IELTS Speaking: 'maps' answers

Here are my sample answers for last week's questions about maps. Remember that my
answers are short and simple because this is what the examiner requires in part 1 of the
test.
1. Do you ever use maps?
Yes. Whenever I go somewhere new, I plan my journey with the help of a map.
2. When do people usually need to use a map?
I imagine that some people use a map every day if they travel to different places for
work. Others might only use a map when they're on holiday.
3. Do you prefer electronic or paper maps?
I still prefer paper maps for a long journey; I like being able to open the map out on a
table and see the full journey ahead.
4. Do you ever ask people for directions instead of using a map?
Only if I'm really lost. Whenever I ask for directions, I find it difficult to remember what
the person said. So I prefer to find my own way.

Be very careful when using the words (labels) that you see on the graph or chart. You
may need to change them when writing full sentences.
Look at this chart for example:

You can't just use the words in the table like this:
- Nuclear was 30% of energy used.
- Thermal produced 20% of energy used.
You need to write something like this:
- Nuclear power was used to produce 30% of the country's energy.
- Thermal power stations produced 20% of the energy used in... (year / country).
Can you see why we need to add words when writing full sentences?
What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Is there any shopping center near your place?
- Have you ever been to a museum?
- What do you like about museums?
- Do you prefer to go to a museum alone or with friends?
- Would you like to work in a museum?
- Do you like to write letters or emails?
- To whom do you usually write?
- On what occasions do you do it?
- Do you prefer to receive a phone call or a letter? Why?
- What type of letter is the most difficult for you?

Describe a type of vehicle that you would like to have in the future. Please say

- What vehicle is it?

- Why do you like it?
- What is so special about it?

Discussion

- Have you ever driven such a car?

- What are the types of passenger cars?
- What are the differences between transportation today and in the past?
- What will the transportation look like in the future?
- What are the main reasons for traffic jams in your opinion?
- What is the main problem related to traffic jams?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?

- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What subject are you studying?
- What weather do you like the most? Why?
- Do you prefer any particular season?
- Would you like it to continue throughout the year or should the seasons keep changing?

Cue Card

Describe an occasion when you received a very good service from a company or a shop. Please say

- What company/shop was it?

- What was the product that you purchased?
- Describe the person that helped you there.

Discussion
- Do you think that customers should always receive good service?
- If you received a faulty product, would you prefer to repair or to replace it?
- What jobs do you know that deal with public?
- Do you think that they need a special training? Why?

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.

The map illustrates the two possible sites for a new shopping complex in the city of Brandfield. The
initial difference between two sites is that the first site is near a residential area, while the other is
close to an industrial region.

The first site (S1) is located to the north of the city between the residential area and the city centre.
There are three infrastructure features (a river, a main road and a railway) around S1, thus,
thesetransports may provide easy access from most part of the city, if a shopping mall is built in that
area.

The second site (S2) lies to the south-east end of the city and is fairly close to the downtown and the
industrial part. The site is near two main roads and the railroad; however, has no residential part
around the area.
There is a large Golf Course and a park in the west side of the city, but both sites are not close to the
given area.

Teacher’s summary: All the requirements of the task were covered fairly well.The key
features were identified, emphasized and illustrated in a suitable and logical way. The ideas
are presented in a logical order. All aspects of cohesion are taken care of well. The
paragraphing is handled suitably and appropriately. The range of vocabulary allows the
writer to communicate the exact meanings. Some sophisticated words/expressions are
used in a clever way, with only occasional errors in word choice/expression choice. Most
sentences are free of errors. Inappropriate use of grammar is very infrequent. Overall, this
report could be awarded IELTS Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS reports of band 8

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the amount of money per week spent on fast foods in Britain. The
graph shows trends in consumption of fast foods. Write a report for a university lecturer
describing the information shown below.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

The graph shows the changes in the demand for hamburgers, fish &chips and pizza from 1970 to
1990.

It is immediately apparent that in 1970 the most popular food was pizza. The demand for pizza
started from 300 grams followed by a spectacular fall of 200 grams in 1985.

The striking feature of the graph is the demand for fish & chips. In 1970, fish & chips were the second
favourite food among people, and from 1980 on the total demand surged to a high of 500 grams from
99 in 1970.

