ADVANCED

PRACTICE

L E S S O N 1 0

S P E A K I N G & W R I T I N G
WRIT ING TASK 1
MAPS
EXAMPLE 1
The two maps below show the changes in town of Denham from 1986 to the present day.
EXAMPLE 2
The plans below show the layout of the ground floor of a museum in 1990 and 2010.
EXAMPLE 3

The plans below

show the layout of a

university’s sports

center now and how

it will look after

redevelopment.
QUEST ION ANALYSIS
TIME ELEMENT

• Two years in the past -> Use past simple

• One year in the past and one in the present

-> Use present perfect

• One year in the present and one in the

future -> Use prediction language
INTRODUCT ION
&OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Template
• The maps describe the changes that happened in one place from year
X to year Y.
• The maps describe the changes that have happened in one place
since year X.

Paraphrases
• Map = diagram (sometimes we can use plan e.g floor plan)
• To describe = to illustrate = to demonstrate = to show = to depict
• The changes that happened in one place = how that place changed
• From year X to year Y = between year X and year Y = during a/an (Y-X)
year period
TYPES OF CHART IN WT1

• Map = Diagram

• Process = Flow chart = Diagram

• Line chart = Line graph

• Bar chart – Bar graph = Column graph = Column

chart

• Pie chart = Pie graph

• Table
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION

The task

• The two maps below show the changes in town of

Denham from 1986 to the present day.

Sample introduction

• The two maps illustrate the main changes which have

taken place in the town of Denham from 1986 to the
present.
 General changes

OVERVIEW

Noticeable differences
DESCRIBE GENERAL CHANGES

• Over the 20-year period the area has witnessed big changes especially to the
farmland areas which were redeveloped.

• The forest and green spaces have been profoundly affected over the two
decades and were replaced by housing.

• In the period from 1990 onward, the leisure facilities were completely
renovated.

• The city centre has seen dramatic changes over the years.

• In the years after 1990 the city centre was extensively modernised.

• The town used to be very green but it has become much more industrialised in
the last 15 years.
NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCES

• The most significant change is in the size of the buildings.

• The most striking alteration is in the development of housing.

• Two buildings have been changed making them noticeably larger.

• Another obvious thing is the reduction in grassland.

• The clearest alteration in the transport is fewer cars.

• The most noticeable feature is that there are more transport links
than there were in the past.
SAMPLE OVERVIEW 1

The two maps below show road access to a

city hospital in 2007 and 2010

Guiding questions
• How has the road layout changed after the
years? (slight changes or radical changes)
• What are the most noticeable changes to
the road?
• Were any new facilities added/
constructed? Was anything relocated?
Sample overview

Overall, the surrounding area around

the city hospital underwent significant
changes with the most noticeable
developments were the construction
of a new bus station, roundabouts and
parking facilities.
SAMPLE OVERVIEW 2
The plans below show a public park when
it first opened in 1920 and the same park
today.

Guiding questions
• How to describe the general (overall)
changes to the park?
• What are the most noticeable
rearrangements/ developments to the
park?
SAMPLE OVERVIEW 2
Sample overview

Overall, the park has undergone apparent

alterations, retaining the basic elements of
flowers, water, seating and music, with the
addition of a cafe and a children’s play area.
SAMPLE OVERVIEW 3
The plans below show a science park in 2008 and the same science park today.
SAMPLE OVERVIEW 3

The most striking alteration has been to the northern part of the area, especially to the grassland. It
is also noticeable that the area covered by trees has remained approximately the same.
DESCRIBING CHANGES
APPEAR / DISAPPEAR

• To be built
• To be constructed
• To be erected
• To be opened
• To be established
• A + to be demolished to make room for B/ to make way for B
• A + to be replaced by + B
E.g: The hotel has been demolished to make way for a new cinema.
CHANGES IN FUNCTION

• A + to be turned into + B

• A + to be converted into + B

• A + to be transformed into + B
CHANGES IN SIZE

LARGER

• To be expaned/ extended/ broadened/ widened

• The size of something + to be + increased/ doubled/ tripled

SMALLER

• To diminish in size / To be reduced in size

• The size of something + to be + decreased / reduced

CHANGES IN LOCATION

• To be moved + (from somewhere) to somewhere

• To be relocated + (from somewhere) to somewhere

E.g: The school has been relocated to the eastern part of the city
OTHER EXPRESSIONS

• To remain unchanged

• To be modernised/ urbanised

• To be reconstructed

• To be reorganised

• To be restructured
DESCRIBE SPECIFIC CHANGES
EXAMPLES

• The government demolished the industrial estate and developed a sports

ground.

