IELTS Writing Task 1 – MAP (Full Notes for Teaching &
Studying)
1. Task Overview
Purpose:
Describe changes in a place over time (before/after) or differences between two maps.
Skills Tested:
● Comparing past and present (tense accuracy)
● Using spatial language and prepositions
● Showing logical sequencing of changes
● Grouping related information
2. Essay Structure
1. Introduction
➡️ Paraphrase the question using synonyms.
Examples:
● The maps illustrate how the town of Milton has developed between 1990 and 2020.
● The diagrams show the transformation of a coastal village into a tourist destination.
2. Overview
➡️ Summarize main trends without specific data.
Mention general expansion, modernization, or conversion.
Examples:
● Overall, the area became more urbanized, with significant development in the eastern
part.
● It is clear that the town experienced a dramatic shift from a rural to a commercial region.
3. Body Paragraph 1 (Past / Before)
➡️ Describe the map’s earlier stage: what existed, where, and what was removed later.
Examples:
● In 1990, a large farmland occupied the northern section.
● There was a small factory adjacent /əˈdʒeɪ.sənt/ to the river, which was later demolished.
4. Body Paragraph 2 (Present / After)
➡️ Describe new developments, directions, and replacements.
Examples:
● By 2020, the farmland had been replaced by a residential zone.
● A new leisure center was added next to the school in the south.
3. Prepositions of Place (used for location)
Preposition Example Sentence Vietnamese
Meaning
in the The park is in the north of the city. ở phía
north/south/east/west of bắc/nam/đông/tây
của
to the A new bridge was built to the east of the ở về phía đông của
north/south/east/west of river.
on the The supermarket is on the right-hand side ở bên tay phải/trái
left-hand/right-hand side of the street.
of
in the There was a car park in the northeast ở góc đông
northeast/southeast corner of the campus. bắc/đông nam
corner of
in front of / behind The school is in front of the park. phía trước / phía sau
next to / adjacent to The playground is next to the residential bên cạnh
area.
between … and … The bridge lies between the factory and giữa … và …
the forest.
opposite A café was built opposite the post office. đối diện
on the bank of the river The fishing area is on the bank of the river. bên bờ sông
surrounded by The lake is surrounded by trees. được bao quanh bởi
4. Vocabulary to Describe Changes
Function Verbs/Expressions Vietnamese
Meaning
Expanding (Mở enlarge, expand, extend, increase in size, mở rộng, phát
rộng) widen, make bigger, develop triển
Shortening (Thu shorten, become smaller, narrow thu hẹp, rút ngắn
hẹp)
Removing (Dỡ bỏ) demolish, knock down, pull down, flatten, phá bỏ, dỡ bỏ,
remove, tear down, cut down (trees), disappear, chặt cây, dọn để
clear to make way for... nhường chỗ
Additions (Xây mới, construct, build, erect, introduce, add, plant, set xây dựng, thiết
thêm vào) up, establish lập, thêm vào
Change into convert, redevelop, replace, make into, chuyển đổi, cải
something (Thay modernize, renovate tạo, thay thế
đổi/biến đổi thành)
Moving (Di chuyển) move, relocate, be separated di dời, tách rời
Unchange (Giữ still remained/existed, remain unchanged vẫn giữ nguyên
nguyên)
5. Advanced Function-based Sentence Patterns (Band 8+)
Function Advanced Example Vietnamese Explanation
Addition A leisure center was added Một trung tâm giải trí được thêm vào,
adjacent to the original residential nằm cạnh khu dân cư cũ.
zone.
Replacement The farmland was replaced by a Khu đất nông nghiệp được thay thế
cluster of apartment blocks. bằng nhiều tòa căn hộ.
Expansion The shopping complex was Trung tâm thương mại được mở rộng
expanded westward, covering về phía tây, chiếm chỗ bãi đỗ xe cũ.
the previous car park area.
Removal The old factory was completely Nhà máy cũ bị dỡ bỏ hoàn toàn,
removed, and no structure was không có công trình nào được xây
built in its place. thay thế.
Access / A new bridge was built to connect Một cây cầu mới được xây để nối hai
Connectivity the east and west banks of the bờ đông và tây của con sông.
river.
Location Located in the southeast corner, Nằm ở góc đông nam, ngôi làng cũ
the old village was transformed được chuyển đổi thành khu nghỉ
into a hotel resort. dưỡng.
Direction To the north of the town square, a Ở phía bắc quảng trường thị trấn, một
café was constructed next to the quán cà phê được xây bên cạnh thư
existing library. viện hiện có.
6. Useful Linking Phrases
English Vietnamese Meaning
while, whereas trong khi
by contrast / in contrast trái lại
in comparison so với
over the period trong suốt giai đoạn
during the following years trong những năm tiếp theo
as a result of development do sự phát triển
consequently vì vậy, do đó
The three maps illustrate how Meadowside village and Fonton, which is a nearby town, have
developed from 1962 to the present.
