Band 9 Vocabulary for IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: MAPS

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons (IELTS Academic Task 1 – Maps)

• Purpose of IELTS Task 1 maps: The task is to summarize changes over time (main features, comparisons where relevant) and typically write at least 150 words.
• Describe what the maps show (no interpretation):
  • You must avoid explanations/causes (e.g., “because car ownership increased”) and instead state only visible changes.
  • Phrases like “noticeable/aspect that stands out” are allowed, but they must introduce features, not reasons.
• Select and organize key changes:
  • Identify the most important differences and structure them logically (e.g., by what disappeared, what expanded, what shrank).
• Use accurate verb tenses and passive voice to match timelines:
  • Maps require time-appropriate language for past, “by year” stages, and “as of/present”.
  • Passive voice is emphasized because the focus is on the process/result on the site, not the agent.
• Use a range of vocabulary + synonyms + varying nouns:
  • Don’t repeat exact words (e.g., “car park,” “playground,” “school building”)—use variation:
    • General nouns (e.g., “recreational space,” “area”)
    • More specific nouns when appropriate (e.g., “sports field,” “play area”)
    • Paraphrasing for housing (e.g., “terraced houses,” “semi-detached houses,” “detached houses”)
• Handle details about location and map directions carefully:
  • If maps don’t show north/south (“no cardinal points”), you can’t use compass directions like “south of…”.
  • Instead describe relative position (top/bottom/left/right; in front of/behind; next to).
• Be careful with future tenses in mixed-time tasks:
  • If maps include future information, choose tense based on certainty/schedule:
    • Present tense for planned/scheduled events
    • Future simple/passive/infinite structures for future changes
  • The lesson stresses examiner-friendly tense variety with correct form.

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Methodology / instruction steps (detailed bullet list)

A) How to approach a maps question (Task 1)

• Read the task prompt and confirm:
  • You must summarize information by selecting and reporting main features.
  • Include comparisons where relevant.
  • Write at least 150 words.
• Identify key changes using a “what’s not there anymore / what expanded / what shrank” mindset, e.g.:
  • First: features that disappeared
  • Second: features that were added or expanded
  • Third: features that decreased in size
• Avoid interpretation:
  • Do not write reasons or outcomes not shown by the maps.
  • Prefer: “The car park has tripled…” over: “The car park became larger because…”

B) How to write descriptions of changes (recommended language patterns)

• Use verbs appropriate to the change type:
  • No longer there (removal/demolition):
    • demolish, remove, pull down, knock down
    • dig up (farmland/fields)
  • Add/build/open:
    • add, build, construct, open
  • Change in size:
    • become bigger/smaller, extend, expand, enlarge, reduce, cut
  • Replace/cover/redevelop:
    • replace, modernize, grow/develop, pave over
    • convert, redevelop, relocate
• Use passive voice for built/changed site features:
  • “The houses were demolished.”
  • “The car park was extended.”
  • “A science block was built.”
• Use time linkers and correct tense for each date:
  • Between past years: use “by + year” with past perfect passive:
    • “By 1980, the farmland had been replaced by a sports field.”
  • As of the present year (or “as of 2023”): use present perfect/passive:
    • “As of 2023, the sports field has been relocated…”
  • For a long-standing present condition:
    • “The main school building has stood there since 1950.”
  • For descriptive sequencing:
    • present perfect for “still true today,” past simple for earlier events when appropriate.

C) How to craft a strong introduction (useful vocabulary/rewrites)

• Start with a sentence summarizing the map set-up (what/where/time span).
• Use verbs like: illustrate, show, depict, cover a period, highlight developments
• Example structure mentioned:
  • “Three plans illustrate how [place] has developed from [start] until the present.”

D) How to manage articles (a/the) and referents

• General rule: use indefinite article (“a”) for first mention, then definite (“the”) later.
• Exception for unique features: use “the” because there is only one (e.g., “the school playground,” “the school car park”).

E) How to vary vocabulary without losing accuracy

• Use synonyms / re-phrasing:
  • playground → recreational space → area → play area
  • sports field / sports playing area / field (as context fits)
• Use correct building/housing categories when relevant:
  • terraced houses, semi-detached houses, detached houses (depending on the map description)
• Use category nouns for generalization:
  • “residential area” instead of repeating “housing” or “houses”
  • “office block,” “residential block,” “science block”

F) How to describe location when directions aren’t provided

• If maps show no north/south:
  • do not use “to the south/north of…”
  • describe position using:
    • top/bottom/left/right, and relative descriptors
      • in front of, opposite, behind
      • next to, close to
• If cardinal points are provided (in other examples), you may use:
  • north/south/east/west plus intermediate directions (Northeast, etc.)

G) How to handle future maps (tense strategy)

• If the future is included, tense choice depends on certainty:
  • present tense for scheduled/planned events
• Use mixed grammar structures to sound advanced:
  • future passive: “will be built,” “will be demolished”
  • infinitive passive for proposals: “The proposed new housing complex to be built… will include…”
  • example pattern:
    • “The new school to be finished in 2028 will provide…”

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Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker (presenter): Asiya
• Source referenced: Cambridge IELTS (specifically described as “the official Cambridge guide to IELTS”)
• No other named speakers appear.