In this post: the most common ways to lose marks on map questions, answers to frequent questions, a 20-minute routine, a checklist and a short exercise on choosing the right change verb.
Map Questions · 4 parts
- 1. Question type and tenses
- 2. Change verbs, places and paragraphs
- 3. The Overview and two rewrites
- 4. Mistakes, routine and practice (you are here)
✦ In this post
9. Common ways to lose marks
| Problem | Criterion affected | My examples |
|---|---|---|
| An abstract Overview with no specific big picture | TA | Task 19 |
| Wrong direction | TA | Task 31: the town placed south of the river |
| Wrong quantity, a new facility left out | TA | Task 33: two docks in 2000 instead of one; the new shower block missing |
| Split by area, tenses switching back and forth | CC / GRA | Task 18 (CC 6) |
| An object directly after “is replaced”; “is been” | GRA | Task 33 |
| Two verbs in one clause | GRA | Task 19: there were … had been built |
| Misused phrases | LR | knock out (should be knock down), be taken place by (should be be replaced by) |
| “We” or “you” as the subject | LR / register | Task 38: When we go through the stadium |
The last point deserves a closer look. In the sports centre essay I wrote When we go through the stadium, there is a reception in front of guests, using “we” to take the reader on a walk inside. Many people teach this technique, but the subject “we” does not match “guests” later in the sentence, and the tone is rather informal. Upon entering the building, visitors first reach the reception area (model) would be fine, or simply use the passive: The reception is located just inside the entrance.
Another very common mistake is the dangling participle. In the park essay I wrote Upon entering the entrance through Eldon Street, a former fountain in the middle of the park has been replaced by a rose garden, which literally says that the fountain walked through the entrance. When you begin with “Upon entering” or “Walking into”, the subject that follows must be a person: Upon entering from Eldon Street, visitors now see a rose garden where a fountain once stood. (model). If you would rather not deal with this, the simplest solution is not to start with a participle at all: In the centre of the park, the fountain has been replaced by a rose garden.
10. Map questions: frequently asked questions
Q1: Should I use “will” or “is going to” for future plans? Both are possible, but “will be + p.p.” is more formal and more common. In the town centre essay I mixed is going to witness, are planned to be expanded and will be built. The meaning was fine, but it is better to use one form as your main choice in an essay and vary it with “is planned to” or “is expected to”.
Q2: What if there is no compass? Use the entrance or a main road as your reference point, for example To the left of the main entrance or Behind the reception. The park map had no compass, so using “the left side” and “the right side” was acceptable, but you must keep the same viewpoint from beginning to end.
Q3: Do I have to mention every small facility? Try to cover everything that changes; for things that stay the same, pick one or two representative items and mention them in the final sentence (The main entrance remains unchanged.). The worst thing in a map essay is leaving out a change, and the missing shower block in my harbour essay is a sad example.
Q4: Can I describe the layout with “there is / there was”? Yes, but not for a whole paragraph. Verbs such as “be located”, “stand”, “lie” and “house”, with a location phrase at the start of the sentence (To the north of the river lies farmland.), give more variety. In the sports centre essay, a gym is sitting to the north of the pool was a good attempt at variety, but for a fixed position the present simple “sits” or “is located” sounds more natural.
11. A 20-minute routine for map questions
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0–3 min | Read the titles to identify the time combination (this sets the tenses); compare the two maps side by side and circle every change: new building, demolition, conversion, relocation, expansion, no change |
| 3–6 min | Introduction (The maps illustrate how X has changed since … / X as it is now and the planned development) + Overview (what the place has become overall) |
| 6–16 min | Body 1: the overall layout of the old map or current situation, focusing on what will change. Body 2: each change as “old information + new information”, with a final sentence on what stays the same |
| 16–20 min | Check directions and quantities against the maps; check tenses, the passive and the direction of “replace” |
12. Checklist after writing
- ☐ Have I identified the titles correctly: past → past, past → present or present → future?
- ☐ Are the tenses consistent, with the past simple, present perfect and “will be p.p.” in the right places?
- ☐ Does the Overview give a specific direction for what the place has become overall?
- ☐ Are the paragraphs split by time, with a topic sentence opening each one?
- ☐ Does Body 2 use “old information + new information”: A has been replaced by B?
- ☐ Is “replace” the right way round (the old is replaced by the new)?
- ☐ Location words: “to the north of” (outside) vs “in the north of” (inside) used correctly? Compound directions with north/south first?
- ☐ Have I checked every new building, demolition, conversion and relocation, with nothing left out?
- ☐ Are the quantities (how many docks, how many car parks) correct?
- ☐ Does the final sentence mention what has not changed?
13. Quick practice: choose the right verb
1. The old factory ______ (change its use to) a museum.
2. The trees in the east ______ (remove by cutting) to make way for a car park.
3. In the future, the library ______ (make bigger) to the north.
4. The playground ______ (move to) the south-west corner.
5. The shops along the main road ______ (stay the same).
Answers
Answers for a past → present question:
1. has been converted into
2. have been cut down (or have been removed)
3. will be extended
4. has been relocated to
5. have remained unchanged (for a present → future question, write “will remain unchanged”)
For question 1, “has been replaced by a museum” would mean the factory was knocked down and a new museum was built, which is different from a conversion.
Further reading
- Review of my tutor Ali: simplifying my essay structure (400 → 300 words) (in Chinese)
- How to check your IELTS sub-scores (in Chinese)
- Farid, a former examiner: live feedback on speaking and writing (in Chinese)
- Recommended free IELTS resources online (in Chinese)
- Overview of all my IELTS notes (in Chinese)
This is the last part of “Map Questions”. To start again, go back to Part 1.
IELTS Notes in English · Task 1 Structure (post 6 of 7)
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Task 1 Structure · Task 2 Structure · Topic Guides · Writing Language · Band Score Samples · Practice Methods · Speaking & Study Tips
✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
← Back to IELTS notes in English
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