Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-09

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 two plans given illustrate the southwest airport site currently and how it will turn out after the redevelopment in the next year. The main area for departures and arrivals will remain the same however, there will be few changes in it but the main focus of development is on increasing the number of gates and expanding that area.

The departures and arrivals will have two gates instead of one after the develeopment however; few other changes at departures will be that the bag drop area replaces the check-in area meanwhile, check-in area shifts at the cafe area and the cafe will be on the left side of the departure gate however passport control and security will remain at same positions and there will be new shops after passing the secuirty.

The arrivals area will have the addition of the cafe and the ATM machine on the right side also there will be a car hire counter on the same side. The passport control and customs position will remain the same.

The number of gates currently are only 8 but after the development they will increase to 18 also as per now there is walkway between the gates but according to new plan there will be the addition of sky train for people to reach at their desire gate easily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main transformation clearly: the gate capacity rises from eight to eighteen, and the straight concourse becomes a larger layout served by a sky train. You also cover changes in both terminal areas, including the new bag drop, cafés, ATM and car hire, while noting that passport control and customs remain. This gives the response a clear overview and addresses the main features. However, several details are inaccurate or imprecise: check-in moves to the inner wall beside Arrivals, not to the café area; the café is in the bottom-left corner of Departures, rather than on the left side of a departure gate; and shops are along the wall between Departures and the concourse, not simply after security. More exact spatial descriptions would strengthen the account.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is organised into a clear introduction and three body paragraphs, moving from the overall redevelopment to Departures, Arrivals and the gates. This gives the reader a generally logical route through the information. You also use linking expressions such as “however,” “also” and “after,” and the comparison between eight and eighteen gates helps connect the two plans. At times, though, the links are mechanical or unclear: “however; few other changes” is awkwardly punctuated, and “meanwhile” does not clearly show the relationship between the changes to bag drop, check-in and the café. Some long sentences combine several locations and changes, making the sequence harder to follow. Use clearer sentence boundaries and organise each paragraph around a distinct area or comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “passport control,” “customs,” “bag drop,” “ATM” and “sky train.” These terms help convey the airport changes, and the meaning is generally understandable. There are, however, several imprecise or unnatural choices: “turn out” is not a natural way to describe a future plan, “desire gate” is unclear, and “the departures and arrivals will have two gates” misuses “gates” for the terminal sections. Spelling slips such as “develeopment” and “sec uirity” (written as “secuirity”) also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise location language and natural collocations, for example, describing the concourse as being extended and passengers travelling to their chosen gate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including contrast and time clauses, as in “The main area for departures and arrivals will remain the same however…” and “after the development they will increase to 18.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some errors in sentence structure, articles, agreement and punctuation remain. For example, “there will be few changes in it” needs an article or a different construction, while “The number of gates currently are only 8” has subject–verb disagreement. Several sentences are joined with commas or “however” without appropriate punctuation, and “the cafe area” is used where a clearer grammatical phrase is needed. Practise separating related points into accurate sentences and checking agreement, articles and clause punctuation.

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