AC-T1-311 Academic · Task 1 · beginner · 20 min · 150+ words Map Society

Millbrook Village Over Thirty Years

The question

The maps below show how the village of Millbrook changed between 1995 and 2025. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Two maps of the village of Millbrook in 1995 and 2025: the farm in the north-west becomes houses, the fields in the north-east become a park, and the single shop becomes a row of shops with a car park, while the church, school, pond, river and main road stay the same.

Instructions

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. • Begin with an overview of the main changes shown on the maps. • Use location language such as to the north of, next to and in the south-east. • Group the changes logically rather than describing every feature in turn. • Do not give your own opinions.

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.

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

How to plan this answer

Structure

Introduction: paraphrase the maps. The village of Millbrook in 1995 and 2025.
Overview: the village changed mainly through new housing, a park and a larger shopping area, while the church, school, pond, river and main road stayed the same.
Body 1: the north-west, where the farm was replaced by houses, and the north-east, where the fields became a park.
Body 2: the central east, where the single shop became a row of shops with a car park, plus any other unchanged features.

Key features to spot

The farm in the north-west, with several buildings, was replaced by a housing area with many small houses along new roads.
The large field in the north-east became a park with a looping path, trees and a gazebo.
The single shop beside the main road was replaced by a row of shops with a car park in front.
The church, school, pond, river and main road remained unchanged, so the village core stayed the same.
A new road now runs north through the housing area, which shows how the village expanded.

Useful vocabulary

to the north-west of: The farm was located to the north-west of the church.
was replaced by: The farm was replaced by a housing development.
on the site of: The park now occupies the site of the former fields.
a row of shops: The single shop was replaced by a row of shops.
remained unchanged: The church and school remained unchanged over the thirty years.
to the east of: The shops are situated to the east of the church.
the most noticeable change: The most noticeable change is the new housing in the north-west.
a looping path: The park has a looping path through the trees.
is now home to: The north-west is now home to a cluster of houses.
in place of: A car park was built in front of the shops in place of open ground.

Common mistakes

Confusing north-west and north-east. The farm was in the north-west and the fields in the north-east.
Describing the 1995 map in the present tense, such as there is a farm. Use the past tense for 1995.
Describing every feature in turn. Group the changes into areas to create a logical comparison.
Saying the shop is still a single building. In 2025 it has become a row of shops with a car park.
Including the church or school as changed. They stayed the same, and mentioning them is useful only as a contrast.

Examiner tip: Name the changed areas by their position, such as north-west and north-east, and state clearly which features stayed the same, because the unchanged features make a useful point of comparison.

Model answers by band score

Written for this question to show what changes from one band to the next. Try the task yourself first, then compare.

Band 6 answer

The two maps show the village of Millbrook in 1995 and in 2025. There are some changes in the village during thirty years. Overall, the north of the village changed a lot and became more modern, but the middle and the south of the village is the same. In 1995 there was a farm in the north-west of the village. In 2025 the farm is gone and there are many houses there, with a road between them. In the north-east there were fields, but now there is a park. The park have a path and a small building in the middle. The shop was next to the church in 1995, on the east side of the road. In 2025 it is changed into a row of shops, and a car park was built in front of them. This is more big than before. The church, school, pond and the river did not change. The main road is also same and the bridge over the river still be there.

Why this is band 6

Identifies the three main changes (farm to houses, fields to park, shop to shops with a car park) and the unchanged features, all correct to the maps.
Basic location language ('in the north-west', 'next to') and a limited range of vocabulary; the tense control slips ('is gone', 'was built' with 'is changed').
Several visible errors ('The park have', 'more big', 'still be there') but meaning remains clear.
Band 7 would use a consistent past tense, vary the language of change ('was replaced by', 'was converted into') and give more precise locations.

Band 7 answer

The maps show how the village of Millbrook changed between 1995 and 2025. Overall, the northern part of the village was developed considerably, with farmland replaced by housing and recreation space, and the shopping area was expanded, whereas the central and southern parts remained unchanged. In 1995, the north-west of the village was occupied by a farm, and a large area of fields lay to the north-east. By 2025, the farm buildings had been demolished and replaced by a housing estate, which was reached by a road extended north from the main road. The fields had been turned into a park with a circular path, a bench and a small gazebo. Another significant change affected the east of the village. The single shop beside the road, to the east of the church, had been replaced by a row of shops, and a car park was built in front of them, between the shops and the main road. In contrast, the church, the school, the pond and the river did not change, and the main road and the bridge across the river stayed in the same position.

Why this is band 7

Clear overview separating the developed north and east from the unchanged centre and south, and all details match the maps.
Good range of change vocabulary ('replaced by', 'turned into', 'had been demolished') and accurate location language ('to the east of the church').
Information is grouped logically, but a few details are vague ('another significant change') and some sentences are long and slightly repetitive.
Band 8 would use tighter, more varied phrasing and more precisely select features, such as the road layout, without listing.

Band 8 answer

The maps illustrate the changes that took place in Millbrook village between 1995 and 2025. Overall, the northern and eastern parts of the village were transformed, with agricultural and commercial land being redeveloped for housing, leisure and retail use, whereas the core of the village around the crossroads and the south stayed the same. The most striking change occurred in the north-west, where the farm had given way to a residential area by 2025. The housing, which consisted of detached homes arranged along an access road that was extended north from the main road, was built on the former farmland. Immediately to the east, the large area of fields in the north-east had been converted into a public park, complete with a circular footpath, benches and a gazebo. Retail provision also expanded. The single shop to the east of the church was replaced by a longer parade of shops, and a sizeable car park was laid out between the parade and the main road to serve customers. By contrast, the church, the school, the pond and the river were all left untouched, and the main road and the bridge retained their original positions.

Why this is band 8

The overview is precise and groups the changes under residential, leisure and retail use rather than listing features.
Language is flexible and exact ('had given way to', 'branched off', 'a longer parade of shops') with rare errors and natural linking.
Locations are accurate throughout (north-west, north-east, east of the church, between the parade and the main road).
Band 9 would be wholly seamless, with no loosely connected clauses and a more economical overview.

Band 9 answer

The maps show how Millbrook village changed between 1995 and 2025. Overall, the northern and eastern edges of the village were redeveloped for housing, recreation and retail, whereas the historic core, namely the church, school, pond, river and main road, remained exactly as it had been. The most substantial changes took place in the north. The farm in the north-west had been cleared and replaced by a residential estate of detached houses, served by a lane extended north from the main road beside the church. Meanwhile, the open fields in the north-east had been landscaped into a public park, with a looping footpath, benches and a gazebo at its centre. A further change affected the village's commercial area. The lone shop east of the church had been superseded by a row of four shops, and the open ground in front of it had become a car park that ran alongside the main road, giving customers easy access. Everything else was unaltered: the school and the pond still stood on the south side of the road, and the single bridge continued to carry the road across the river.

Why this is band 9

The overview is exact and sophisticated ('the historic core... remained exactly as it had been') and organises the whole description.
Every feature matches the maps (farm to housing with an extended access road, fields to park, shop to row of four shops with car park, constant church, school, pond, bridge).
Vocabulary is accurate and natural ('superseded', 'landscaped into') with no errors and varied syntax.
Cohesion is seamless, and the final paragraph neatly accounts for the unchanged features without needless repetition.

Band levels are our estimate against the public IELTS criteria; they are not official scores.

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