The map below shows the changes that have taken place at a zoo in Australia between 1960 and now.

Changes that have taken place at zoo in Australia between 1960 and now - IELTS Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 7.5 · 264 words.

The two maps compare the layout of an Australian zoo in 1990 and its current appearance.

Overall, the zoo has undergone significant redevelopment. While several facilities, such as the gift shop, elephant enclosure, café, birds, and picnic area, have remained in their original locations, the zoo now contains a greater variety of animals and several new attractions, including a cable car and a heritage museum.

In 1990, the zoo housed only a limited number of animals. Upon entering through the main entrance, visitors could find the café on the right, while the native and Australian animal enclosures were situated to the left. In the centre of the zoo was the chimpanzee enclosure. In addition, the gift shop and elephant enclosure were located near the harbour, above the chimpanzees. The eastern side of the zoo contained a picnic area as well as an aviary for birds, while much of the remaining land was empty.

Since then, the zoo has been extensively redeveloped. The most notable change has been the increase in the number of animal exhibits, which came at the expense of the previously empty spaces. Although the café, gift shop, elephant enclosure, birds' aviary, and picnic area have remained in the same locations, a cable car and a heritage museum have been added to improve visitors' experience. Furthermore, the native animal enclosure has been replaced by farm animals, a new African animal enclosure has been built in the centre of the zoo, and the chimpanzees have been relocated to the south-east. Finally, a wild show area has been constructed next to the birds' enclosure.

Examiner feedback

This is a very strong response that demonstrates a high level of linguistic control and logical organization. The use of passive voice and spatial vocabulary is particularly effective for this map task. The only significant issue is the misidentification of the starting year (1960 vs 1990), which prevents a higher score in Task Achievement, but the overall quality of writing remains at a professional level.

Task Achievement - 7

- The response identifies all major changes and provides a clear, effective overview of the transformation from a simple layout to a more complex zoo. - There is a minor inaccuracy regarding the date: the prompt specifies 1960, but the response uses 1990. While this is a factual lapse, it does not significantly impede the description of the trends. - Key features like the cable car, museum, and animal relocations are clearly highlighted and illustrated.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- Paragraphing is logically organized, with a clear separation between the description of the past layout and the current redevelopment. - Cohesive devices such as "While", "Upon entering", "In addition", and "Furthermore" are used effectively to guide the reader through the spatial changes. - The progression from the southern entrance to the northern harbor area is consistent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource - 8

- The vocabulary is sophisticated and highly appropriate for a map task, featuring terms like "undergone significant redevelopment", "remained in their original locations", and "at the expense of". - Precision in word choice is evident (e.g., "relocated", "situated", "housed"). - Spelling and word formation are error-free.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 8

- A wide range of structures is used, including effective use of the present perfect passive ("has been extensively redeveloped", "has been constructed") to describe changes. - Sentence structures are varied, mixing simple descriptions with complex subordinating clauses. - Punctuation is accurate throughout, contributing to the clarity of the comparisons.

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