Overall, both Fonton and Meadowside village increased in size over the years until they
eventually merged together, at which point Meadowside became a suburb. Furthermore,
there have been significant changes to infrastructure, housing and facilities over the
period given.
In 1962, both Meadowside and Fonton were completely separate with no roads or rail
connecting them. While Fonton had a railway line running to the north, Meadowside, located
to the west of Fonton, only had a small road from the west.
By 1985, Meadowside had expanded and the small road had become a main road. A further
main road had been built to connect the village to Fonton. Within Meadowside, a superstore,
leisure complex and housing estate had been developed. By this time, Fonton had also
grown in size.
Currently, Meadowside is known as Meadowside Suburbs after joining with Fonton.
Between both places, a hotel, station and business park have been built on either side of the
railway line.
Useful Vocabulary and Phrases for IELTS Map (with
Vietnamese meanings)
1. Describing Location & Direction (Miêu tả vị trí, hướng)
English Vietnamese Example
Meaning
to the ở phía Meadowside is located to the west of
north/south/east/west of bắc/nam/đông/tây Fonton.
của
in the northern/southern ở phần phía The housing area was built in the southern
part of bắc/nam của part of the town.
in the center / in the ở trung tâm A new shopping mall was constructed in the
middle of center of the city.
in the ở góc đông There is a park in the northeast corner of
northeast/southeast bắc/đông nam the village.
corner
on the ở bên tay trái/phải The railway station is on the right-hand side
left-hand/right-hand side of the map.
of
adjacent to / next to / bên cạnh A new café was built adjacent to the
beside supermarket.
opposite đối diện The school is opposite the post office.
along / alongside dọc theo New houses were built alongside the river.
between … and … giữa … và … A hotel was built between the park and the
station.
surrounded by được bao quanh bởi The lake is surrounded by trees and
pathways.
2. Describing Changes (Miêu tả sự thay đổi)
Function Vocabulary Vietnamese Example
Meaning
Expansion expand, enlarge, mở rộng, phát triển Meadowside had expanded
(Mở rộng) extend, widen, develop significantly by 1985.
Addition build, construct, xây dựng, thiết lập A new superstore was built in
(Thêm mới) introduce, add, set up, the center of the village.
establish
Removal demolish, knock down, phá bỏ, dỡ bỏ The old houses were
(Dỡ bỏ) remove, clear away demolished to make way for a
new park.
Replacemen replace, redevelop, thay thế, tái phát The farmland was replaced by
t (Thay thế) convert into triển, chuyển đổi residential buildings.
thành
Movement relocate, move, shift, di dời, chuyển vị trí The bus station was relocated
(Di chuyển) be transferred to the south.
Unchanged remain, stay, giữ nguyên The railway line remained
(Giữ unchanged unchanged throughout the
nguyên) period.
3. Describing Development or Connection (Miêu tả phát triển và kết nối)
Phrase Vietnamese Meaning Example
a new road was built to một con đường mới A new main road was built to connect
connect được xây để nối Meadowside and Fonton.
linked / joined together được kết nối / hợp nhất The two areas eventually joined
together.
merged into / became sáp nhập vào / trở thành Meadowside merged into Fonton and
part of một phần của became a suburb.
constructed / được xây dựng / phát A new leisure complex was constructed
developed / triển near the river.
established
experienced significant trải qua nhiều thay đổi The town experienced significant
changes đáng kể changes to its infrastructure.
4. Useful Linking Phrases (Từ nối hữu ích)
English Vietnamese Meaning Example
while / whereas trong khi While Meadowside expanded,
Fonton remained smaller.
by 1985 / currently / vào năm 1985 / hiện tại / By 1985, the road network had
over the period trong suốt giai đoạn improved.
as a result of / due to do / bởi vì The village grew as a result of
industrial development.
in contrast / by trái lại In contrast, the western area
contrast remained rural.
compared with so với Compared with 1962, the town
became more modernized.
5. Advanced Phrases (Band 8–9)
Phrase Vietnamese Meaning Example
underwent dramatic trải qua sự thay đổi lớn The area underwent a dramatic
transformation transformation.
was converted into được chuyển đổi thành The farmland was converted into a golf
course.
was redeveloped into được tái phát triển The old village was redeveloped into a
thành residential suburb.
was replaced by được thay thế bằng The small road was replaced by a dual
carriageway.
gave way to nhường chỗ cho The forest gave way to modern housing.
witnessed considerable chứng kiến sự phát The town witnessed considerable growth
growth triển đáng kể over the period.
remained largely hầu như không thay The eastern section remained largely
unchanged đổi unchanged.
Essay 1: The maps below show the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.
Essay 2: The plans below show the site of an airport now and how it will look
after
redevelopment next year.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.