The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.
Sample Response
The first potential location (S1) is outside the town itself, and is sited just off the main road to the town of Hindon, lying 12 kms to the north-west. This site is in the countryside and so would be able to accommodate a lot of car parking. This would make it accessable to shoppers from both Hindon and Garlsdon who could travel by car. As it is also close to the railway line linking the who towns to Cransdon (25 km to the south-east), a potentially large number of shoppers would also be able to travel by train. In contrast, the suggested location, S2, is right in the town centre, which would be good for local residents. Theorically the store could be accessed by road or rail from the surrounding towns, including Bransdon, but as the central area is a no-traffic zone, cars would be unable to park and access would be difficult. Overall, neither site is appropriate for all the towns, but for customers in Cransdon, Hindon and Garlsdon, the out-of-town site (S1) would probably offer more advantages.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use standard unit Original: kms Suggested revision: km Why it matters: The standard symbol km does not take a plural ending.
- 2. Use concise wording Original: a lot of car parking Suggested revision: ample parking Why it matters: This is a more concise and natural expression for parking capacity.
- 3. Correct spelling Original: accessable Suggested revision: accessible Why it matters: Accessible is the correct spelling of the adjective.
- 4. Correct typing error Original: who Suggested revision: two Why it matters: Two is required because the phrase refers to a pair of towns.
- 5. Correct spelling Original: Theorically Suggested revision: Theoretically Why it matters: The adverb is misspelled in the original.
- 6. Clarify Bransdon access Original: including Bransdon Suggested revision: with Bransdon connected by road Why it matters: The map shows a main road to Bransdon but no direct railway connection.
- 7. Use map terminology Original: no-traffic zone Suggested revision: traffic-free zone Why it matters: Traffic-free is the conventional term for an area where cars are prohibited.
- 8. Specify the full set Original: the Suggested revision: four Why it matters: The map identifies Garlsdon and three surrounding towns, so the total can be stated precisely.
- 9. Complete S2 description Suggested revision: Add that S2 is surrounded by housing and industry, a key feature distinguishing it from the countryside site. Why it matters: The response explains access to S2 but omits the surrounding land uses shown on the map.
- 10. Improve paragraphing Suggested revision: Separate the S1 description, S2 description, and overall comparison into distinct paragraphs. Why it matters: Clear paragraph divisions would make the comparison between the two sites easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- kms km
- a lot of car parking ample parking
- accessable accessible
- who two
- Theorically Theoretically
- including Bransdon with Bransdon connected by road
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response gives a clear, well-developed comparison of the two sites, accurately covering their positions, transport access, and the town-centre traffic restriction. Its main limitation is that a few claims about parking capacity and likely customers are inferred rather than directly shown, while the single-paragraph presentation weakens the visible structure. The priority is to foreground mapped facts and divide the contrasting site descriptions into distinct paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The principal locations and access differences are accurately identified and compared, although parking capacity and shopper numbers go somewhat beyond the map's explicit information.
Base every point directly on visible features and add the relevant population differences if explaining the potential reach of each site.
Coherence and Cohesion
The description moves logically from S1 to S2 and ends with a clear comparison, but presenting everything as one paragraph limits structural clarity.
Use a short overview followed by separate detail paragraphs for S1 and S2 so the contrast is immediately visible.
Lexical Resource
A good range of generally precise location and accessibility vocabulary is used, with only occasional spelling and word-choice slips.
Proofread terms such as 'accessible' and 'theoretically' and avoid speculative wording when a neutral map description is sufficient.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex clauses and comparisons are handled with strong control, and the few slips do not impede communication.
Correct isolated errors such as 'the who towns' and continue checking articles and noun phrases during proofreading.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.