Level: IELTS Fighter B Skill: Writing

Unit: 3 Topic: Location & Change

TÀI LIỆU BỔ TRỢ

Location & Change
1. Cardinal Directions
As you receive the task, you will have to describe where the objects are located on the map. There
may already be the compass points on the map.
Still, you need to know the 8 points of the compass as these are often used to describe position. The 8
points are:
 north  northeast
 south  northwest
 east  southeast
 west  southwest

There are some ways you might hear them used:

 to the north / to the south…: relative to another location
 in the northeast / in the southwest…: relative to the area which contains it

Exercise 1. Fill in the blank with the correct cardinal direction.

The maps show Salata district in the city of Klong in 1985 and today. Summarize the
information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant.

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a. Another expansion can be observed in ……………………………, where a third residential area
has been constructed.
b. Regarding the new features, there has been a noticeable change in …………………………… of
Salata, next to the factories.
c. The park, which was previously situated there, has been relocated to ……………………………
of the district to cover the area around the church.
d. The park has been relocated to …………………………… of the district.

2. How to describe change in Map1

To illustrate changes, you may need to use some vocabularies/phrases according to the object of the
sentence.
2.1. Buildings

Vocabulary Definition Example

Demolish Phá huỷ The industrial estate was demolished and developed into a
sports ground by the local community.

Flatten San bằng The factory in the city center was flattened and relocated to
the north of the city.

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Tham khảo https://ieltsassistance.co.uk/ielts-writing-test/academic/writing-task-1/map-questions/vocabulary/

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 Convert Chuyển đổi The factory was converted into apartments.

Renovate Cải tạo, làm mới The old buildings were completely renovated.

Modernize Hiện đại hoá The infrastructure was modernized by converting the dirt
roads into concrete streets.

Expand Mở rộng The residential area expanded south-east by constructing 3

more homes.

Relocate Di dời The factory in the city center was flattened and relocated
to the north of the city.

Reconstruct Tái xây dựng The school was completely reconstructed after the passing
of the hurricane.

Replace Thay thế The old warehouses were replaced with new hotels.

Knock-down Phá huỷ The shops were knocked-down and replaced with a
skyscraper.

Build Xây dựng A new factory was built north of the residential area.

Construct Xây dựng A harbor was constructed at the edge of the river.

Develop Phát triển The industrial estate was demolished and developed into a
sports ground by the local community.

Extend Mở rộng, kéo dài The school was extended by adding 2 more buildings.

2.2. Trees and Forests

Vocabulary Definition Example

Clear Dọn dẹp The trees were cleared to make way for a new residential
area.

Cut-down Chặt, đốn, hạ The forest was cut-down and made space for a shopping
center.

Chop-down Chặt, đốn, hạ The forest was entirely chopped-down to make way for a
new highway.

Remove Loại bỏ Some of the trees were removed to build a new

playground.

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 Plant Trồng (cây) A new forest was planted west of the factory.

2.3. Roads, Bridges and Railway Lines

Vocabulary Definition Example

Construct Xây dựng A new railroad was constructed next to the village.

Build Xây dựng A new bridge was built to replace the old one.

Extend Mở rộng, kéo dài The main road was extended and a new bridge built over
the river.

Expand Mở rộng The main road was expanded to the north to connect to the
other town.

Remove Loại bỏ The railway lines were removed and replaced by a metro
line.

2.4. Leisure facilities

Vocabulary Definition Example

Open Mở A brand-new sports center opened just north of the school.

Set up Thành lập A brand-new skate park was set up close to the swimming
pool.

Develop Phát triển A playground was developed next to the school.

2.5. Length

Sentence Meaning Example

S + has a length of + Cái gì đó có độ dài là (…). The building has a length of 6 km.
(…).

S ’s total length is Tổng độ dài của cái gì đó là The building’s total length is 6 km.
+ (…). (…).

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 S + is + (…) + long. Cái gì đó dài (…).  The building is 6 km long.

2.6. Population

Sentence Meaning Example

Place + has a population Chỗ nào đó có dân số là In 2020, San Francisco had a
of + number + people. (…) người. population of 873,965 people.

Place + has + number + Chỗ nào đó có (…) người In 2020, San Francisco had 873,965
inhabitants. ở. inhabitants.

The population of + Dân số của chỗ nào đó là In 2020, the population of San
Place + is + number. (…) Francisco was 873,965.

3. How to use tenses in Map

In order to decide which tenses can be used for a Map Writing Task, you can look at the year
indicated in the question or the illustrations in the Map:

 If the year is before the present year (i.e. current year is 2022; year in the Map is 1999), use the
past tense.
 If the year is after the present year (i.e current year is 2022; year in the Map is 2030), use the
future tense.
 If the years span both before and after the present year (i.e current year is 2022; years in the Map
are 1999 and 2030), use both past tense and future tense.
 If there is no year, use the present simple tense. However, if there are vocabularies in the
question that indicate possible changes in the future such as: “plan”; “propose”, “project”, then
future tense can be flexibly used.
For example:
a. No year indicated
Below is a map in current year, but it also indicates a project planned to be built in the future.
 Both present and future tense can be used.

Below is a map of the city of Brandfield. City planners have decided to build a new shopping mall
for the area, and two sites, S1 and S2 have been proposed.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

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b. Year in the past and Year at present
Past tense can be used in the map “Science park 2008”.
Present tense can be used in the map “Science park today”.

c. Year in the future and Year at present

Present tense can be used in the map “Now”.
Future tense can be used in the map “2035”.

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