Key features to report

• The main change is in the use of the land: in 1950 it was used only for farming, with a large sheep field in the north-east, whereas today much of the site serves tourism and other purposes, and the sheep have disappeared.
• The large sheep field has been divided up and replaced by a camping field in the centre, an area of solar panels in the north-east corner and two parking areas, one beside the main road and one beside the eastern road.
• The tracks from the main road to the triangular junction and from there to the eastern edge of the site have become roads, and a short new road now runs south from the junction to the barn.
• The barn has been moved from the east of the site, next to the farmhouse, to a new position just south of the triangular junction, and its old site is now occupied by a row of holiday cottages.
• A farm shop has been built near the main road, on the corner of the fruit tree field, at the point where the farm road begins.
• Several features are unchanged: the main road, the river, the farmhouse, the chicken area and the three strips of fruit trees, soft fruits and vegetables, although the fruit tree area has lost a small corner to the shop.

Model overview

Overall, Beechwood Farm has been transformed from a purely agricultural site into one that combines farming with tourism and energy production. The sheep field has disappeared to make way for camping, solar panels and parking, and the old tracks have been upgraded to roads, while the crop fields, farmhouse and chicken area remain largely unchanged.

Paragraph plan

1. 1

   Introduction

   Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the maps illustrate how Beechwood Farm has changed between 1950 and the present day.

2. 2

   Overview

   Summarise the big picture: the farm has moved from purely agricultural use to a mix of farming, tourism and energy generation; the sheep field has gone and the tracks have become roads, but the crop fields, farmhouse and chickens are still there.

3. 3

   Body paragraph 1: the northern half and the sheep field

   Describe how the sheep field has been replaced by a camping field, solar panels in the north-east and parking beside both the main road and the eastern road. Mention that the tracks are now roads and that a farm shop has been built near the main road on the edge of the fruit trees.

4. 4

   Body paragraph 2: the buildings and what has stayed the same

   Explain that the barn has been relocated south of the triangular junction, served by a new short road, and that holiday cottages now stand where it used to be. Finish with the unchanged features: the farmhouse, the chickens and the fruit, soft fruit and vegetable fields beside the river.

Useful comparisons

• Group the changes by purpose: tourism (camping field, holiday cottages, farm shop, parking), energy (solar panels) and transport (tracks upgraded to roads, new road to the barn).
• Contrast what was lost (the sheep field and the original barn site) with what was added (camping, solar panels, cottages, shop, parking).
• Divide the map into areas: the former sheep field in the north and east, the crop fields in the west near the river, and the buildings in the south-east.
• Use location language consistently, for example in the north-east corner, beside the main road, just south of the junction and next to the farmhouse.
• Treat the unchanged features as a group in one sentence rather than describing each of them separately.
• Note the relocation of the barn as a two-part change: the building has moved, and its former site is now used for holiday cottages.

Band 8+ model answer

207 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 presents a clear overview of the shift from purely agricultural use to tourism and energy production, then covers every significant change, including the relocated barn and the new roads, as well as the features that remain.

Coherence and Cohesion

The changes are grouped by area, first the former sheep field and then the buildings, and location phrases and referencing such as its former site and these fields make the progression easy to follow.

Lexical Resource

Map-specific vocabulary such as made way for, been upgraded to, been relocated and remain intact is used accurately, and the topic is paraphrased with terms like tourist facilities and agricultural use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The answer uses the present perfect passive consistently for changes up to today, alongside past simple for 1950, relative clauses and participle phrases, without errors.

Useful vocabulary

be converted into

be changed so that it is used for a different purpose

make way for

be removed so that something new can be built or used in its place

be relocated

be moved to a new position

be upgraded to

be improved and made into something better, as when a track becomes a road

agricultural land

land used for growing crops or keeping animals

diversify

start doing a wider range of activities, for example a farm earning money from tourism

tourist facilities

buildings and areas provided for visitors, such as cottages and campsites

renewable energy

power from sources such as the sun that do not run out

occupy

fill or use a particular space

remain intact

stay complete and unchanged

adjacent to

next to or very near something

the north-east corner

the top right part of the map

the former site of

the place where something used to be

Common mistakes

• Using the active voice with an invented subject, such as the farmer built cottages, instead of the passive voice that is natural for describing map changes.
• Describing each map separately, first everything in 1950 and then everything today, instead of comparing the two and focusing on what changed.
• Saying that the barn was demolished and not mentioning that a barn still exists in a new position south of the junction.
• Forgetting to mention features that did not change, such as the farmhouse, the chickens and the crop fields, which helps to give a complete picture.
• Giving no overview of the general change from farming only to farming combined with tourism and energy production.
• Using vague location language such as here and there or at the top instead of compass directions and clear reference points like the main road and the river.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cambridge book is this question from?

This map task comparing Beechwood Farm in 1950 and today is Writing Task 1 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 20 Academic.

Which tense should I use for a map that shows today?

Use the past simple for the situation in 1950 and the present perfect, often in the passive, for the changes, for example a camping field has been created. Use the present simple for features that exist now.

Do I need to mention things that did not change?

Yes, briefly. A short sentence noting that the farmhouse, chickens and crop fields are still in place shows that you have compared the maps fully.

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.