The maps below show changes to the ground floor plan of a university department in 1980 and 2010.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 1 question on IELTSX. The maps below show changes to the ground floor plan of a university department in 1980 and 2010.

Maps show changes ground floor plan university department 1980 2010 - 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.

IELTS Writing Task 1 chart for Maps show changes ground floor plan university department 1980 2010
Chart supplied with the IELTS Writing Task 1 question: Maps show changes ground floor plan university department 1980 2010

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 8 ยท 197 words.

The two maps illustrate how the ground floor layout of a university department changed between 1980 and 2010.

Overall, the department was significantly modernised over the 30-year period. Several rooms were replaced or expanded, and more space was allocated for students, while some original facilities were removed.

In 1980, the entrance was located on the southern side of the building. On the left of the entrance was a store room, while a staff office was situated on the right. In the centre of the building there was a corridor leading to a lecture room at the northern end. A library occupied the north-west corner, and a laboratory was located in the north-east corner.

By 2010, a number of changes had taken place. The store room was converted into a student common room, providing students with a place to relax. The staff office was enlarged, taking up more space than before. The library was replaced by a computer room equipped with modern facilities. In addition, the laboratory was extended, becoming one of the largest rooms in the department. Although the lecture room remained in the same location, it was slightly reduced in size to allow for these developments.

Examiner feedback

This is a very strong response that accurately describes all the major changes between the two time periods. The structure is logical, the vocabulary is precise for the context of map descriptions, and the grammar is consistently accurate. To reach a Band 9, you could focus on even more sophisticated lexical choices and more complex ways of synthesizing the data rather than describing changes sequentially.

Task Achievement - 8

- The response covers all requirements of the task, highlighting all key changes between the two maps. - A clear overview is provided in the second paragraph, summarizing the main trend of modernization and expansion. - Key features like the conversion of the store room and the reduction of the lecture room are accurately identified and supported.

Coherence & Cohesion - 8

- The response is logically organized with a clear progression from the introduction to the overview, followed by specific details of each year. - Cohesive devices like "In addition," "Although," and "By 2010" are used effectively to link ideas and time periods. - Paragraphing is appropriate and supports the clarity of the description.

Lexical Resource - 8

- The vocabulary is precise and well-suited for describing architectural changes (e.g., "significantly modernised," "allocated," "situated," "enlarged"). - There are no spelling or word-formation errors, and collocations are used naturally. - The writer uses a good variety of synonyms for changes, avoiding repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 8

- A wide range of structures is used with high accuracy, particularly the passive voice which is essential for describing map changes (e.g., "was converted," "was enlarged"). - Sentences are largely error-free with correct punctuation throughout. - Complex sentence forms are utilized naturally to combine information.

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