IELTS Writing Task 1 MAP: Lesson 4: How to Write a Band 9 | Step by step

Main ideas & lessons conveyed

What an “IELTS Writing Task 1 map” is

• A map question focuses on changes to one location between two time periods (e.g., construction/demolition and changes to surrounding landscape/facilities).
• You should divide the map into comparative areas (zones/sections that are easy to see) to group information logically and compare changes.

Typical question types for maps (with tense guidance)

1. Describe a map (often rare)
   • Usually uses present simple tense
   • No real comparison required
2. Describe the future development
   • Uses present + future tense
   • Used for future changes (e.g., a village district/city development)
3. Describe two maps (past vs present) — most common
   • Requires analyzing main characteristics and comparisons
   • Uses past tense + present tense (for the earlier and later periods)

Overall Task 1 map structure (Band 9 approach)

• Introduction
• Overview (1–2 sentences describing the biggest general changes; no numbering)
• Body Paragraph 1 (detailed comparisons for one area/feature)
• Body Paragraph 2 (detailed comparisons for another area/feature)

Core vocabulary/structures for map descriptions

The instructor emphasizes learning useful direction terms and sentence patterns to describe:

• Location
• Change/movement/replacement
• Stability (unchanged places)
• General facts in the overview (length, population, capacity, etc.)
• Transport/roads and how they run through areas

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Methodology / “how to” instructions (detailed checklist)

A) Before writing: interpret the map correctly

• Use a compass/directions on the map to determine:
  • where features are located relative to each other (e.g., north/east/west/south)
• Break the map into comparative areas:
  • group similar features together (buildings, paths/roads, open spaces, parking areas, sports facilities, etc.)
• Decide which tense to use for each time period:
  • earlier time period → past
  • later time period → present

B) Write the correct parts

1) Introduction (paraphrase the prompt)

• Rephrase “diagrams” as appropriate (the video suggests “two pictures” is suitable here).
• Keep key meaning words like site/layout.
• Include both time points with correct tense framing:
  • e.g., “in 2004” and “in 2024” (past → future/present depending on the prompt’s later reference).

2) Overview (general statements only)

• Identify 1–2 biggest changes without numbering.
• Use overview-focused phrasing such as:
  • addition / new construction / erection of a major building
  • resulting capacity changes (e.g., accommodate / contain / have more places)
• Example overview logic:
  • The major change is new school building construction.
  • Afterwards, the school can accommodate more students.

3) Body paragraphs (detailed comparisons)

• Compare the same feature across both times inside the same paragraph/sequence.
• Use signposting/linking words to guide the examiner:
  • furthermore, in addition, besides
• Use relative clauses and spatial descriptors to explain how elements connect:
  • e.g., path changes, building links
• When describing movement/replacement:
  • emphasize reallocation of old facilities and what replaced them
  • include “because”-style reasoning implied in the map changes
    • e.g., sports field demolished to make room

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Sentence structure toolkit (what to reuse)

1) Location structure

• Direction + location verbs:
  • be located in
  • be situated in
  • be positioned
• Example patterns:
  • “The new park is located in the northeast of the village.”
  • “The old building is situated in the middle of the city.”

2) Change/movement/replacement structures (size/appearance)

• Expansion / growth
  • “will be expanded / will become bigger…”
• Demolition & replacement
  • “will be demolished to make way for…”
  • “will be constructed on the original site of…”
• Relocation
  • “will be moved to the west of…”

3) Stability (unchanged) structure

• “remained unchanged for almost X years”

4) Overview factual structure

• Use general measurable facts:
  • length of …
  • population of …
  • (adapt capacity ideas for school maps, e.g., student numbers)

5) Transportation/area integration

• Describe roads/paths relative to the surrounding area:
  • “The highway goes through the village from west to east.”
• Map-specific transport changes:
  • new road/links connecting entrance ↔ parking/areas

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Example walkthrough from the video (Map sample)

Map sample described

• School site in 2004 vs plan for 2024
• Time periods: 2004 (past) and 2024 (later/present framework)

What the sample answer emphasizes

Introduction

• “The two pictures compare the layout/site of a school in 2004 with a proposed site design for 2024.”

Overview (main changes)

• New school building construction in 2024
• Result: school can accommodate a considerably larger number of students

Body details (feature-by-feature comparisons)

• Pupil numbers
  • 2004: 600 pupils
  • 2024: 1000 pupils, enabled by the new building and reconfiguration
• Path/connection changes
  • In 2004, two buildings separated by a path.
  • In 2024, a third building appears and the new/updated path becomes shorter and connects buildings.
  • Use linking/signposting words like furthermore / in addition / besides to describe connections and added links.
• Sports field / parking relocation
  • Sports field is demolished to make room.
  • A second car park is built on the original sports field site.
  • A new smaller sports field is built elsewhere (e.g., to the east of the old buildings, almost opposite the new building).
• Road changes and access
  • A new road is built from the main entrance to the second car park, connecting the car park to the entrance.
• Unchanged elements
  • The main entrance and the original car park remain unchanged.

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Speakers / sources featured

• IELTS Channel (the instructor addressing the audience; speaker not individually named in the subtitles)