IELTS Task 1: Town Centre Then & Now (Map)
The Task
The two maps below show a town centre in 1990 and the same town centre today. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Map comparison — key features
1990
- ▪Small open-air market in the centre
- ▪Railway station to the north
- ▪Several small shops along the high street
- ▪Large open car park to the east
- ▪Farmland to the south
Today
- ▪Market replaced by a large pedestrianised shopping mall
- ▪Small shops merged into larger retail units
- ▪Car park converted into a multi-storey car park
- ▪New bus station built next to the railway station
- ▪Farmland developed into a residential housing estate
Sample Band 8 Response
157 wordsModel answer written by EduForEveryone — for guidance only. Not an official examiner response.
The two maps illustrate the changes that took place in a town centre between 1990 and the present day.
Overall, the town centre was transformed from a small, traditional area into a denser, modern and largely pedestrianised commercial and residential zone, with open spaces giving way to buildings.
The most striking change occurred in the centre, where the small open-air market was demolished and replaced by a large pedestrianised shopping mall. The several small shops that had lined the high street were correspondingly merged into larger retail units. To the east, the open car park was redeveloped into a multi-storey car park, increasing capacity within the same footprint.
Transport links were also improved: a new bus station was constructed next to the existing railway station in the north. Finally, the farmland that had occupied the area to the south was developed into a residential housing estate, reflecting the overall intensification of land use across the town centre.