Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-26

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 chart defects the information about the plan of the airport structure before development and after development.

Overall it is clear that there is a lot of development there as some new gates are installed and there is new car higher and sky train and a new ATM .The area has also been increased.

According to the illustration in currently plan there is a walkway in the North side of the airport area and in the west side of the area there is a check in area and a cafe in the centre of the airport. In the South side there are two ways as in the east side there is arrival and in the West side there is departure way. There are 8 gates in the North side of the area of the airport.

Moving further toward the rest of the information it is clear the at there will be 10 new gates in the North side of the area of the airport and there will be an change in the location of the cafe as the cafe will be moved in the south Westside corner in the path of departure. New ATM will be installed in the east side of the airport plan and car hire will be in the East corner of the plan. There is a new shops in the path of the 8 gates in the between of security and skytrain.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers the main features of the airport plans, including the new gates, the relocation of the cafe, and the addition of the car hire and skytrain. However, the description is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical comparison. For instance, while you mention the increase in gates, you could have more effectively highlighted the overall expansion of the terminal footprint. The overview is present but could be more concise and focused on the most significant changes rather than listing every minor detail. To improve, focus on grouping related features (e.g., transport facilities vs. passenger amenities) to provide a more cohesive summary of the redevelopment.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the current state to the future state. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and mechanical. Phrases like 'Moving further toward the rest of the information' are wordy and unnatural. The transition between sentences could be smoother; for example, using more varied linking words or referencing techniques would improve the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could benefit from more sophisticated signposting to connect the before and after states more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to describe the plans, such as 'redevelopment', 'illustration', and 'installed'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and minor errors, such as 'chart defects' (likely meant 'depicts'), 'car higher' (should be 'car hire'), and 'in the between of' (should be 'between'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your description. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations related to maps and diagrams, such as 'situated in the northern sector' or 'undergoing significant expansion'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Issues include missing articles ('in North side', 'in East corner'), incorrect prepositions, and subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'There is a new shops'). While these errors rarely prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning, they are frequent enough to keep the score in the 6.0 range. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammar rules, particularly the use of articles and pluralisation, and try to incorporate more varied complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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