Furthermore, hamburgers were the least popular food in 1970 with the total demand of 15 grams,
which increased gradually till 1985. The total demand for hamburgers skyrocketed to 299 grams in
1990.

In conclusion, there was a subsential increase in the demand for hamburgers and sea food, whereas
there was a significant fall in the popularity of pizza.

Teacher’s summary: All the requirements of the task were covered fairly well. The key
features were identified, emphasized and illustrated in a suitable and logical way. The ideas
are presented in a logical order. All aspects of cohesion are taken care of well. The
paragraphing is handled suitably and appropriately. The range of vocabulary allows the
writer to communicate the exact meanings. Some sophisticated words/expressions are
used in a clever way. A wide range of grammatical structures are used. Overall, this report
seems worthy of IELTS Band 8.

Click here to see more IELTS reports of band 8

The chart below shows information about average house prices in five different cities
between 1990 and 2002 compared with average house prices in 1989.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

The graph illustrates the figures of average house prices in the five different cities during the period
from 1990 to 2002, in comparison with the data in 1989. Overall, there was an upward trend in the
percentage of change of house prices during the period shown in almost all of the cities except for
Frankfurt.

As can be clearly seen, there was a considerable fall by approximately 5% in the proportion change of
estate prices in New York between 1990 and 1995. Likewise, Tokyo and London, which had the same
figures, witnessed a dramatic decrease by about 7% over the same period. However, the figures for
Madrid and Frankfurt were around 2% and 3%, respectively.

During the latter period from 1996 to 2002, the figure for London was the highest with more than
10% in the percentage of change of house prices. During the same period, the rates at which the
house prices increased were about 5% in New York and 4% in Madrid. This rate in Frankfurt was 2%,
lower than than in the first 5-year period. Finally, the percentage change in Tokyo fell by around 5%
between 1996 and 2002.
All the requirements of the task were covered fairly well. The key features were identified,
emphasized and illustrated in a suitable and logical way. The ideas are presented in a
logical order. All aspects of cohesion are taken care of well. The paragraphing is handled
suitably and appropriately. The range of vocabulary allows the writer to communicate the
exact meanings. Some sophisticated words/expressions are used in a clever way, with only
occasional errors in word choice/expression choice. A wide range of grammatical
structures are used. Most sentences are free of errors. Inappropriate use of grammar is
very infrequent. Overall this report seems worthy of IELTS Band 8.

As computers are being used more and more in education, there will be soon no role for
teachers in the classroom.

There is no doubt that education and the learning process has changed since the introduction of
computers: The search for information has become easier and amusing, and connectivity has
expedited the data availability. Though experts systems have made computers more intelligent, they
have not yet become a substitute of the human interaction in the learning process. In my opinion what
can be expected is a change of the teachers’ role, but not their disappearance from the classroom.

Nobody can argue that the acquisition of knowledge is more fun and easier with computers. The mere
activity of touching and exploring this device constitutes an enjoyable task for a child. This,
accompanied by the relaxing attitude and software interactivity, usually contributes to a better
grasping of new knowledge. At a higher educational level the availability of digital books, simulators
and other academic materials provide the student with an ever accessible source of information, that
otherwise would not be at hand.

But, besides the increasing complexity and behavior of intelligent software, which is usually embedded
in the academic digital material, the need for human interaction in the learning process will always be
present, at least in the foreseeable future. There is the necessity for a human being to be able to
determine what the specifics needs of each individual are. The expertise of a teacher in how to explain
and adapt complex concepts to different individuals can hardly be mimicked by a computer, no matter
how sophisticated its software is.

As computers are becoming a common tool for teaching, teachers should be more aware of their role
as guides in the acquisition of knowledge rather than transmitters of facts. They have to be open
minded to the changes that are taking places, keep updated and serve as problem solvers in the
learning process, thus allowing students to discover the fact for themselves.

To summarize, in my personal view, teachers play and will continue to play an important role in the
classroom, especially at the primary level. No matter how complex computers become, there will be
no replacement for the human interaction, but in the way haw thisinteraction takes place.

