Look at a typical IELTS Task 1 question below:
The two maps below show road access to a city hospital in 2007 and in 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Here is a 5-step process to describe changes to a plan in Task 1 Writing
Step 1: Identify the key features
Step 2: Choose the tense
Step 3: Writing the introduction and overview
Step 4: Add complex sentences and linking words
Step 5: Add some band booster words/phrases
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE KEY FEATURES
First of all, you have to identify the key features in the pan. These can easily be identified as it always stand out. In this example you will find that the city hospital has undergone lot of changes, though some facilities have remained unchanged.
So you can write on the question paper
- What’s the same?
- What’s different?
STEP 2: CHOOSE THE TENSE
Have a look at the tenses that can be used for this particular question
Past Tense
- The plans show how a city hospital altered over a three-year period from 2007 to 2010
- City roads remained largely the same
- There used to be a common parking area for staff and public
Past Perfect Tense
- By 2010, they had decided to allot that space exclusively to hospital staff and added an extensive public parking space to the east side of the hospital.
Passive Voice: Past Perfect Tense
- But this had been replaced with a large bus station to the west side of it.
STEP 3: WRITING THE INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Compare the introduction given in the question with mine- What is different?
“The two maps below show road access to a city hospital in 2007 and in 2010”
My version: The plans show HOW a city hospital altered over a three-year period from 2007 to 2010
We can easily paraphrase using the word ‘how’
Overall, we can see that despite the addition of facilities such as a bus station, public parking space and two roundabouts, the ring road, staff parking space and the city hospital building itself remained unchanged
STEP 4: ADD COMPLEX SENTENCES AND LINKING WORDS
- Add linking words such as these: despite, but, and, so, in addition.
- Add reference words: this, those, that, they, it
Have a look at these examples:
In addition, though the ring and city roads remained largely the same, hospital road underwent a few changes with the addition of two roundabouts on either side which connects it to the City and Ring roads and two small lanes linking it to a newly built bus station
STEP 5: ADD BAND BOOSTER PHRASES OR WORDS
- Add prepositions and be more specific (large bus station to the west side of it, two roundabouts on either side)
- Add reasons (they had decided to allot that space exclusively to hospital staff).
- More adjectives (large bus station, extensive public parking)
Now look at the full version:
The plans show how a city hospital altered over a three-year period from 2007 to 2010. Overall, we can see that despite the addition of facilities such as a bus station, public parking space and two roundabouts, the ring road, staff parking space and the city hospital building itself remained unchanged.
Noticeably, there were three bus stops on either side of the hospital road in 2007. But this had been replaced with a large bus station to the west side of it. In addition, though the ring and city roads remained largely the same, hospital road underwent a few changes with the addition of two roundabouts on either side which connects it to the City and Ring roads and two small lanes linking it to a newly built bus station.
In 2007, there used to be a common parking area for staff and public. By 2010, they had decided to allot that space exclusively to hospital staff and added an extensive public parking space to the east side of the hospital.
Get more advice on how to do IELTS Writing Task
- Find out how to describe a Process here
- Find out how to write a BAND 9 model essay here
- 15 ways to improve your IELTS Vocabulary
- How to write Complex Sentences: IELTS Writing Task 2
- How to improve your Speaking at Home
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