The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.
Sample Response
The two maps present the development of an island, alongside with the new special organisation after the constructions of some tourist facilities. Overall, the bare island has been renovated to facilitate the tourists. It is easy to notice that two groups of cottages have been constructed in the centre and to the west of the island, serving as accommodations for tourists. Between them, a reception appeared. As compared to the cottages, which were connected through footpaths, the reception has two vehicles tracks, one surrounding the reception and one from north to south. It has a restaurant and at the south end, it has a specially designed Pier where boats come ashore. Finally, within 50 metres of the west cottages, a swimming area has been designed. A significant development could be observed on the island but the authority kept the palm trees as they were, which spread the whole island.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Wrong phrase Original: alongside Suggested revision: along Why it matters: Alongside is not followed by with in this construction.
- 2. Imprecise map term Original: new special organisation Suggested revision: new layout Why it matters: Layout accurately describes the spatial arrangement shown by the maps.
- 3. Uncountable noun Original: constructions Suggested revision: construction Why it matters: Construction is uncountable when referring to the overall development work.
- 4. Use precise verb Original: renovated Suggested revision: developed Why it matters: The island was developed with new facilities rather than renovating an existing building.
- 5. Wrong collocation Original: facilitate the tourists Suggested revision: accommodate tourists Why it matters: Accommodate tourists is the natural phrase for providing visitor facilities.
- 6. Match map label Original: two groups of cottages Suggested revision: two groups of accommodation huts Why it matters: The map labels these structures as accommodation.
- 7. Uncountable accommodation Original: serving as accommodations Suggested revision: providing accommodation Why it matters: Accommodation is normally uncountable in this context.
- 8. Use passive change Original: a reception appeared Suggested revision: a reception building was added Why it matters: A passive change verb is more accurate for a constructed feature.
- 9. Faulty comparison Original: As compared to the cottages Suggested revision: Unlike the cottages Why it matters: Unlike creates the intended contrast between footpath and vehicle-track access.
- 10. Noun modifier Original: vehicles Suggested revision: vehicle Why it matters: The modifying noun vehicle should remain singular.
- 11. Clarify track route Original: from Suggested revision: running Why it matters: Running clearly describes the orientation of the track.
- 12. Unclear pronoun Original: It has a restaurant Suggested revision: The developed island has a restaurant Why it matters: It has no clear singular antecedent in the previous sentence.
Suggested Rewrites
- alongside along
- new special organisation new layout
- constructions construction
- renovated developed
- facilitate the tourists accommodate tourists
- two groups of cottages two groups of accommodation huts
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response identifies the central transformation and covers most major additions, including accommodation, reception, restaurant, pier, paths, and swimming access. Its main limitation is imprecision: the overview is rather general, the vehicle-track description is inaccurate, and the undeveloped eastern area is not clearly contrasted. Prioritise a sharper overview and precise spatial comparisons drawn directly from both maps.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
A clear overview and most key developments are included, although some spatial details and comparisons are imprecise or omitted.
Contrast the unchanged eastern area with the developed west and centre, and describe the single connected vehicle track accurately.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the accommodation to central facilities and access, but the single paragraph and a few unclear references weaken organisation.
Separate the overview from the detailed description and use explicit nouns instead of ambiguous pronouns such as 'it'.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a sufficient range of map-related vocabulary, but several awkward collocations reduce precision.
Replace phrases such as 'special organisation', 'vehicles tracks', and 'facilitate the tourists' with natural, exact map-description language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the main ideas, though errors with articles, plurals, prepositions, and modification recur.
Check noun phrases and agreement carefully, especially forms such as 'vehicle tracks', 'the construction', and references to the palm trees.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.