IELTSVegaIELTS Writing Task 1 · 2026
Map (changes over time / two locations)
Usually two maps of the same place at different times, or two proposed sites. Tests location language and change verbs.
How to answer
- 1Orient the reader (a town, north/south, a river, the coast).
- 2Overview the overall character of the change (more developed, more residential, greener).
- 3Describe what was added, removed, replaced, expanded or relocated, area by area.
Plan (before you write)
Mark on each map what appeared, disappeared and changed; work through it geographically.
Structure
- Intro: the place and the two dates.
- Overview: the overall transformation.
- Body 1: one part of the map (e.g. the north).
- Body 2: the other part.
Useful language
- was demolished/removed; was replaced by; was converted into; was constructed/built; underwent expansion
- to the north/south of; on the outskirts; adjacent to; in the vicinity of; where the … had stood
- past passive for change over time (a car park was built)
Common mistakes
- Describing each map separately instead of the change between them.
- Vague location language ('here', 'there').
Sample question & model answer
The two maps below show a coastal village in 1990 and in the present day. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The two maps depict the changes that took place in a small coastal village between 1990 and the present day. Overall, the village was transformed from a quiet, largely rural settlement into a developed tourist destination, with agricultural land giving way to housing and leisure facilities. In 1990, the village consisted of a small cluster of houses in the centre, surrounded by farmland to the west and woodland to the east. A single road ran north to south, connecting the village to the coast, where there was an undeveloped beach. By the present day, the area had been substantially built up. The farmland to the west had been cleared to make way for a large housing estate, while a hotel and a car park had been constructed near the beach to accommodate visitors. The original road had been widened, and a new road was added to the east, although the woodland was preserved. The beach itself had been developed with a pier extending into the sea.
Why it scores
- Overview captures the rural-to-tourist transformation.
- Consistent past passive for changes; precise, varied location language.