This is an excellent essay! Are you a native English speaker? Well done. The only problem is
that this essay is too long, 365 words instead of 250-265 maximum.

Related posts:

Every four years, the whole world stops to watch international sporting events such as the Olympics
and the Football World Cup in which athletes show their best performance to make their country
proud. These sporting occasions have proved to be helpful in easing international tension in difficult
times when powerful leaders were trying to control the world’s economy and other governments were
fighting over the land.

The Olympic Games are one of the best examples which prove how sporting events can bring nations
together, at least temporarily. From the ancient History, when Greeks and Romans would interrupt
battles to participate in the games, to the more recent international disputes, when athletes from
Palestine and Israel would forget their differences, compete peacefully and even embrace each other
after an event. Moreover, these popular events have called the world’s attention to the terrible
consequences of wars; thus some leaders have tried to reach agreements to end their disputes and
live peacefully.

Similarly, international sporting events show benefits in some developing countries which live in a
daily internal civil war. For example, Brazil has a high rate of unemployment, lack of education,
hunger, crime, poverty and corruption which leads to an immense embarrassment of being Brazilian
and a low self-esteem. However, when the Football World Cup starts, the Brazilian squad, which is
considered the best team in the world, provokes an amazing feeling of pride in their country. Most
people seem to forget all their problems and even the criminal activity decreases. They paint roads
with the national colors, wear the Brazilian team shirts and buy national flags. Moreover, the
competition brings families and neighbors together and even rival gangs watch the games and
celebrate peacefully.

In conclusion, popular sporting events play an important role in decreasing international tensions and
liberating patriotic feelings as history has shown.

This is a great essay, the ideas, language, structure of paragraphs and sentences, and your
grammar show a good command of the English language. In my opinion it is Band 8. Keep
up the good work.

When a country develops its technology, the traditional skills and ways of life die out. It is
pointless to try and keep them alive.To what extent do you agree or disagree with this
opinion?

Nowadays, technological advances and their rapid and wide applications are having a significant
impact on a nation’s traditional skills and ways of life. Some argue that such impact is so
extraordinary that it would make conventional skills and life styles obsolete. However, I believe they
would continue to thrive by providing alternatives to modern ways of life, and innovative ideas for
modern technologies.

First of all, traditional skills and ways of life are becoming an alternative solution to the problems
caused by “mainstreamed” ways of life which are greatly influenced by modern technologies. For
instance, a cozy restaurant where traditional, home-brewed beer is served, offers another experience
to people who are bored with branded beers that have the same flavor and come out of mass
production with new technologies. It is in such a venue where traditional skills are preserved, people
become relaxed and educated. Providing diversity and thus enriching modern ways of life, such
traditional skills and ways of life would continue to have their place.

Furthermore, conventional skills provide innovative ideas to the development of modern technologies.
For example, sparkled by how the word “Love” is traditionally knitted into a sweater by some ethnic
minority women in some parts of Asia, some business managers from textile industry have developed
some production lines by applying the traditional skills to Computer-Aided Designs (CAD). The
products have boosted the companies’ sales which in turn have increased their investment in
preserving traditional skills for further developing their technologies.

To conclude, traditional skills and life styles are increasingly becoming a useful alternative to the
homogeneity brought by global applications of modern technologies. However, the evolution of
technologies is a selection process, whereby some would become obsolete, but there is no doubt that
some would thrive when their roles are appreciated.

This is a good essay. The requirements of the task statement are covered, the arguments
make sense and are presented in a coherent, easy to follow way, the range of vocabulary is
wide enough and the writer shows fluency and flexibility. There are only a few errors
(mouse over the words underlined in blue shows suggested corrections). Overall this looks
like an IELTS Band 8 essay.

Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that develop the
mind, such as reading and doing crossword puzzles. Others feel that it is important to give
one’s mind a rest in leisure time. Discuss.

As we are human we naturally need to rest on leisure time to recover thestress of work and everyday
life. In fact, every individual need to do what they want and belong to them. Personally, I prefer to be
active during this time because it is feel right to me better. Moreover, people are free for what they
do on their leisure time, and nobody can say what it is the best.

