IELTS Writing Task 1: describe a map

 Sometimes (quite rarely) you have to describe a map for IELTS Writing Task 1. Today I'll explain how I would answer this type of question.

The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for the supermarket.

Here is some advice:

1. Introduction - Just paraphrase the question (instead of 'two possible sites' you could write 'two potential locations').
2. Summary - The main point is that the first site (S1) is outside the town, whereas the second site is in the town centre. Also, you could mention that the map shows the position of both sites relative to a railway and three roads which lead to three smaller towns.
3. Details (2 paragraphs) - Don't write a separate paragraph about each site; it's much better to compare the sites. I'd write one paragraph comparing the position of each site relative to Garlsdon (mention the different areas of the town), and another paragraph about the positions relative to transport links with the other three towns.