• A port was constructed at the edge of the river.

• The factory in the city center was demolished and relocated to the north of the
city.

• The forest was cut down and replaced with a shopping center.

• The trees were cleared to make way for houses.

• The main road was extended, and a new bridge built over the river.
DESCRIBING
LOCAT IONS
COMPARED TO A FIXED LOCATION
• In the northwest/ southwest/ northeast/ south/ east of somewhere

• To the nort/ south/ northeast/ southeast/ west of somewhere

• In the nothern/ southern/ western/ eastern part of somewhere

COMPARED TO ANOTHER STRUCTURE
• A is near/ close to/ in the vicinity of/ in close proximity to B

• A is next to/ adjacent to B

• A is opposite B/ A is in the opposite part of B

• A is parallel to B

• A is around B = B is surrounded by A
DESCRIBE LOCATION

• The trees to the north of the river were cut down

and a new office block was built.

• A railway was constructed to the east of the housing

estate with the introduction of a new train station.

• Houses were constructed next to the primary school.

• The forest near the river was cut down.

• A new railway running from north to south was built.

DESCRIBING FUTURE CHANGES

• It is planned/ expected/ anticipated that by 2030, A will …

• In 2030, A is expected/ anticipated/ planned to …

• According to future projections/ plans, A will …

• In 2030, A is projected/ planned to …

• It is projected/ planned that by 2030, A will …

ADVANCED LANGUAGE
Use the noun form of the word to make the answer more advanced

E.g 1: The second row of houses on Bayley Street was demolished and the railway line was
removed to make room for a spacious park and children's play area.

-> The demolition of a second row of houses on Bayley Street and the removal of the
railway line made room for a spacious park and children's play area.

E.g 2: Another significant change is the relocation of various facilities.

E.g 3: The area underwent further changes with the removal of a street of terraced
houses on the right side of the map and the construction of additional housing on the left
side.
PARAGRAPHING (1)
The two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities.

The most noticeable additions are the hotel

rooms. 6 buildings, surrounding some trees,
have been built in the west of the island and
9 buildings have been constructed in the
center of the island. Between the two
accommodation areas, a reception building,
and a restaurant have been developed.

A pier has also been built on the south coast

of the island, allowing yachts access to the
resort. Apart from the trees, the beach
remains the only natural feature to remain
relatively untouched; however, it does
appear that it is now used for swimming.
PARAGRAPHING (2)
The maps show part of the town of Poulton in 1900 and 1935.

• Industrial areas/ features: Factory, Wasteland, Warehouses, Railway

• Entertainment/ Recreational / Leisure facilities: shopping centre, cafe, cinema, bar/ club/ pub, park,
playground, sports center, gym
• Residential features: houses (terraced), flats, apartments, mansions
• Commercial areas: supermarkets, stores, shops, cafe, hotel, grocery store
In 1900, this area had a combination of residential and
industrial features, but by 1935 the industrial features
had largely disappeared. Whereas in 1900 a railway
line ran through the neighborhood, by 1935 this had
been removed. Furthermore, the terraced houses
which used to dominate the 1900 map had been
replaced by blocks of flats by 1935, and the areas of
wasteland had gone.

Another major change to the area in 1935 was the

development of more commercial and recreational
features. The demolition of a second row of houses on
Bayley Street and the removal of the railway line made
room for a spacious park and children's play area. On
the commercial side, to the right of the park some new
shops were built on the aptly named New Lane,
replacing the small shop of 1900, and the cafe and
laundry were relocated and expanded.
The maps show the outskirts of the town of Fosbury in 1980 and 2015.
The two maps show the outskirts of the town of Fosbury in 1980
and 2015. The 35-year period saw (dramatic/ big) changes to the
road layout, and to the residential, recreational and commercial
facilities.

In terms of the road layout, the main change was the addition of a
roundabout in the centre of this area, which necessitated the
demolition of a block of flats and a grocer's shop. The residential
accommodation underwent further changes with the removal of a
street of terraced houses on the right side of the map and the
construction of additional housing on the left side. New houses
replaced the park, which was relocated to the other side of the
road and decreased in size. By 2015 a supermarket with a car park
had been erected on the site of the terraced houses.

The area industrialised further during the 35-year period, with

warehouses being put up where fields had been earlier. The area's
sporting facilities had also been developed, with a new sports
centre taking the place of the old tennis courts.