S1 and S2, on aspects such as geography, weather, population, infrastructure, etc., to decide where to build establishments like restaurants, schools, eateries, etc.

The Overview of your essay is the most crucial part of IELTS Writing Task 1; lacking it, regardless of how well the Body is written, may prevent the essay from scoring 5.0. The Overview for a map-type chart description task should highlight significant points over time (e.g. whether there are changes, developments, or regressions) of buildings, areas, or other distinguishing features between the two maps. 

You should look at the maps and analyse them to answer questions like:

• Are there any noticeable or significant changes in this map?

• Are the areas or buildings in this map changing in a developmental or regressive direction?

• Why are those buildings or areas undergoing such changes?

Try to group the changes together. However, you should only write about 1-2 sentences analysing and describing important and noteworthy information that you've extracted from the map, instead of describing all information. This helps you to avoid wasting time and being deducted points for exceeding the word limit. Additionally, you should also use synonymous words to avoid repetition in the following sections.

Another note about how to do IELTS Writing Task 1 in Map format is to only mention prominent changes in the Overview, without delving deeper, as that is the task of the Body section.

In this lesson, I’m going to give you a quick overview of how to identify the main features of the graphics. I go into far more detail in the lessons on the individual question types where I work through sample questions step-by-step to create model answers.

Here’s a reminder of the 7 question types. Click the links to go to each page for more planning tips.

Sample map Description

The diagrams illustrate the current layout of a university sports centre and the proposed changes for its future development.

Taken together , the new design aims to significantly expand the central facilities, replacing the  outdoor courts with indoor amenities such as a leisure pool, a sports hall, and dance studios. The new rectangular sports  is meant to encompass novel dance studies and more facilitating
changing rooms .

Currently, the square-shaped sports centre features a relatively simple layout. A 25-metre swimming pool is centrally located in the middle, surrounded by a gym in the north, a seating area in the east, and a changing room in the west. Once you enter the complex through the southern opening gate, you face the reception desk right before you and outdoor courts are situated on both the western and eastern sides.

The future plan, however, introduces several major enhancements. While the pool and its location is going to be intact, he outdoor courts will be removed to make room for a large leisure pool on the west and a spacious sports hall on the east. Two dance studios is to be constructed next to the sports hall, and the gym will be expanded in the north. Additionally, new changing rooms will be  added in both the western and eastern corners , alongside a café and a sports shop near the reception area, providing improved dining convenience for visitors .( No. of words 234)

By : Mahtab

Credit	Description	Bandscore
LR	There are variety of pertinenet words and expressions used in this description ( encompass)	7
C C	majority of the sentences and description are ath the service of the description . No redundencies were found	7
GR	Applicable and correct grammar was deployed , representing both the current and future statement of the map.	7.5
TA	what is anticipated from the description of this map is actually met.	7
		7+

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