WRITING TASK 1

MAP
A. SAMPLE ANALYSIS
● Read the sample essay for the maps below and follow the instructions.

Walgett is a small town near Melbourne. The map shows its development over a given
period.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

Sample Essay Formula

The two given maps depict the changes of a small town Introduction
called Walgett near Melbourne in Australia over a 50-
year period.

Overall, there were a number of developments of Overview

amenities and infrastructure in the town, mainly for
ecological purposes after half a century.

Regarding the town in 1950, it was just a small Body 1

residential area with the centre being the intersection of → in 1950, past simple
two main roads, one running loosely from the south to
the north and the other was from the west to the east.
To the northeast of the town, there was a huge swamp
surrounded by low lands and to the southeast, a large
area of land belonging to the government was left
unused.

After five decades, by 2000, the residential zone had Body 2

seen an expansion to four directions along the main → by 2000, past perfect
 roads and the vacant land had been brought into use.
Specifically, a third of that area which was adjacent to
the intersection had been converted into a new golf
course for the community. The remaining land of the
government had been transformed into an ecological
complex called Emu Park Eco-Lodge. A new footbridge
had been constructed to connect the park with the other
side of the road, leading to Stanford Lake, which used to
be the swamp. To the southeast of it, two blocks of
Stanford hotels had been erected along the road.

I. Elements
● Prepare five highlighters and follow the instruction below:
1. Highlight all the nouns and noun phrases showing the amenities/ infrastructure in
the 1st colour.
2. Highlight all the verbs and verb phrases describing the amenities/ infrastructure
above in the 2nd colour.
3. Highlight all the words/phrases showing the location/position in the 3rd colour.
4. Highlight all the words/phrases showing the time in the 4th colour.

Hanoi is in the north of Vietnam

China is to the north of Vietnam

1. Vocabulary
● Now build a system of lexical resources specialised for describing maps.

a, Nouns and adjectives for facilities/ amenities/ infrastructure/ geographical features/…

● Now classify the words below into the correct category
agricultural footpath railway line road car parking
recreational pavement corridor way mountainous
residential region manufacturing street coastal

area zone rural sea footbridge

part site urban construction road bridge

section commercial amenities services place
lane retail vacant land facilities location
alley industrial infrastructure lake destination
river stream forest highland
pasture swamp mountain lowland

Adjective General areas General Features Natural Features

agricultural region construction lake
recreational area lane river
residential part alley pasture
commercial section footpath stream
retail zone pavement swamp

industrial site railway line sea

manufacturing place corridor forest

rural location amenities mountain
urban destination vacant land highland
mountainous infrastructure lowland
coastal road
way
street
construction
services
facilities
car parking
footbridge
road bridge

● Identify the category that these features belong to

Feature Category
block of flats Residential area
children's play area Recreational area
mansions (biệt thự) Residential area
café Commercial area
terraced houses Residential area
railway line infrastructure
laundry Commercial area
park recreational area
shops Commercial area

➢ Being able to categorise the features into groups would allow you to have a good
overview that can point out the main changes and not go into details.
e.g.: Instead of saying “there are many new houses, blocks of flats and mansions”,
which is quite detailed, you should say “there are new residential areas” OR “the residential
areas have been expanded”.
➢ Besides, it’s also a way to paraphrase the given words and help you gain a better
score for vocabulary.

b, Verbs phrases or noun phrases for changes

● Classify the words below into the correct category
to enlarge to change to form to dwindle
to expand to convert to frame to shrink
to widen to turn into to found to contract
to alter to erect to modernise to reconstruct
to replace to set up to refurbish to redevelop
to relocate to establish to rebuild to erase
to destroy to renovate to demolish to swell
to build to reform to extend to grow (in size)
to construct to transform to broaden to raise
to develop to eliminate to lengthen to put up
to knock down to clear to flatten to remove

to change sth into to make sth

to build sth new to change the size sth different disappear
to build to enlarge to alter to destroy

to construct to expand (mở rộng) to replace to knock down

to develop to widen to relocate to eliminate

to erect to extend (kéo dài) to change to clear
to set up to broaden to convert to demolish

to establish to lengthen to turn into to flatten

to form to dwindle to renovate to erase

to frame to shrink to reform to remove

to found to contract to transform
to raise to swell to modernise
to put up to grow (in size) to refurbish
to rebuild
to reconstruct
to redevelop

