187 words, written by us as a teaching example — not a verified exam script. Read it, then attempt the question yourself.
“The maps show the centre of the town of Halton in 2000 and today.”Model answer
187 wordsP1The two maps show how the centre of Halton changed between 2000 and the present day.
P2Overall, the area has been substantially redeveloped, with industrial and residential land converted to retail, commercial and leisure uses. The town centre has become more built-up and diverse in character, while the main road through the area has remained unchanged.
P3In the north-west, the factory that existed in 2000 has been replaced by a block of apartments. To the north-east, the open field has been converted into a supermarket with an adjacent car park. Along the southern edge of Station Road, the original row of shops has been redeveloped and replaced by a larger shopping centre, suggesting a consolidation of retail provision in that zone.
P4In contrast, the small cluster of houses that stood in the south-east in 2000 has been demolished and replaced by a public park, introducing a green recreational space into what was previously residential land. Station Road itself, which runs east-west through the centre of the area, has remained unchanged throughout the period and continues to serve as the main route dividing the northern and southern zones.
Write your answer in the exam workspace and see how your four marks compare to the model’s.
Compass directions used to locate every change precisely: north-west, north-east, along the southern edge.
Explicitly notes the feature that remained unchanged (Station Road), a Band 7+ marker.
Now you
Reading a model ≠ writing one. Attempt the same question now, while the moves are fresh — then compare your grading side by side.
Write it nowCriterion breakdown
What keeps it from higher
One additional contrastive linker between the northern and southern zones would tighten the cohesion further.