In Writing Task 1, you will most likely have to describe numbers, but, in recent years, there have been more map questions.
How do you answer these IELTS Task 1 Map questions?
First, watch this video. It explains the two different kinds of map questions:
In sum:
- The most common map question is similar to a Change Over Time question. Namely, there will be two maps that show one place in two different years.
- For example, the question might ask you to compare one city in 2000 and 2016.
- In this case, you use sentences such as, “The amount of housing developments jumped.”
- The other type of map question, much rarer, is similar to a Static question.
- For example, it will show you one map, and it will ask you to compare two places on the map.
- You will use language such as, “Site 1 is much closer to public transport than Site 2.”
In this blog post, I explain how to score highly in all categories for map questions.
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Excellent strategy to feel more prepared for IELTS map questions:
- Realize that the questions with two maps are similar to Change Over Time. Thus, you should use similar vocabulary and sentence structures.
- Realize that the questions with one map are similar to Static questions. Thus, you should use similar vocabulary and sentence structures (such as comparatives and superlatives.)
Writing Task 1 isn’t the only place that you might face maps and diagrams on IELTS.
They can also pop up as Listening and Reading questions.
There are specific strategies toward handling these questions:
- Look at the map/diagram and describe it in your head. Predict what you might hear/read.
- Know if you need nouns/verbs/adjectives/adverbs to complete the labeling.
- On Listening, the answers will always be in order.
- On Reading the answers might not be in order, but they will usually be from one section of the passage (1-3 paragraphs.)
Do you have experience answering IELTS map questions?
Leave us a message in the comments section below!