● Classify the words below into the correct category

to surround to give/permit/
to situate to lay provide access to

to lie to border on to zone to be accessible by

to site to locate to run through to arrange
to install to put to lead off to establish
to access to connect to lead to to plant
to reach to cross
to pass to link

to place to talk about roads/streets/ways

to lie (active) to access
to site (active) to reach
to install (passive) to pass

to situate (passive) to surround

to locate (passive) to border on
to put (passive) to connect
to lay (active) to cross
to zone (passive) to link
to arrange to run through
to establish to lead off
to plant to lead to

to give/permit/ provide access to

to be accessible by

● Write the verb form or noun form of the words below

The building was reconstructed (verb)

→ The building underwent/ saw/ witnessed reconstruction

Verb Noun
(re)construct [1] reconstruction
[2]demolish demolition
(re)develop [3]redevelopment
[4]replace replacement
destroy [5]destruction
[6]relocate relocation
expand [7]expansion
[8]contract contraction
alter [9]alteration
[10]transform transformation
grow [11]growth
[12]eliminate elimination

● Extract the formula for sentences used in maps from the examples below

Example Formula

1. To the northeast of the town, there was a Location, there + be + Noun

huge swamp

2. There was a huge swamp to the northeast of There + be + Noun + location

 the town

3. The swamp was between two low lands. Noun + be + location

Example Formula

1. There were a number of developments of There + be + Noun of change + of +

amenities and infrastructure in the town. Noun (amenities) + location

2. The residential zone saw an expansion to four Noun (amenities) + saw/witnessed/

directions along the main roads. underwent/ experienced + Noun of
change + location/direction

3. A new footbridge had been constructed to Noun (amenities) + be + P2 + location

connect the park with the other side of the road.

c, Words and Phrases for direction, position and location

● Fill in the blank with words or phrases for direction
the north the northeast the left(-hand side)
the south the southeast the right(-hand side)
the east the northeast the centre
the west the southwest the middle

………… …………
…………
northwest………………………… northeast……………………………
north……………………………….
……. ….

…………… …………
west……………………………. east……………………………….

…………… …………… ………

southwest………………………… southeast……………………………
south…………………………….
…. …….

What is the difference between “in the north” and “to the north”?
What is the difference between “on the left” and “to the left”?
- To the left of sth
- On the left, …

● The table below provides some words/phrases for position, check if there are any
new words to you
between next to at the back at the front

among adjacent to behind in front of

in the middle in close proximity to below opposite

in the centre in the corner under on the other side of

● Based on the map below, complete the sentences with the correct words/ phrases for
direction, position and location. (There can be more than one possible answer for
each blank)
 1. A is ……………adjacent to/ next to………….. B.
2. D is ……………opposite/ facing………………….. E.
3. H is ………………in the (southwest) corner…..………………….. of the building.
4. The open courtyard is ……in the centre/ in the middle…….. of the building.
5. D is ………between…………….. A and F.
6. The reception is ………in the southeast corner……….. of the building.
7. The factory is …………at the back……….. of the building.
8. G is……………behind/next to………….. the reception.
9. There’s a tree ………in front of/ opposite……….. C.
10. D is ………to the northwest………….. of the open courtyard.
11. The reception is ………to the southeast………….. of the open courtyard.
12. E is ………next to/ adjacent to/ to the north……….. of the open courtyard.
13. C is ………to the northeast…….. of the open courtyard.

2. Tense
● Take a look at all the verbs and verb phrases you have highlighted in the sample and
answer the following questions:
 - Which tenses are used in each paragraph?
Body 1: in 1950 → past simple
Body 2: By 2000 → past perfect

● Notice:
nếu tả changes → past perfect
nếu tả location → past simple
E.g.:
The building had been converted into a studio and it was next to the school.

- In which case should we use which tense?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

● Now fill in the table below the tense you should use for each body paragraph based
on the given time of the maps.

