The map below shows the changes in an American town between 1948 and 2010.
Sample Response
The maps portray the changes that took placemodifications which took place in an American town between 1948 and 2010. Overall, in spite of some significant changes, the size of the townthe dimension of town remained broadly similar in extentdid not alter. However, these variations showmanifest that the town developed gradually through increased commercial developmentin terms of everything during this interval. Looking at the details, there were some significant changesvariabilities. From the middle of town to the north-eastup to north-east, the central pond and surrounding treesthe surrounding lake with trees and the factories occupied this area in 1948were situated in 1948. In 2010, these sites were replaced bythese places were modified to a supermarket, commercial buildings and the airport. At the same time in the southern part of the townbottom right-hand corner of the town, the sports stadium replaced the church south of the canalreplaced the church during this time. Residential houses and the local supermarketResidential houses and local supermarket were substituted with commercial buildings. By contrast, the residential houses which were located east of the canalon the right side of the canal and the petrol station situated in the north of the town did not change their positions throughout the periodall through a period of time.
Why this response received Band 5.5
The response identifies several important replacements and correctly notes the unchanged petrol station and eastern housing, giving the report a useful factual core. However, the overview is vague and partly inaccurate, while several locations and changes are misdescribed. Prioritise a precise overview of commercial expansion and then organise details by area, checking every feature against both maps.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
Several major changes are selected, but the overview is vague and claims about town size and gradual development are unsupported; the lake and stadium locations are also misstated.
State the dominant transformation accurately, then compare unchanged and replaced features by location.
Coherence and Cohesion
There is a basic overview-detail progression, but all details sit in one paragraph and some linking is imprecise.
Use separate overview and detail paragraphs, grouping western, central, and eastern changes.
Lexical Resource
Some map vocabulary is attempted, but collocations such as 'dimension of town' and 'significant variabilities' are unnatural.
Use precise map terms such as remained unchanged, was replaced by, site, and north-east.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence forms is used, but article, preposition, and tense errors recur.
Use past simple consistently and check articles and fixed location phrases.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
The map below shows the changes in an American town between 1948 and 2010.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.