Task 1 Academic · Map · Health
Two possible sites for a new hospital
One town, two candidate sites and an almost perfect trade-off between them — a map task that rewards comparison rather than description.
The question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
The map below shows the town of Ellbridge and two possible sites for a new hospital.
- The map shows the town of Ellbridge and its surroundings. The town centre lies in the middle of the map, enclosed by a ring road.
- The existing hospital, which the new one will replace, is in the town centre, as is the town's only railway station.
- The River Dene flows from north to south, passing just east of the town centre.
- A railway line crosses the map from west to east through the town centre.
- A motorway runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the map, with one junction, due east of the town centre.
- Most housing lies to the west and north-west of the town centre, with a smaller residential area to the south.
- SITE A: in the north-west, 3 km from the town centre, outside the ring road, on 12 hectares of flat farmland. Its eastern side borders the largest residential area. It is reached only by a minor road from the ring road, and no bus route passes it.
- SITE B: in the south-east, 1 km from the town centre, on 7 hectares of former industrial land between the east bank of the River Dene and the motorway junction. A bus route from the station passes the site. The part of the site nearest the river is marked as liable to flooding.
A 150-word factual summary of a graph, chart, table, process or map. This prompt is original, written in the standard format for teaching purposes — it is not taken from any past paper.
What separates the three answers
The two sites trade strengths almost exactly; the 6.5 answer describes two places, the 7.5 sets out a choice but strays beyond the map, and the band 9 frames the whole task as room against reach.
The three answers
Band 6.5
194 words (the task asks for at least 150)The answer works. It addresses the task, the reader follows it, and the meaning survives — but ideas stay general, linking is mechanical, wording repeats, and small errors are visible throughout.
The answer
The map shows the town of Ellbridge and two sites where a new hospital can be built.
The town centre is in the middle of the map and it has a ring road around it. There is the old hospital and the railway station, and the River Dene is on the east side of the centre. There is a motorway in the east of the map and most of the houses are in the west and north-west.
Site A is in the north-west and it is 3 km from the centre. It is on farmland and it is 12 hectares, so it is bigger than Site B.2 It is next to the biggest area of houses, but there is only a small road to go there and there is no bus4.
Site B is in the south-east and it is only 1 km from the centre. It is on old industrial land between the river and the junction of the motorway. It is 7 hectares and the bus is passing near it from the station3. However, some part of the site near to the river can flood.
Overall, both sites have advantages and disadvantages.1
What an examiner notices
1. Task achievement
“Overall, both sites have advantages and disadvantages.”
True of any two sites on any map. The overview needs the actual trade-off: space and nearby housing at Site A, access and centrality at Site B.
2. Coherence and cohesion
“It is on farmland and it is 12 hectares, so it is bigger than Site B.”
Three uses of 'it is' in one sentence. The one comparison in the answer is here, but it is added at the end of a description rather than built into the structure.
3. Grammatical range and accuracy
“the bus is passing near it from the station”
Present continuous for a permanent arrangement. 'A bus route from the station passes the site' is the simple present the meaning needs.
4. Lexical resource
“there is only a small road to go there and there is no bus”
Everyday wording for access. 'It is reached only by a minor road and is not on a bus route' would say the same thing precisely.
One honest caveat
Band labels here describe what each piece of writing demonstrates against the four published assessment areas, paraphrased in plain language. They are teaching illustrations produced for this site, not official material, and no sample has been marked by a test provider. Real scripts are marked whole; two answers with the same label can still look quite different from each other, and nothing on this page can promise anyone a particular result.
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