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IELTS report, topic: Shopping centre map comparison

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task

The maps below show the Happy Valley Shopping Center in 1982 and 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words

Happy Valley Shopping Center in 1982 and 2012

Band 8 Answer

The two maps show the radical changes that Happy Valley Shopping Center underwent during the period between 1982 and 2012. Overall, it is clear that the redevelopment resulted in expansion of the shopping mall and rearrangement of its in-house facilities.

By 2012, the indoor shopping area spread to the west, and the outdoor lake was replaced by a furniture retailer. Additionally, considerable changes were made to the north-west part where a coffee shop was removed and an adjacent food store was relocated to the south-east corner of the mall. Two stores selling sports and electronic goods took over their previous locations along the northern wall. A linear array of themed restaurants moved in along the eastern wall of the shopping centre, replacing sports and electronics shops. On the western side, the lobby area at the main entrance was removed to allow for a bigger central entertainment area.

Yet another alteration was made outside, where a path leading to the main entrance of the mall was removed and instead a spacious car park was built. The entrance, however, was kept in the same location and the lines of trees surrounding the shopping centre remained largely unchanged where possible.

Teacher’s comment: This is a great report. All aspects were covered and a well-developed response was provided. The writer’s vocabulary could have been richer and word choice needs a bit more attention. Overall, seems worthy of Band 8.

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