How to Analyze Maps for IELTS Task 1

Below are steps and techniques for how to analyze IELTS Maps for Task 1 Writing questions for the Academic IELTS test. Also, you will learn how to use your analysis of maps to write an effective Task 1 Writing response.

Creating a Writing Task 1 response analyzing IELTS Maps

Remember, for the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question, you need to analyze a chart, table, diagram, map, or graph (or a combination of these). The Academic Writing Task 1 assignment is always the same: “Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.”

Let’s use the following sample question to see how we can analyze IELTS maps for Task 1 to build an effective Task 1 response.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 how to analyze IELTS Maps — Source: http://mrknighths.weebly.com/pre-and-post-world-war-1-map-comparison.html

Before we begin writing your IELTS Task 1 response, we need to spend a few minutes analyzing the maps and planning what we will write. During this analysis we want to ask a few questions:

Which regions lost countries?

Were there regions which gained new countries?

Which regions stayed the same?

Step 1: Analyzing each region for a Main Feature

First, when you analyze IELTS maps you need to look at each region, one by one, and notice how they change over the two maps. Start with 1914, then move to 1918.

Which regions show dramatic changes in national borders?

Which regions show little change in national borders?

What seems most important to know about each region?

For example, when analyzing these two maps, you might notice the following:

Austro-Hungary completely disappeared and was replaced by 4 or 5 countries.
Germany and Russia (in Northeastern Europe) lost territory along their shared border to new countries.
Southeastern Europe (Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey) saw some countries disappear, a new country appear, and some countries get larger or smaller.
Western Europe (UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland) did not change at all.
Northern Europe (Norway, Denmark, and Sweden) did not change at all.
Northern Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) did not change at all.

We should now be able to use these pieces of information as Main Features for each of the regions in Europe.

Step 2: Comparing Main Features to each other

Next, however, we need to compare these maps to each other. These comparisons will help us to create a plan for our body paragraphs.

Which regions changed the most?

Was there a region which changed the least?

Which countries changed the most?

For example, when comparing the different regions to each other and between the two maps, you may notice the following:

Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Northern Africa did not change at all.
Germany and Russia lost some territory, which became various new countries.

So, we can add a description of Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Northern Africa, along with a comparison to the changes that happened along the German-Russian border in one body paragraph.

Also, we notice the following:

Austro-Hungary and Serbia completely disappeared and became part of various new countries.
Southeastern Europe saw minor changes to some national borders.

So, in another body paragraph, we can compare what happened to Austro-Hungary and Serbia with Southeastern Europe.

We can now use these groupings to build an outline for our body paragraphs (paragraphs #2 and #3). Because these maps are simple, we only need to write a three-paragraph response.

Step 3: Choosing information for the Overview statement

Now we have to think about what information should go in our Overview statement. Remember, an ‘Overview Statement’ states what we think is most important to know about these two maps.

Is there something true about all or most of the regions?

If there was only one or two pieces of information you could give about the changes in national borders in Europe, what would that be?

For example, when we analyze IELTS maps here, a few things seem clear:

About half of Europe (mostly centered around the western part of Europe) saw no changes between 1914 and 1918.
The other half of Europe (mostly centered around the eastern part of Europe) saw significant changes between 1914 and 1918, with some countries disappearing or shrinking and new countries being formed in their place.

Both of these pieces of information would be good to include in our Overview when we analyze IELTS maps, because together they are saying something about nearly every part of the maps.

NOTE: In Overview Statements for maps, it can often be useful to focus on the the ‘rankings’ (highest, lowest, etc.) of different parts of a graph, chart, or table. This is especially true when you are having a hard time deciding what information feels ‘most important’!

Step 4: Writing the Overview Paragraph

Now we need to start writing our response. First, we need to write the first paragraph: the ‘Overview Paragraph’. In this paragraph we only need to include two items: 1) paraphrase of the Description Sentence and 2) an Overview Statement.

Paraphrasing the Description Sentence

The Description Sentence is the one-sentence description given to you above the maps: “The maps compare changes in national boundaries between pre- and post-World War 1.” We need to rephrase this using as much of our own grammar and vocabulary as possible, as well as get a little more specific about what kind of information is in the maps.

