Plans for a Former Factory Site

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 plans. Plan A and Plan B for a former factory site between a road and a river.
2. Overview: Plan A is residential with leisure space, Plan B is commercial, and the cleared factory site in the south stays empty in both.
3. Body 1: Plan A, with six houses and a playground in the north part of the site.
4. Body 2: Plan B, with a supermarket, offices and a car park in the north part of the site, plus the features shared by both plans.

Key features to spot

• Plan A includes six houses in two rows of three, in the north-west of the site.
• Plan A includes a playground in the middle of the site, with swings, a slide and a seesaw.
• Plan B includes a supermarket in the north-west and offices in the north-east.
• Plan B includes a large car park in the middle of the site, between the buildings and the factory site.
• The cleared factory site in the south, the road and the river are the same in both plans.

Useful vocabulary

• Plan A would provide: Plan A would provide six houses and a playground.
• by contrast: By contrast, Plan B would provide commercial space.
• residential: The northern part of Plan A is residential.
• commercial development: Plan B is a commercial development.
• would be situated in the north: The supermarket would be situated in the north of the site.
• in both plans: The factory site in the south stays empty in both plans.
• a row of: The houses are arranged in a row of three.
• the southern part of the site: The southern part of the site remains cleared in both plans.
• is bordered by: The site is bordered by a road on one side and a river on the other.
• the most notable difference: The most notable difference is the housing in Plan A.

Common mistakes

• Saying Plan A includes offices or shops. Those features appear only in Plan B.
• Missing that the factory site remains empty in both plans, which is a key shared feature.
• Mixing up the supermarket and the offices. The supermarket is larger and on the north-west.
• Describing the river or road as part of the changes. They stay the same in both plans.
• Saying Plan A has more houses than Plan B. Plan B has no houses at all.

Examiner tip: Contrast the residential plan with the commercial plan, then note the empty factory site that both plans leave untouched, since that shared feature is easy to overlook.