Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-07

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show the site of an airport now and how it will look after redevelopment next year.

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

SOUTHWEST AIRPORT

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The plans illustrate the southwest airport now and how it will look after redevelopment next year. The meaning of icons are given below the plans.

Overall, the southwest airport at present consists of the basic necessities including check-in, café, walkway and 8 gates. The plans for redevelopment consist a total upgrade to the southwest airport by adding 10 additional gates, a car hire facility, a sky train, an atm, another café and a bag drop facility.

At the moment, through the departures entrance, there is a check-in counter to the left side and a café to the right. Passport control and security is located behind the café. After the immigration, passengers move towards the gates and a total of 8 gates are present at the moment, connected by a walkway. There is no café available at the arrivals area.

Turning to the plans for redevelopment of the southwest airport, it is observed that an extra gate is added for entering and exiting the airport. The café in the departures area has been moved to the south west corner, the check-in counter has been moved to the opposite side and a bag drop facility has been added in it's place. The passport control and the security are the same as they still are in the present southwest airport. Shops have been added which are located south to the gates. Total number of gates have been increased to 18 and are made into a Y shape. A sky train has been added to facilitate the travelers. In contrast, the arrival area has been equipped with several services including an ATM, a car hire and a café whereas, the current plans do not have any facilities at all in the arrival area.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You provide a clear overview of the main changes, especially the expansion from eight to eighteen gates, the Y-shaped concourse, and the addition of facilities such as the sky train and car hire. Most locations and comparisons are accurately reported, and you cover both the current and proposed layouts. However, there are a few imprecisions: the “extra gate” at the entrance is not shown, and saying that arrivals currently have “no facilities at all” overlooks passport control and customs. The statement that security and passport control remain the same is also too broad, as the plans show changes elsewhere in the terminal. More precise descriptions of the arrivals area and the unchanged features would make the account more consistently accurate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview, and separate descriptions of the current and future layouts. This gives the reader a generally logical route through the information, and transitions such as “At the moment” and “Turning to the plans” help signal the shift between stages. The overview also identifies the most important development. Some linking is less controlled, however: “In contrast” does not clearly express the relationship in its sentence, and “whereas” is awkwardly followed by a comma before the contrast. The final paragraph also moves between departures, gates, and arrivals without always grouping related changes together. More deliberate sequencing by area, with clearer references, would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing airport layouts and changes, including “redevelopment,” “facility,” “equipped,” and “Y shape.” These choices allow you to report the main features without excessive repetition. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise or informal for a map description: “extra gate is added for entering and exiting the airport” does not accurately describe the plan, while “the basic necessities” and “total upgrade” are broad rather than precise. “South to the gates” is also an awkward way to locate the shops. Aim for concise spatial language such as “adjacent to,” “along,” or “to the south of,” and use exact terms for the facilities and changes shown.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “whereas” and “including,” and the main meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “The meaning of icons are” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “the plans … consist a total upgrade” is missing a preposition and has an awkward construction. In “the café … has been moved … and a bag drop facility has been added in it's place,” the possessive form should be “its”; the sentence also combines changes in a way that obscures their relationship. There are further agreement and article issues in “Total number of gates have been increased.” Check agreement, articles, and sentence punctuation when revising.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.