For example, this might be a good paraphrase of the Description Sentence:

The maps compare highlight shifts in the borders of European countries before and after World War 1.

Notice that our paraphrase gets a little more specific about what information is in these maps. Our paraphrase mentions that the countries are “European”, which was not in the original Description Sentence.

Creating the Overview Sentence

Then, we will write our Overview Statement. For all your Overview Statements, we recommend you always start with “Overall, it is notable that…”.

For example, this might be a good paraphrase of the Description Sentence:

Overall, it is notable that while nearly half of the nations saw no change to their boundaries, the rest of them experienced significant changes between 1914 and 1918, with some countries disappearing or shrinking and new countries being formed in their place.

In this sentence, we have included all three pieces of information in a complex sentence with a lot of high-level grammatical structures and a few high-level vocabulary words.

So, with those two sentences, I have now completed my Overview Paragraph. This paragraph is 59 words long!

The maps compare highlight shifts in the borders of European countries before and after World War 1. Overall, it is notable that while nearly half of the nations saw no change to their boundaries, the rest of them experienced significant changes between 1914 and 1918, with some countries disappearing or shrinking and new countries being formed in their place.

Step 5: Writing Paragraphs #2 and #3 (and possibly #4)

Now I need to write two body paragraphs where I describe the Main Features I came up with earlier. Also, I will need to add some statistics (i.e., numbers) that ‘support’ some of these Main Features. Typically, I will add statistics to most, but not all, of the sentences in my body paragraphs.

In my analysis, I already grouped some of the different purchasing methods, which I will use to build my body paragraphs:

- I’ll focus on Austro-Hungary, Serbia and Southeastern Europe in Paragraph #2.
- I’ll focus on Western Europe, Northern Europe, Northern Africa, and the German-Russian border area in Paragraph #3.

Using words and phrases to introduce, connect, and contrast

When writing my body paragraphs, it is very important to use words and phrases that introduce, connect, and contrast these different purchase methods. Words and phrases like “according to…”, “however”, “similarly”, and “regarding” are very useful to do this.

Adding statistics to provide “evidence” for Main Features

The last thing I need to think about with what statistics (i.e., numbers) I will add to my response. For the most effective, high-level responses, we need to provide ‘evidence’ for the changes that happened to various countries. So, in most of the sentences in paragraph #2 and #3, I will add short prepositional phrases in various ways. Sometimes I will add them to the end of a sentence and sometimes I will add them somewhere in the middle.

See how I use various words and phrases to introduce, connect, and contrast the different pieces of information in these following paragraphs. Also, notice also how I add statistics to support most of the Main Features in each sentence.

According to the maps, between 1914 and 1918 three regions–Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Northern Africa—experienced no alterations in national boundaries; these regions constitute roughly half of all Europe. In contrast, Germany and Russia in northeast saw the border region between them broken up into 5 new countries (the largest of which is Poland).

In examining central Eastern Europe, it can be seen that Austria-Hungary and Serbia turned into 4 separate nations by 1918, as well as losing substantial territory to Romania (which doubled in size in 4 years). Unlike that region, most of the nations in the southeastern portion of Europe saw little change over this 4-year period. Only Bulgaria suffered any reduction in size, losing a portion of its land to Turkey.

You can find more information about how to use transition words and statistics in our Top 5 IELTS Academic Task One Writing Tips blog post! Also, study the sample responses found on our Sample IELTS Writing Task 1 Charts & Responses blog post!

Complete Response for IELTS Writing Task 1 Maps

And that’s it! For IELTS Writing Task 1, we do NOT need a conclusion paragraph. Again, some IELTS Writing Task 1 responses may require a fourth paragraph because you are analyzing more complex maps.

See the complete response for this IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Maps Question

Summary

So, you need to practice how to analyze IELTS Maps and see what parts of the sample response above you can use for other Task 1 responses. Many parts of the above response could be used for Task 1 questions focused on graphs, tables, pie charts, bar charts, and diagrams, too! The more you practice writing Academic IELTS Task 1 responses, the more you will see your IELTS Writing score improve!

More IELTS Writing Tips!

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Watch Lesson 1, Module 1 for IELTS Writing Task One for FREE!

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