The maps below show the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010.

Same questionCompare 2 different answers (Band 7–7.5)

Sample Response

1

The mapspictures illustrate the changesdevelopment of the village of Stokeford that took placethat have taken place between 1930 and 2010over a period of 80 years. In general, the maps show thatit is clearly shown that River Stoke and thea bridge remained unchanged throughout the periodthroughout the given period of time and many more houses were built by 2010had been constructed in 2010.

2

There were major changes in the village of Stokeford over the years. NotablyFirst of all, the shops located east of River Stokein the east of River Stoke were removeddestroyed and more houses were built in 2010. The next noticeable feature is that the farmland was replacedthe farmland in 1930 was demolished and it was converted into housingresidential places with new roads being constructed. Furthermore, the primary schoolprimary school was developed in 2010 and it was almost doubled in 2010 compared to 1930. Part of the gardens in 1930 was used for residential purpose by building more rows of houses near the main road. The left-over garden with a large house was then developed into a retirement home in 2010.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response selects nearly all major changes and provides a clear overview, with the extensive residential expansion described particularly well. Its main limitation is imprecise language for map changes, such as describing farmland as demolished, alongside several agreement and article errors. The highest priority is to report each feature with precise change verbs and briefly note the unchanged post office to make the coverage fully accurate.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TA

Task Achievement

7.5
Scoring rule

A clear overview and accurate coverage of most major changes are provided, although the unchanged post office is omitted and a few descriptions are imprecise.

Next step

Include the post office among the unchanged features and distinguish precisely between removal, conversion, expansion, and redevelopment.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0
Scoring rule

Information progresses logically from the overview to the principal changes, with effective linking despite somewhat mechanical sequencing.

Next step

Group related residential changes together and use fewer formulaic transitions such as first of all and furthermore.

LR

Lexical Resource

6.5
Scoring rule

The response uses a sufficient range of map vocabulary, but choices such as demolished farmland, residential places, and left-over garden lack precision.

Next step

Use accurate map-change collocations such as converted into housing, expanded, remained, and redeveloped as a retirement home.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5
Scoring rule

A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the changes clearly, though agreement, articles, tense, and passive forms contain recurring errors.

Next step

Check subject-verb agreement and articles, especially in phrases such as the development has, the primary school, and for residential purposes.

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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

The maps below show the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010.

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