The plans below show the layout of a university’s sports centre now, and how it will look after redevelopment.
Sample Response
The diagrams detail the present construction of a sports centre and plans for its renovation. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that there are plans to remove the outdoor courts and expand the gym with additional facilities for swimming, changing, dancing, and activities largely unrelated to exercise like shopping and having coffee.
At the moment, the university’s main building is flanked by large outdoor courts. The plan is to remove the western courts in favour of a leisure pool larger in size than the current pool, which will itself remain unchanged during renovations. The entire main building will not undergo alterations including the changing rooms, reception and seating area. The only slight exception is that the gym on the northern end of the building will be lengthened eastwards and connect with two new adjoining dance studios.
The outdoor court on the eastern side will be replaced by a sports hall and to the southeast of the sports hall the university will add an additional changing room (which is mirrored by the same room in the southwestern corner of the plans) and an abutting cafe to the west. The large entrance area will not be impeded in any way but a new sports shop will open next to the westernmost changing room.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use map terminology Original: present construction Suggested revision: current layout Why it matters: Layout is the more precise term for the arrangement shown in a plan.
- 2. Name the proposal Original: plans for its renovation Suggested revision: the proposed redevelopment Why it matters: Proposed redevelopment states the future status more directly.
- 3. Streamline the overview Original: Looking from an overall perspective Suggested revision: Overall Why it matters: A concise overview marker improves flow without changing the meaning.
- 4. Correct redevelopment scope Original: gym Suggested revision: centre Why it matters: The whole sports centre expands, while the gym itself is only lengthened eastwards.
- 5. Name mapped amenities Original: activities largely unrelated to exercise like shopping and having coffee Suggested revision: amenities such as a sports shop and café Why it matters: The plans label a sports shop and café, so naming them is more exact.
- 6. Remove redundancy Original: larger in size Suggested revision: larger Why it matters: Larger already expresses a difference in size.
- 7. Keep verb forms parallel Original: connect Suggested revision: connected Why it matters: Both coordinated passive verbs require past participles after will be.
- 8. Use compass location Original: westernmost Suggested revision: southwestern Why it matters: Southwestern identifies the room's mapped position more precisely.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: The entire main building will not undergo alterations including the changing rooms, reception and seating area. Suggested revision: The pool, existing changing room, reception and seating area will remain unchanged. Why it matters: The original overgeneralizes because the gym, which is part of the present building, will be extended.
- 10. Sentence rewrite Original: The outdoor court on the eastern side will be replaced by a sports hall and to the southeast of the sports hall the university will add an additional changing room (which is mirrored by the same room in the southwestern corner of the plans) and an abutting cafe to the west. Suggested revision: The eastern outdoor court will be replaced by a sports hall; southeast of it, the university will add a changing room, with a matching changing room in the southwest corner and a café immediately to the west of the southeastern room. Why it matters: Separating the main replacement from the added facilities makes the long spatial description easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- present construction current layout
- plans for its renovation the proposed redevelopment
- Looking from an overall perspective Overall
- gym centre
- activities largely unrelated to exercise like shopping and having coffee amenities such as a sports shop and café
- larger in size larger
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response selects almost all major changes and presents them in a clear, spatially organised progression, with a strong overview of the expanded centre and its new facilities. The main limitation is occasional imprecision or overstatement, especially the claim that the entire main building will not change before noting the enlarged gym. The priority is to qualify unchanged features more precisely and keep directional descriptions exact.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The overview and details cover the principal removals, additions, expansions, and retained facilities accurately, with only minor imprecision about what remains unchanged.
State specifically that the central pool, reception, seating, and existing changing room remain while the gym is extended, avoiding an overgeneralised claim about the whole building.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically grouped by the western, central, and eastern areas, and cohesive devices guide the reader smoothly through the redevelopment.
Refine the transition around the unchanged central facilities and the gym exception so the relationship is immediately clear.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise range of language describes location and redevelopment effectively, despite a few slightly awkward choices such as present construction and will not be impeded.
Choose more natural map-reporting phrases such as current layout, remain unchanged, and entrance will be retained.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a wide range of complex structures with strong control, and the few cumbersome constructions do not impede communication.
Streamline the longest sentences and use punctuation to separate multiple spatial details more cleanly.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The plans below show the layout of a university’s sports centre now, and how it will look after redevelopment.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.