Key features to report

• The basic road layout stays the same: the Ring Road still loops around the hospital, and Hospital Road still runs south from the Ring Road to City Road.
• In 2007 Hospital Road had six bus stops, three on each side; by 2010 all of them had been removed and replaced by a bus station to the west of Hospital Road, between the two junctions.
• Two roundabouts were built on Hospital Road in 2010, one where it meets the Ring Road and one where it meets City Road, and the road to the bus station connects to both of them.
• In 2007 there was a single car park for staff and the public to the east of Hospital Road; in 2010 this area became a staff car park only.
• A new public car park was added in 2010 to the east of the hospital, on the outer side of the eastern section of the Ring Road, with its entrance from the Ring Road.
• The hospital building itself does not change in position or size, so every change to report concerns how people reach it by road, bus or car.

Model overview

Overall, while the main road network around the hospital remained largely unchanged, access was reorganised to separate public transport and parking. The most noticeable developments were the replacement of roadside bus stops with a bus station, the addition of two roundabouts and the division of parking into separate areas for staff and the public.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task: the maps compare the roads and facilities giving access to a city hospital in 2007 and three years later, in 2010.

2. 2

   Overview

   State the big picture without detail: the Ring Road and Hospital Road stayed in place, but bus services, junctions and parking were reorganised, with bus stops replaced by a bus station, two roundabouts added and parking split between staff and the public.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: roads and buses

   Describe 2007 first: the Ring Road around the hospital, Hospital Road running south to City Road, and six bus stops along Hospital Road. Then report the 2010 changes: two roundabouts at either end of Hospital Road, the bus stops removed and a bus station built to the west, reached from both roundabouts.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: parking

   Explain that the car park east of Hospital Road, shared by staff and visitors in 2007, became a staff car park in 2010, and that a separate public car park was built to the east of the hospital, entered from the Ring Road.

Useful comparisons

• Group the changes into two themes, transport (roundabouts and buses) and parking, rather than walking around the map.
• Contrast what stayed the same (the hospital, the Ring Road and the line of Hospital Road) with what was added or removed.
• Compare the six roadside bus stops in 2007 with the single bus station in 2010 and note its position west of Hospital Road.
• Compare one shared car park in 2007 with two separate car parks in 2010, one for staff and one for the public.
• Use location language consistently: east of Hospital Road, west of the hospital approach, at the junction with City Road.
• Use passive past forms to describe changes made by planners, for example were removed, was constructed, was converted.

Band 8+ model answer

201 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.

Why this answer scores highly

Task Achievement

The answer gives a clear overview of the unchanged road layout and the main changes, then reports every key feature accurately, including the position of the bus station, the two roundabouts and the split between staff and public parking.

Coherence and Cohesion

The changes are grouped logically into roads and buses, then parking, and linking phrases such as by 2010, in addition and three years later make the sequence of changes easy to follow.

Lexical Resource

Precise map vocabulary such as junction, roundabout, was converted into and was set aside for is used accurately, along with location phrases like to the west of Hospital Road.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer combines past simple for the 2007 layout with a range of past passive forms for the changes, and uses relative and participle clauses to add location details without errors.

Useful vocabulary

road access

the roads and routes by which people reach a place

roundabout

a circular junction where traffic moves around a central island

junction

a place where two or more roads meet

bus station

a dedicated area where several buses stop, start and wait

were removed

were taken away; useful passive form for the bus stops

was converted into

was changed so that it had a different use

was designated for

was officially set aside for a particular group or use

was constructed

was built

the eastern section of the Ring Road

the part of the Ring Road on the east side of the hospital

loops around

goes in a circle around something

runs south from

goes in a southward direction starting at a place

visitors

members of the public coming to the hospital; a synonym for the public

remained unchanged

stayed exactly the same

reorganised

arranged in a new way to work better

Common mistakes

• Describing the maps as a route or giving directions, such as turn left at the roundabout, instead of reporting the changes between 2007 and 2010.
• Forgetting to say that the bus stops on Hospital Road disappeared, which is the reason the bus station was built.
• Missing the change in who can use the original car park: it was for staff and the public in 2007 but only for staff in 2010.
• Placing the new facilities in the wrong position, for example putting the public car park west of the hospital or the bus station east of Hospital Road.
• Using present tenses throughout; both maps are in the past, so the past simple and past passive are needed.
• Writing no overview, or an overview that only says there were many changes without naming the main ones.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

These maps of road access to a city hospital in 2007 and 2010 are Writing Task 1 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic, published in 2018.

Which tense should I use for these maps?

Use past tenses for both maps because 2007 and 2010 are both in the past. The past passive, such as were replaced and was built, is especially useful for describing changes.

Do I need compass directions in a map answer?

Yes, they help accuracy. Use phrases such as to the east of the hospital or west of Hospital Road so the reader knows exactly where each new feature is.

How many words should I write for this Task 1?

Write at least 150 words; about 170-200 words is enough to cover the overview and the main changes in around 20 minutes.