Some people want to relax after their day of work. These people may prefer to relax by watching
movies, reading or getting a massage. People who have a physically jobs such as doctors, teachers
and builders may choose these types of activities. If you are a doctor, you may feel that you want to
let your body rest after work and you don’t want to do a five kilometer run after work, because you
are already physically tired.

On the other hand, some people choose to be active in their leisure time because they do very sitting
jobs. For example, these people many spend all day sitting on a chair and do their work. At the end of
a working day, they may be have a backache, and all of their bodybecome tired so they need to
stretch their arms and improve their health by doing some activity such as going to the gym or
swimming.

To sum up, the important thing is that people want to stay healthy by choosing what is best for them.
In my view, the wrong way is to stay at home in your leisure time if you have a setting job.

This essay needs work. It has the right structure and covers the task. However there are
many poorly structured sentences, many of the sentences are too simple and don’t have
enough complexity, there are grammatical errors and some prepositions are use incorrectly
(see comments underlined in blue). Overall, this looks like a Band 6 – 6.5 essay.

Most high level positions in companies are filled by men, even though the workforce in
many developed countries consists of 50 percent female workers. Companies should be
required to allocate a certain percentage of management positions to women. Discuss, what
is your opinion?

The inequality between men and women has always been a significant issue in their society. Besides
that, it is undeniable that most vital positions in companies are taken by males, not females.
Therefore,there exist a statement that companies should allocate to women a certain number of these
positions. However, I do not agree with this requirement completely.

In some feudal countries, it was true to say that the society favour the males, and at that time
instances of inequality occurred very frequently. Up until the present moment, it stills to happen in
some developing countries; also it is greatly involved to women’s right. A large number of women in
these countries are not allowed to go to work or even go to public place. In this case, this is not an
individual issue, but it is a social problem. The governments should have some solution to react
with this tendency, and at the same time they should promulgate a new legislation to protect
women’s right.

On the other hand, the global economy is developing rapidly nowadays. In most corporations, they do
not distinguish men from women; they only focus on working efficiently. In this world, any employees
who possess enough abilities and work in an effective way, that person willbe promoted
to high positions. Therefore, allocating the high level positions in companies to women is not
necessary. Moreover, the instances of women in essential positions cannot count by fingers. Those
women are very successful in their work and their lives.

In conclusion, although the inequality between men and women has reduced, it still is a social issue
worth to concern. Personally, in my opinion we should create as many opportunities for women to
have an equal life as we can.

This essay needs some work. It has a good structure, the paragraphs are coherent, you are
using enough linking words and the task is covered. On the other hand, the grammar needs
much attention, the structure of the sentences should be worked on and there were some
unclear expressions used. See comments underlined in blue for more details. Overall, this
looks like a Band 6 essay.

The best way to reduce the number of traffic accidents is to raise the age limit for younger
drivers and to lower the age limit for aged drivers. Do you agree ?

Traffic accidents are on the rise these days. Most of the accidentscaused injuries or either
worse death. Research have found that most of the accidents are caused by inexperienced drivers, for
example young drivers.

Young drivers tend to be more daring and are unable to avoid a crush when they face one. They tend
to be more daring after drinking alcohol at night and this causes them to lose control of the car. Drunk
driving will not only risk a person’s own life but may also cause an innivent life to be lost.

The government should encourage the driving school to conduct driving lessons foryung drivers for a
longer period. This will give them a clear picture about how accidents happen and teach them about
the safety of others on the road. Drivers that have been in an accident after drunk driving should
be ban from driving for at least two years and be given driving lessons again.

However, for the aged drivers, the government should not onlylowered the age limit but also check
the capability of the aged drivers for instance eyesight, hearing and other related health conditions to
ensure safe driving. It does not mean that an aged person are not fit to drive and has a problem with
the heart but a young or a middle aged person could also have heart failure these days.___

To conclude, I feel that to raise the agelimit of young drivers arenot the best solution but to give them
more driving lessons about the problems they may encounter on the road and to ban them from
driving if they have caused an accident due to carelessness. As for theage drivers, as long as they are
capable on the road before a certain age and there are no health issues there shouldn’t be a problem.

