Key features to report

• The main change is a complete switch in land use: all eight factories are to be removed and the site will become a residential area made up of housing blocks.
• The site lies between a river and farmland to the north, the town to the west and a main road along the south; these boundaries stay the same, but the development is planned to spread north across the river into the farmland.
• The road network is set to expand: the existing road from the main road to the central roundabout and the road running east are kept, a new road is planned to lead north-west, and another is to run north over the river by bridge to a new road with housing beyond it.
• New public facilities are planned: shops to the south-west of the central roundabout, a medical centre to its south-east, a playground beside the eastern road and a school at the eastern end of that road.
• A second, smaller roundabout is to be added where the access road joins the main road in the south.
• Because the second map shows plans, changes should be described with future or passive forms such as will be replaced, is to be built and is planned to extend.

Model overview

Overall, the site is set to be transformed from a purely industrial zone into a residential neighbourhood with its own amenities, as every factory is replaced by housing. The road network is also planned to expand considerably, most notably with a new bridge carrying a road across the river into the farmland.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the maps compare the current layout of an industrial site in Norbiton with plans for its future redevelopment.

2. 2

   Overview

   Give the two biggest changes without detail: industry will give way to housing and services, and the road network will grow, including a bridge across the river to the north.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: the site now

   Describe the present layout briefly: river and farmland to the north, the town to the west, the main road to the south, one road leading north to a roundabout and a road running east, with eight factories around the roundabout and along the eastern road.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: the planned changes

   Explain what will replace the factories and what will be added: housing along the eastern road with a playground and a school, new roads to the north-west and over the river to more housing, shops and a medical centre near the roundabout, and a second roundabout on the main road.

Useful comparisons

• Contrast land use before and after: eight factories now versus seven blocks of housing and several community facilities in the future.
• Group the features that stay the same: the river, the farmland, the town boundary, the main road, the central roundabout and the road running east.
• Group the new roads together: a road to the north-west, a road and bridge across the river ending in an east-west road, and a new roundabout on the main road.
• Group the new services together: shops and a medical centre near the central roundabout, and a playground and a school along the eastern road.
• Describe the expansion of the built-up area north of the river into what is currently farmland.
• Organise the description by direction from the central roundabout (north, north-west, east and south) so the reader can follow the layout easily.

Band 8+ model answer

209 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 shift from industry to housing and the expanded road network, then covers all key changes, including the new bridge, facilities and roundabout, without unnecessary detail.

Coherence and Cohesion

The answer moves logically from the present layout to the planned changes and uses location phrases and linkers such as meanwhile, at present and under the plans to guide the reader around the map.

Lexical Resource

Map vocabulary such as demolished, retained, residential neighbourhood, amenities and at its far end is used precisely, and compass directions are accurate throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Present tenses for the current map are contrasted with a range of future passive forms such as will be demolished, is to be retained and are planned, along with relative clauses, all used accurately.

Useful vocabulary

redevelopment

the process of changing an area by demolishing old buildings and building new ones

residential area

a part of a town where people live rather than work

amenities

useful facilities such as shops, schools and medical centres

be demolished

be knocked down completely

give way to

be replaced by something else

be converted into

be changed so that it has a different use

be constructed

be built

be retained

be kept and not changed

span the river

cross from one side of the river to the other, used for a bridge

road network

the system of roads in an area

access road

a road that leads from a main road into an area

to the north-west of

in the direction between north and west from a particular point

at the far end of

at the point furthest along a road or area

is set to

is planned or expected to happen

Common mistakes

• Describing the future map in the past tense, as if the changes had already happened, instead of using will, is to be or is planned to.
• Missing the most important change, that all the factories disappear and the area becomes residential, while listing small details instead.
• Forgetting the expansion north of the river, including the bridge and the housing on what is now farmland.
• Getting directions wrong, for example placing the school in the west or the river in the south, when the compass shows the school at the eastern end and the river to the north.
• Writing no overview, or an overview that only says the area will change a lot without saying how.
• Describing the two maps in two separate paragraphs with no comparison between what exists now and what will replace it.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

These maps of an industrial area in Norbiton and its planned future development are Writing Task 1 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic, published in 2022.

Which tense should I use for the planned development map?

Use the present simple for the current map and future forms for the plan, especially passive structures such as will be replaced, is to be built and is planned to extend, because the changes have not happened yet.

Do I need to describe every building on the maps?

No. Report the main changes: factories replaced by housing, new roads and a bridge across the river, new facilities such as shops, a medical centre, a playground and a school, and the extra roundabout.

How many words should I write for this Task 1?

Write at least 150 words; around 170-200 words is enough to give an overview and describe the key changes in about 20 minutes.