In this post: how to read the map titles to find the time combination, a first-sentence frame for each combination, and a single table for choosing the right tense, with the tense mistakes from my own map essays.
Map Questions · 4 parts
- 1. Question type and tenses (you are here)
- 2. Change verbs, places and paragraphs
- 3. The Overview and two rewrites
- 4. Mistakes, routine and practice
✦ In this post
Maps are the question type where my results were most polarised. Of my six map essays, the park (Task 18) and the harbour (Task 33) scored 6.5, and the hospital roads (Task 19) only 6, while the industrial area plan (Task 31), the university sports centre (Task 38) and the town centre (Task 46) all scored 7. (The task numbers are my own essay numbers; all six are Task 1 reports.) The sub-scores show a very clear pattern: the five essays split by time all got 7 or 8 for CC; the only one split by area (left, centre, right), the park essay, got just 6.
Because map questions have no numbers, many people assume they are easier. In fact they test three things at once: tense (past, present and future mixed together), change verbs (what was demolished, what was built, what was converted) and location words (where things are). This post works through those three things, plus paragraphing and the Overview.
Six essays compared: what the sub-scores reveal
| Essay | Scores (TA / CC / LR / GRA) | Paragraph split | The main problems as I see them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task 18: park | 7 / 6 / 7 / 7 | By area (centre, left, right) | Tenses switched back and forth within paragraphs; “Upon entering … a former fountain” put the wrong subject in charge |
| Task 19: hospital roads | 5 / 7 / 7 / 6 | By time | An abstract Overview; two verbs in one clause; “can” in the 2007 paragraph |
| Task 31: industrial area | 6 / 8 / 7 / 7 | By time | The town was placed in the wrong direction; otherwise a very complete structure |
| Task 33: harbour | 6 / 8 / 6 / 6 | By time | Many mistakes with “replace” and the passive; the wrong number of docks, and the new shower block left out |
| Task 38: sports centre | 7 / 8 / 7 / 7 | By time | “We” used as the subject; an extra “in” after “leisure pool” |
| Task 46: town centre | 7 / 8 / 7 / 7 | By time | Phrase errors such as “be taken place by” and “west-south”; the Overview and final sentence were both very good |
This table made two things clear to me. First, CC was decided almost entirely by how I split the paragraphs: the five essays split by time scored 7–8, and the one split by area scored 6. Second, every TA loss was linked to wrong information: a wrong direction, a wrong number, something left out, or an Overview that missed the main point. Maps have no numbers, but you cannot skimp on reading the picture.
1. Recognising the question type: three time combinations
The first step with a map question is to read the titles of the two maps and work out which time combination you have, because this decides the tenses for the whole essay:
| Combination | What the titles look like | Main tenses | Examples I wrote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past → past | 1980 and 2000 | Past simple, past perfect (had been p.p.) | Hospital roads, 2007 vs 2010 (Task 19) |
| Past → present | in 1920 and today / now | Past simple for the past; present perfect for the changes; present simple for the current situation | Park, 1920 vs today (Task 18); harbour, 2000 vs today (Task 33) |
| Present → future | now and planned development / future plans | Present simple for the current situation; will be p.p. or is planned to for the future | Industrial area (Task 31), sports centre (Task 38), town centre (Task 46) |
How to write the first sentence: a frame for each time combination
The Introduction to a map question must make clear what time each map shows. In my notes I kept three frames, one for each time combination (these are model sentences):
| Combination | Frame |
|---|---|
| Past → past | The maps illustrate how road access to a city hospital changed between 2007 and 2010. |
| Past → present | The plans show how Grange Park has changed since it first opened in 1920. |
| Present → future | The maps compare the centre of Islip as it is now with the planned development. |
✗ Original: The pictures illustrate the layout of University sports centre as it is today and as it’s future plans.
→ Revised: The plans illustrate the layout of a university sports centre as it is now and how it will look after redevelopment.
(Task 38) “It’s” means “it is”; the possessive is “its”. Even then, “as its future plans” does not work grammatically, because the two things being compared need to be parallel. “University sports centre” is a general noun here, so it needs “a”.
2. Choosing the tense: one table covers it
| What you are describing | Tense | Model sentence or my original |
|---|---|---|
| How it used to be | Past simple | … a disused castle was located next to a public beach (Task 33) |
| Changes from past to present | Present perfect (passive) | a former fountain in the middle of the park has been replaced by a rose garden (Task 18) |
| How it is now | Present simple | an indoor stadium is in the centre (Task 38; small fix: “the main building”) |
| Future plans | will be + p.p. | the outdoor courts will be replaced by two dance studios, a sports hall, and a changing room (Task 38) |
| Future plans (change) | is planned to + verb / is expected to + verb | a new roundabout is planned to be built in the south (Task 31) |
| Changes from past to past | Past perfect (passive) | By 2010, the bus stops had been removed. (model) |
Present → future: the language of plans
Plan questions (plans, proposed, redevelopment) describe things that have not happened yet, so every change belongs in the future. My three plan essays actually used quite a range of patterns: the industrial area essay used is planned to be built, will be constructed, will be replaced by and will be demolished; the sports centre essay used will be expanded, will be constructed and will accommodate. These are all good. The one thing to watch is that the paragraph on the current situation must use the present simple; do not write “will” for the present just because the rest of the essay is about the future.
Plan questions also have a pattern that earns extra credit: “will make way for”, meaning “to give up its space to”, for example The factories will be demolished to make way for housing. (model). It covers both the demolition and the new building in one go, which is more concise than two sentences. “Is proposed” and “is set to” can also replace “is planned to”, giving your LR more variety.
From my essays: common tense mistakes
✗ Original: A hotel is replaced the castle, and the private is been taken by a private one that only for hotel’s guests.
→ Revised: The castle has been converted into a hotel, and the public beach beside it has become a private beach for hotel guests.
(Task 33, LR 6 / GRA 6) “Is replaced” cannot be followed directly by an object: either use the active, A hotel has replaced the castle, or the passive, The castle has been replaced by a hotel. “Is been” is not English, and changes from the past to today take the present perfect.
✗ Original: In 2010, … there were two roundabouts had been built on two sides of the hospital road …
→ Revised: By 2010, two roundabouts had been built at either end of Hospital Road …
(Task 19) Keep either “there were” or “had been built”, not both.
✗ Original: Moreover, the places which previously accommodated fishing boats and marina now changes to store marina and fishing boats, respectively.
→ Revised: Moreover, the marina and the fishing boat area have swapped places.
(Task 33) The subject “the places” is plural, so the verb should be “change”. Better still, “swapped places” explains in one phrase that the two positions have been exchanged, which is easier to follow than “respectively”.
Continue reading · Part 2 of 4
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
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