Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-05

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 6.0)

The supplied maps of the southwest airport compare its current design with its future developmental plans.

Overall, the airport will expand considerably by constructing more gates at the backside and several facilities will be installed for the travelers including a transport office, an ATM and a bag drop.

The recent layout of the airport is divided in two sections one for arrivals and another for departures. The departures have a check-in and a café while there is no such facility for arrivals. Away from these, there are security, customs and passport control offices which ultimately lead to a walkway connected to gates.

After refurbishment, the air port will be having two entrances for each section and several facilities like a bag drop, an ATM, and a car hire. Furthermore, the number of gates will be increased to 18 by installing 10 more and the walkway will be replaced by sky train track. Finally, the passport customs will no be modified.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have successfully identified the main features of the airport redevelopment, including the expansion of gates and the addition of new facilities. You provided a clear overview and made relevant comparisons between the current and future layouts. However, the report could be improved by being more precise with the data. For instance, you mention 'several facilities' but do not specify the exact locations or the total number of gates clearly in the summary. Additionally, the description of the 'sky train track' replacing the 'walkway' is a good observation, but ensure all major changes, such as the relocation of the check-in area, are also highlighted to fully cover all parts of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, overview, and body paragraphs describing the current and future states. The progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'Finally' to link your points. However, the cohesion is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition 'Away from these' is slightly awkward in this context. To reach a higher band, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid, particularly when contrasting the two maps.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'refurbishment', 'developmental plans', and 'layout'. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'backside' (which is informal; 'rear' or 'far end' would be better) and 'air port' (which should be one word). You also use 'passport customs' which is slightly imprecise; 'passport control and customs' would be more accurate. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, incorporating more precise collocations related to map descriptions would enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the air port will be having' (future continuous is less natural here than 'will have') and 'no be modified' (a typo for 'not'). Additionally, 'divided in two sections one for arrivals' lacks necessary punctuation, such as a colon or dash. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a greater focus on accurate verb tenses and punctuation to reach the higher bands.

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

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