IELTS Examiner / Practice Prompt Bank — GT & Academic / Academic Task 1
IELTS Academic Task 1: Map — Planning & proposals
Original practice prompt written in exam style — not a real exam question, and not a prediction.
The map below shows two possible sites, S1 and S2, for a new supermarket in a town. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. The locations are as follows. The town centre lies on the south bank of a river, with the main shopping area in the centre, housing areas to the east and west, and an industrial estate in the south-east. Site S1 is in the town centre itself, on the main shopping street; it is close to the existing shops and within walking distance of most homes, but it is a small plot with no room for customer parking, and the surrounding streets are already congested. Site S2 is on the edge of town, in the north-east near the main road that bypasses the town; it is a large plot with space for a car park, and it is close to the industrial estate, but it is about two kilometres from the town centre and poorly served by buses.
Examiner focus: A comparison task, not a change task: weigh accessibility against space for each site, using the map's distances and surroundings.
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Write your answer to this prompt, then see exactly where it sits — four criterion bands, the #1 issue capping your score, and a model rewrite. Your first grading is free.