Simple Tips to Master Map Writing Tasks in IELTS

By Soeun Khema Vatey, ACE Teacher

The majority of IELTS candidates are not fully informed about or adequately prepared for map writing in IELTS Writing Task 1, because they believe that map writing tasks are not very common, especially compared to other writing tasks. But what if a map writing task appears in the test? How aware are candidates of this task? These are important questions, which is why I thought that IELTS test-takers would find this workshop useful for their test preparation.

The workshop began with an overview of IELTS Writing Task 1, verb selection, grammar and language use, and group ideas in map writing tasks. There are six types of task in IELTS Writing Task 1: line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts, process writing, tables and maps. It is vital to know general information about IELTS Writing Task 1, including the requirement to write at least 150 words, provide an overview, make comparisons where possible, and complete the task within 20 minutes.

In terms of structure, there are four main paragraphs. Paragraph 1 is the introduction and Paragraph 2 contains the overview. In Paragraphs 3 and 4, candidates describe selected key changes, grouping their ideas appropriately and using language that identifies position or location. With respect to verb selection, it is essential to understand that certain verbs can be used with certain nouns. For instance, “widened” can be used with “road”. Test-takers are advised to extend their vocabulary by converting verbs to nouns, for example, develop (v) à development (n).

Moving on to grammar, the use of the passive form is a very important aspect of writing in a more formal academic style. However, candidates must try to use the active and passive forms in equal measure. It is also important that they understand how to organise their ideas in map writing. There are three possible ways to organise ideas: by position, by feature or by period. Candidates’ ideas need to be coherent and easy for the examiner to read, while still identifying key features and changes. I hope that IELTS candidates learned some useful and interesting strategies from this workshop. These tips really helped me in my own IELTS Writing Task 1 preparation.