Academic Task 1 model answer: Redevelopment of a riverside area
The question
The maps below show an area beside the river in the town of Eastford before and after a redevelopment project. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Feature | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Main site | Disused textile factory and two warehouses | Three apartment blocks with shops on the ground floor |
| Car park | Large surface car park to the west of the factory | Public park with a children's playground; parking moved underground beneath the apartments |
| Riverbank | Fenced off, with no public access | Open pedestrian promenade lined with cafés |
| Road through the site | Two-lane road leading to the factory gates | Pedestrianised street |
| River crossing | None; nearest road bridge 1 km to the east | New footbridge to the railway station on the south bank |
Model answer
The maps show a riverside area of Eastford before and after it was redeveloped.
Overall, the area was transformed from a closed industrial site into a residential and leisure district, with far greater public access to the river. The most striking changes were the replacement of the factory with housing and the construction of a footbridge.
Originally, the site was occupied by a disused textile factory and two warehouses, with a large surface car park to the west. A two-lane road ran through the area to the factory gates, and the riverbank was fenced off, denying the public access to the water. There was no crossing on this stretch of the river, the nearest being a road bridge one kilometre to the east.
Following the redevelopment, the factory and warehouses have been demolished and replaced by three apartment blocks with shops on their ground floors. The old car park has been converted into a public park containing a children's playground, while parking is now provided underground. The road has also been pedestrianised, the fence has been removed to create a riverside promenade lined with cafés, and a footbridge now links the area to the railway station on the south bank.
Why it works
Task Achievement
The overview sums up the overall change in the area's function and names the two biggest developments; the body accounts for every feature on both maps.
Coherence & Cohesion
One paragraph describes the 'before' map and one the 'after' map, and features are covered in the same order in both, which makes the comparison easy to follow.
Lexical Resource
Map vocabulary used precisely — 'occupied by', 'demolished', 'converted into', 'pedestrianised', 'this stretch of the river'.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Past simple for the original layout and present perfect passive for the changes, plus an absolute phrase ('the nearest being…') and a participle phrase ('containing…').
Written by Stride as a study model against the public IELTS band descriptors. It has not been marked by an IELTS examiner.