Hai bản đồ đã cho cho thấy những sự thay đổi về cơ sở hạ tầng

xung quanh City Hospital sau 3 năm.
Nhìn chung, cơ sở hạ tầng để tiếp cận City Hospital đã được bổ
sung thêm nhiều cơ sở vật chất để khiến giao thông trở nên
thuận tiện hơn và đáp ứng được nhiều phương tiện và người
tham gia giao thông hơn.

Năm 2007, bệnh viện được bao quanh bởi Ring Road, phía nam
của nó là Hospital Road với 3 bus stops ở mỗi bên. Bên phải con
đường này có một bãi đỗ xe cho cả nhân viên bệnh viện và người
dân. Hospital Road cũng giao với City Road ở phía nam, cái mà
chạy từ đông sang tây.

Năm 2010, khu đỗ xe trước đây đã được chuyển thành khu chỉ
Overview: dành cho nhân viên bệnh viện và một khu đỗ xe mới đã được
- no more bus stops xây thêm ở phía đông bệnh viện để dành riêng cho cộng đồng.
- New bus station Các bus stop cũ đã bị xoá bỏ và có một bus station mới ở phía
- New car park tây Hospital Road được xây thêm. Nó được nối với Hospital Road
- 2 new roundabouts bởi 2 con đường nhỏ mà dẫn tới 2 cái roundabout mới tại ngã ba
→ facilitate traffic flow and accommodate và ngã tư của Hospital Road với 2 đường còn lại.
more vehicles and commuters
The two given maps illustrate the changes to/in the
Body 1: in 2007 infrastructure around the City Hospital after three years.
→ Past simple
Body 2: 2010 In general, by 2010, the road system giving access to/ access the
→ in 2010, past simple (location) City Hospital had been upgraded with more amenities to render
By 2010, past perfect (changes) the traffic more convenient and to accommodate more vehicles
junction and commuters.
Intersection
to surround In 2007, the hospital was surrounded by Ring Road, to the south
Public car park = a car park for the public/ of which was Hospital Road with three bus stops on each side of
community = a parking area/zone/site for the it. To the right of this road was a parking area for the hospital’s
public employees and the public. Hospital Road also intersected with
City Road in the south, which ran from the east to the west.
có = have → sở hữu
có = there → tồn tại By 2010, the former parking site had been converted into one
only for workers of the hospital and a novel car park had been
There is an apple on the table constructed to the east of the hospital for the community. The
I have an apple previous bus stops had been demolished while there was a new
bus station erected to the west of Hospital Road. It was
connected with Hospital Road via/by two small lanes/branches
leading to two newly added roundabouts at the junction and
intersection of Hospital Road with the two remaining roads.

Body 1:

Body 2:
 Hai bản đồ đã cho tiết lộ về layout của sport centre của một
trường đại học hiện tại và kế hoạch phát triển nó trong tương lai.
Nhìn chung, sự thay đổi lớn nhất sẽ xảy ra là sự biến mất của hai
outdoor courts và sự mở rộng của toà nhà trung tâm. Bên cạnh
đó, bên trong toà nhà sẽ có thêm nhiều cơ sở vật chất cho các
hoạt động thể thao khác nhau và khu vực thương mại.
Hiện tại, toà nhà trung tâm được đặt giữa hai outdoor courts và
có hình vuông. Đối mặt với lối ra vào là reception, đằng sau nó là
một bể bơi 25 mét và phía sau toà nhà là một phòng gym. Cánh
cửa bên trái reception dẫn tới phòng thay đồ, cái mà có thể vào
khu vực bể bơi. Cánh cửa bên phải reception dẫn tới khu vực ghế
ngồi dành cho khán giả.
Trong tương lai, toà nhà trung tâm sẽ được mở rộng sang hai
bên, chiếm chỗ của hai sân ngoài trời hiện tại. Những cơ sở vật
vất đang có của toà nhà sẽ được giữ nguyên, ngoại trừ phòng
gym ở phía sau, cái mà sẽ được mở rộng sang phía đông. Ở phía
Overview: đông, sẽ có thêm một sport hall lớn và hai dance studio cạnh
- sự biến mất của 2 outdoor courts nhau, tất cả đều được access thông qua 1 lối hành lang. Ở phía
- sự mở rộng của toà nhà chính tây, một leisure pool với free shape sẽ được xây dựng. Ở hai góc
- sự thêm nhiều phòng với các chức năng dưới toà nhà sẽ có thêm hai phòng thay đồ mới, bên cạnh chúng
khác nhau bên trong toà nhà là một sports shop và một quán cafe ở bên tay trái và tay phải,
respectively.
Body 1: present simple
Body 2: The two given maps reveal the layout of the sports centre of a
university at present and its development in the future.
- future simple (will + Verb)
- The Plan/ project shows that…
Overall, the biggest change that will take place will be the
- Be going to Verb disappearance of two outdoor courts and the expansion of the
central building. Moreover, inside the main building, there will
Changing room = room for changing clothes be more facilities for a wider range of sports activities and more
Seating = sitting area = seats for spectators commercial areas.
25m pool = 25-metre pool
At present, the centre is situated between the two outdoor courts
Sports shop = a shop for sports products/items
and has a square shape. Facing its entrance is the reception,
Cafe = cafeteria = coffee shop behind which is a 25-metre pool, and at the back of it is a gym.
The door on the left of the reception leads to a room for
changing clothes, which gives access to the pool. The door on
the right allows access to the sitting area for spectators.

