Hospital Site Development

The question

How to approach this map question

A map question shows a place at two points in time (or two plans). Describe what changed, what stayed the same, and where, using direction and location language.

1. Say what the maps show and the two time points in your own words.
2. Overview: the main kind of change (for example more building, less green space) and one thing that stays.
3. Describe changes area by area (north, south, centre) with verbs such as was replaced by, was converted into, was built.
4. Use precise location phrases: to the east of, next to, opposite, in the north-west corner.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the maps. The hospital site in 1995 and 2025.
2. Overview: the site grew in buildings and parking at the expense of green space, while the wards building, entrance, road and river stayed the same.
3. Body 1: the north, where the clinic was replaced by a larger new wing.
4. Body 2: the south and east, where the car park expanded and the garden was reduced to a narrow strip beside the river.

Key features to spot

• The clinic in the north was replaced by a much larger new wing, occupying a bigger area of the site.
• The car park in the south-west grew to fill most of the southern part of the site, with more rows of spaces.
• The garden, which in 1995 covered a large area in the south-east, was reduced to a narrow strip beside the river.
• The wards building, the entrance and the road remained unchanged.
• The river on the eastern edge stayed in the same place, which means the site's boundary did not change.

Useful vocabulary

• was replaced by a much larger: The clinic was replaced by a much larger new wing.
• expanded to fill most of: The car park expanded to fill most of the southern part of the site.
• reduced to a narrow strip: The garden was reduced to a narrow strip beside the river.
• in the north of the site: The new wing is located in the north of the site.
• remained unchanged: The wards building remained unchanged in both years.
• at the expense of: Green space declined at the expense of parking.
• along the eastern edge: The garden runs along the eastern edge of the site.
• the most striking change: The most striking change is the growth of the car park.
• to the west of: The entrance is to the west of the wards building.
• a considerable increase in: There was a considerable increase in the area given over to parking.

Common mistakes

• Confusing the north and south of the site. The clinic and new wing are in the north, and the car park is in the south.
• Describing the wards as extended. The wards building itself did not change.
• Calling the new wing a new hospital. It is an extension to the existing site.
• Saying the garden disappeared. It was reduced to a narrow strip, so it still exists.
• Giving reasons for the expansion, such as rising patient numbers. The task does not ask for causes.

Examiner tip: Contrast the green space that shrank with the parking area that grew, since this trade-off is the clearest feature of the hospital site and gives your overview its focus.