This essay is too long; you have written 305 words instead of the advised 250-265. In the
first paragraph you should have presented the topic of argument an two opinions. The main
issue here is multiple spelling and grammatical errors, see comments underlined in blue for
more details. The task is covered, the paragraphs are coherent and logically connected by
linking words. Overall, this looks like a Band 6.5 essay.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of band 6

Related posts:

An IELTS test taker from Uganda (thanks S!) remembered the Speaking topics below:

Speaking test
Interview

- What is your full name?

- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Describe your accommodation please.
- Is there any market or shop nearby?
- What kind of sky do you like? Why?
- Do you see the sky from your home?
- Which season do you like? Why?
- Do you think the weather has any effect on traveling?
- Do you check the weather forecast daily?
- Do you use the Internet to check it, or watch it on TV?

Cue Card

Describe a toy from your childhood that you liked a lot. Please say

- What was it?

- When and how did you get it?
- Why was it so important to you?

Discussion

- Do you still have that toy?

- What type of toys do children like today?
- Do you think toys have an influence on the mental development of children?
- How do toys help children to develop physically?
- Do you think nowadays children get too many toys? Why?
- What toy would you give to your child?

Sudan

An IELTS test taker from Sudan (thanks, A!) shared the Speaking questions below:

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?

- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Describe your house.
- What is your favourite season? Why?
- Do changes in the weather affect your mood?
- In what way?

Cue Card

Describe a friend that you consider a leader and would want to be like him/her. Please say
- Who is this person?
- How did you meet him/her?
- Explain why you want to be like him/her.

Discussion

- What does your friend do?

- Is it possible that an employer would let an employee take a leading role in their company?
- In many companies managers’ salaries are higher compared to those of other employees. Why?
- Do you think these employees deserve higher wages? Why?

Anita Williams is one of our IELTS results competition winners. She is a lovely 25 year-old lady who
works full time. This IELTS exam was Anita’s second; in her first one she got 6.5 in the Writing
section, which wasn’t enough for immigration purposes. This time Anita wasn’t going to take any
chances – she prepared well and got IELTS Overall Band 8. Her writing improved from 6.5 to Band 7.5
and her listening and reading improved from 7+ to 8+. Here is what Anita told us about her IELTS
preparation experience:

“I’m glad I won the competition and I am really happy to share my experience
with the other test takers. I am a working professional, so devoting enough
time to study was difficult. After my first IELTS attempt a few months back, I
realised that I need to put a lot of effort in the writing section which was my
weaker point.

In fact, I have noticed that many students struggle with the writing section as
it’s extremely difficult to improve your vocabulary within a short span of time.
So, I decided to go with the writing correction service offered by the IELTS
blog along with ‘Ace the IELTS’ book.

If you’re taking the test for the first time and are time-crunched, I would
recommend taking a sample mock test to know your weaker section and try to work harder on that
one. Apart from this, I would say that “Smart Practise is the key.”

Writing

1. Understand the different types of essays and letters that appear in IELTS. If you read ‘Ace the
IELTS’ you will find a lot of useful phrases which you could use in letters.

2. Never start writing as soon as you read the topic. Think and plan your work. Write points and plan
the flow before you begin writing. Otherwise, you will only lose time and your content won’t appear
organised.

3. Work on your speed and make sure you have at least two minutes to recheck your work. Also, it is
important you don’t write too many words, always stick to the word limit.

4. Try to answer the essay first as it’s worth twice your score and try to avoid repetitive words, use
synonyms instead.

Reading

1. Learn to skim and scan and work on time management. Take as many tests as possible and time
yourself. This is an easier section to score well in, if you practise well.
Listening

1. Always read the questions before you listen and try to guess the answers. This will help you listen
to keywords.

2. Sometimes, the speaker tends to stress certain words and may go really fast with the rest. This is a
good indication that the answer is one of the stressed words.

Speaking

1. This is a interesting section and if you are calm then you can score very well. Just keep your cool
and try to act naturally.

2. Practise this section by recording your voice.This is a good way to prepare for the Speaking test.
Prepare for some general questions like introducing yourself and talking about your hometown, family,
friends or hobbies.

Finally, before the test day take some good rest. The next day, just be confident and give it your best
shot.

Gook luck to IELTS-Blog.com and I hope that my tips would be useful to the readers