In the future, the main building is planned to be expanded to both

sides, taking the place of the two courts. The existing/
current/present facilities will remain the same, except for the
gym, which is going to be extended to the right. In the east of
 the centre, there will be a large sports hall and two novel dance
studios next to each other, all of which can be accessed by one
corridor. In the west, a new leisure pool with a free shape will be
constructed. In the two bottom corners of the building, there will
be two new changing rooms, next to which will be a store for
sports items and a cafeteria on the left and right of the entrance,
respectively.

II. Selecting information

● Take a look again at the sample essay and answer the following questions:
1. How many sentences are there in each body paragraph? 4-5 clauses
2. Which feature was described first in each body? The centre →
3. Which feature was described second? Features around the centre
4. Which feature was described last?
5. Why are they described in that order?

III. Grouping information

● Read the sample below and identify the similarities and differences between the first
sample and this sample.
Walgett is a small town near Melbourne. The map shows its development over a given
period.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.

Sample Essay Formula

The two given maps depict the changes of a small town called Introduction
Walgett near Melbourne in Australia over a 50-year period.

Overall, the town area had witnessed great expansion to four Overview
directions along two main roads. Besides, there were a number
of developments of amenities and infrastructure mainly for
 ecological purposes after half a century.

Regarding the areas in the north of the town, there used to be Body 1
lowlands in the northeast with a huge swamp in the middle of
that zone in 1950. However, after five decades, that region had
been converted into Stanford lake, which was larger in size
compared with the former swamp. To the south of the lake, two
Stanford hotels had been newly constructed.

Considering the southern areas, the unused land of the Body 2

government to the southeast of the town had been
transformed into recreational zones. Specifically, a third of the
area on the left had been converted into a golf course for the
public. The remaining area on the right saw a new construction
of Emu Park Eco-Lodge and a new bridge.

Table of comparisons
Advantages Disadvantages

The first essay dễ hình dung layout trong → thường dài hơn
→ divide by map cùng 1 giai đoạn

Body 1: the first map thống nhất về thì

Body 2: the second map

The second essay dễ hình dung sự thay đổi khó hình dung layout trong
→ divide by area của csvc ở cùng 1 vị trí cùng 1 năm
→ thường ngắn hơn
Body 1: a part of the map dễ nhầm thì

Body 2: the remaining part

❖ Notice
When the task provides two maps or more, there are always two ways to divide the
information for the two body paragraphs. Each way would have certain advantages and
disadvantages that you need to consider. Think about
- Which way would allow you to have more comparisons
- Which way would make your essay longer or shorter (when there is a lot of
information, you would definitely want the shorter way and vice versa)
- Which way would allow you to use more advanced vocabulary
B. PRODUCTION
● Conduct the full procedure to write a Task 1 essay Map with one of the tasks above.

Tense:

Paraphrase:
I. Synonym

II. Word form

Outline:
● Overview:

● Body 1:

● Body 2:

Full essay:
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