Exercise 1
The maps reveal developments in the British village of Wells-on-the-Water over a 25-year period. Overall, it is clear that Wells-on-the-Water developed from a small, agricultural village to a larger and more commercial settlement.
The most notable development was that the forest north of Woods Drive was cleared and replaced with a new commercial area. A new access road, Queen’s Drive, was constructed which connected Woods Drive to the area north east of the village. New shops were constructed along both Woods Drive and Queen’s Drive. In the south of the village, Mansion Lane was extended and a bridge was built allowing access across the river. New houses were constructed on both sides of Mansion Lane. All of this construction seriously reduced the amount of farmland around the village. The old farm house and the post office at the western end of Mansion Lane were demolished and replaced with a park. The post office was relocated to one of the new buildings on Queen’s Drive.
The largest building in the village in both years was the mansion. However, by 2010 it had been converted into a care home. Likewise, the old factory was converted into luxury flats. Only Mansion Gardens remained unchanged throughout the period.
(204 words)
This is a well-organized and logical approach to the task and would get a good score for task achievement and coherence and cohesion.
Exercise 2
The two maps show how Coco island appears today and how it is predicted to appear after development takes place over the next 5 years. It is clear that the currently uninhabited island will undergo many changes in order to make it into a resort island suitable for tourists.
Starting in the south of the island, a pier will be constructed, allowing passengers to easily access the island from boats. Immediately north of the dock but still close to the southern coast, the hotel reception will be situated in a large building. On the northern coast of the island the hotel restaurant will be built, affording ocean views for diners.
Visitors to the resort will stay in villas situated in either the east or the west of the island. Those in the west will be in beach villas, which will be close to the islands only swimming beach. Those located in the east are to be constructed around an area of palm trees. All of the planned buildings will be connected by footpaths.
(174 words)
The writer has chosen to structure the report by first writing about planned changes to the south of the island, then the north of the island.
In the second body paragraph the writer writes about planned changes to first the west and then the east of the island.
This is another example of a logical, well-organised approach to the task so we would expect it to receive a high score for task achievement and coherence and cohesion.
That completes our Maps activities for now. You deserve a break – maybe a holiday on that island – but if you want more, be sure to check out our Academic Writing Task 1 Page.