IELTS Task 1: Light Pollution and Dark Skies

Word Forms: School Canteen Weekly Menu

Collocations for Describing Data

Common Phrases for Describing Figures

Word Bank

Paraphrasing: Rewriting Sentence Structures

4 rows × 5 columns (each cell represents one block):

4 rows × 5 columns (each cell represents one block):

The two maps illustrate how lighting arrangements across the town of Penmar changed between 2014 and 2024.

Overall, the town shifted toward significantly darker nocturnal conditions, with exterior lighting either taken down or fitted with mitigation devices. The most pronounced reductions occurred in the northern and western sections of the town.

In 2014, the central north-south road featured bright street lamps, while a floodlit sports ground and floodlit car park were situated on the eastern boundary. By 2024, all lamps along this thoroughfare had been shielded. Additionally, the sports facility was upgraded with an operating timer, and the adjoining car park adopted dimmed lamps. Throughout this period, the retail shops, residential houses, and two south-eastern factories saw no visible modifications.

Turning to the west and north, the changes were just as clear. In 2014, the western park contained active lamps, and the hilltop was next to the observatory. A decade later, the park had become completely unlit after its lamps were removed. Most notably, both the hilltop and one adjacent block of farmland were converted into a designated dark-sky zone beside the observatory.

1. "The two maps illustrate how lighting arrangements across..."

Why this works: It says the same thing as the question in new words, so you do not copy the question.

2. "Overall, the town shifted toward significantly darker nocturnal conditions..."

Why this works: It gives the reader the big picture immediately without getting slowed down by minor individual numbers or street names.

3. "The most pronounced reductions occurred in..."

Why this works: It steers the reader to the area of the map that experienced the largest contrast, making your overview sound decisive and clear.

4. "...saw no visible modifications."

Why this works: It bundles everything that stayed the same into one tidy sentence so you do not repeat the word 'unchanged' three separate times.

5. "Turning to the west and north, the changes were just as clear."

Why this works: It acts like a road sign between paragraphs, telling the reader that you are now moving over to a new part of the grid.

6. "...had become completely unlit after its lamps were removed."

Why this works: It links the result (the park is dark) with the specific cause (the lamps were taken out) in one smooth, balanced clause.

7. "Most notably, both the hilltop and one adjacent block of farmland were converted into..."

Why this works: It highlights the single most striking transformation on the map and combines two adjacent grid blocks into one clear, informative sentence.