The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.
Sample Response
The maps illustrate the changes that have occurred on an island due to the building of facilities for tourists. The island originally consisted of just palm trees and the beach, yet now, although the palm trees remain, it hosts a wealth of attractions for holiday makers, from restaurants and swimming to accommodation. The island is approximately 250200 metres long, with a small beach on the western tip. It was deserted before, with only a scattering of palm trees. Now, however,Now though, there is an abundance of places to stay in the form of fifteen accommodation unitsfifteen beach huts situated in circular patterns in the centre of the island and to the west. Between these two sets of accommodation there is also a new large restaurant and a reception building, both served by a new vehicle-track networknew vehicle tracks. Situated in the south is a Tt-shaped pier for boatsships to dock, and sailing boats are now evident in this area of the sea. Footpaths have also been constructed, which cross the developed part of the islandtraverse the island, leading to the accommodation units and the beachthe new buildings and also the beach, where tourists can now swim.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents a clear, detailed account of the island’s development, accurately covering the main facilities, transport links, accommodation, and retained natural features. Its main weakness is a small factual inaccuracy in describing the island as about 200 metres long when the scale indicates roughly 250 metres, alongside limited paragraphing. Prioritise checking measurements against the visual and grouping the overview, original state, and changes into distinct paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The report offers a strong overview and accurately describes nearly all major changes, including accommodation, facilities, routes, the pier, and swimming access.
Check scale-based details carefully, as the island is approximately 250 metres rather than 200 metres long.
Coherence and Cohesion
The description follows a clear before-to-after progression, and cohesive references connect locations and developments effectively.
Use separate paragraphs for the overview, the original island, and the developed island to make the structural progression clearer.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and precise, with effective language for location, construction, abundance, and movement across the island.
Prefer neutral descriptive wording over promotional phrases such as “a wealth of attractions” when reporting map features.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, with only minor punctuation or phrasing lapses.
Add commas around interrupting adverbials such as “Now, though,” and continue checking punctuation in longer sentences.
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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.