Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22
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 plans show before and after development of southwest aiport.
Overall, it is clear that southwest airport has undergone considerable development. The most noticeable change is that the passenger walkway has been replaced by a modern sky train. In addition, the new departures and arrivals gate has been added on both side.
The most significant changes took place around the passengers walkway and the newly added section near the arrivals gate. The former passengers walkway has been upgraded into sky train and the gates was also greatly expanded from 8 gates into much larger "Y" shape 18 gates. A new cafe, ATM machine, and car hire has been constructed near the customs department, followed by check-in counter replaced by a new bag drop counter. The check-in counter has moved to the right side formerly occupy by cafe and the cafe has been moved to southwest near the departures gate.
Furthermore, a new gates was added on both departures and arrival gates, followed by a newly added shops area near the sky train and passenger gates.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response covers the main features of the airport redevelopment, including the sky train, gate expansion, and the relocation of facilities. You have successfully identified the key changes, such as the shift in the check-in area and the addition of new amenities. However, the report lacks a clear, analytical overview of the scale of the transformation. While you mention the 'Y' shape gates, the description of the layout changes is slightly confusing in places, particularly regarding the specific locations of the new cafe and check-in counters. To reach a higher band, ensure that the comparison between the 'now' and 'next year' plans is more precise and clearly structured to highlight the most significant transformations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs detailing the changes. You use some cohesive devices like 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'The most significant changes', which help guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally interrupted by repetitive phrasing and some mechanical transitions, such as the repeated use of 'followed by'. The referencing is sometimes unclear, for example, when describing the movement of the cafe and check-in counters, which makes it difficult for the reader to visualize the exact spatial changes. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clearer referencing would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'redevelopment', 'upgraded', 'constructed', and 'customs department'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'formerly occupy by' (should be 'formerly occupied by') and 'southwest near the departures gate' (which is vague). While you attempt to describe the specific features of the airport, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive. To improve, try to use more precise descriptive language for spatial relationships and avoid repeating the same sentence structures when listing new additions to the airport site.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the gates was', 'a new gates was added') and tense inconsistencies. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency. To improve, focus on ensuring that plural nouns match their verbs and that you maintain consistent tense usage when describing the transition from the current state to the future state. Proofreading for basic agreement errors would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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