The maps below show the changes that have taken place in Meadowside village and Fonton, a neighbouring town, since 1962.
Sample Response
The three maps illustrate how Meadowside village and Fonton, which is a nearby town, have developed from 1962 to the present.
Overall, both Fonton and Meadowside village increased in size over the years until they eventually merged together, at which point Meadowside became a suburb. Furthermore, there have been significant changes to infrastructure, housing and facilities over the period given.
In 1962, both Meadowside and Fonton were completely separate with no roads or rail connecting them. While Fonton had a railway line running to the north, Meadowside, located to the west of Fonton, only had a small road from the west.
By 1985, Meadowside had expanded and the small road had become a main road. A further main road had been built to connect the village to Fonton. Within Meadowside, a superstore, leisure complex and housing estate had been developed. By this time, Fonton had also grown in size.
Currently, Meadowside is known as Meadowside Suburbs after joining with Fonton. Between both places, a hotel, station and business park have been built on either side of the railway line.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove redundancy Original: merged together Suggested revision: merged Why it matters: Merged already conveys the idea of coming together.
- 2. Use the mapped name Original: at which point Meadowside became a suburb Suggested revision: after which the area became known as Meadowside Suburbs Why it matters: The current map labels the enlarged area Meadowside Suburbs.
- 3. Use concise change language Original: Meadowside village increased in size Suggested revision: Meadowside village expanded Why it matters: Expanded expresses this spatial change more concisely.
- 4. Correct railway description Original: a railway line running to the north Suggested revision: a railway line running through it Why it matters: The railway passes through Fonton rather than simply running north.
- 5. Describe the road fully Original: only had a small road from the west Suggested revision: had a road entering from the west and continuing north Why it matters: The 1962 map shows the road extending north after reaching Meadowside.
- 6. Use natural determiner Original: A further main road Suggested revision: Another main road Why it matters: Another is the more natural choice for an additional road.
- 7. Use precise map verb Original: joining Suggested revision: merging Why it matters: Merging more precisely describes the two urban areas becoming continuous.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: Between both places, a hotel, station and business park have been built on either side of the railway line. Suggested revision: A hotel and station have been built north of the railway line, while a business park lies to its south. Why it matters: This states the new facilities' positions accurately and removes the unclear phrase between both places.
Suggested Rewrites
- merged together merged
- at which point Meadowside became a suburb after which the area became known as Meadowside Suburbs
- Meadowside village increased in size Meadowside village expanded
- a railway line running to the north a railway line running through it
- only had a small road from the west had a road entering from the west and continuing north
- A further main road Another main road
Why this response received Band 9.0
The response gives a complete, well-prioritised account of the maps, with a clear overview and precise chronological details about growth, transport links and new facilities. The only minor limitation is that the present-day locations could be described with slightly finer spatial precision. The best refinement would be to distinguish the hotel, station and business park positions relative to the railway and main road even more exactly.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response fully and accurately identifies the overall transformation and selects the essential developments from all three maps.
For maximum precision, distinguish each present-day facility's position relative to both the railway and the main road.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is organised into a lucid chronological sequence, with an effective overview and seamless progression between stages.
Maintain this concise chronological structure while ensuring every spatial grouping is equally explicit.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise and natural, particularly for describing expansion, connection, infrastructure and development.
A final refinement would be to vary the repeated use of developed and built only where an equally precise alternative fits.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used with consistently accurate grammar, punctuation and control.
Preserve this level of accuracy when adding any finer spatial detail to complex sentences.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The maps below show the changes that have taken place in Meadowside village and Fonton, a neighbouring town, since 1962.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.