Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-12

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 illustrate the current layout of airport and how it will look after development in the future.

Overall, it can be seen that significant developments will take place in the layout of the airport with regard to the addition of an ATM, the installation of a bag drop region, and the development of gates.

Currently, a cafe is located on the eastern side of the departures area while the arrivals area is empty. In addition, there are numerous gates on the norther side of the layout.

After future redevelopment, the entrances will be expanded to the north, whereas an ATM will be established on the eastern side of the arrivals area. Furthermore, a bag drop area will be built to the western side of the layout while the cafe will be relocated to corner of the departures area and another new cafe will be introduced on the eastern side of the arrivals area. Although arrivals region will be extended to the east, the security passport control and passport control customs will remain in their original positions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response effectively covers all parts of the task by summarizing the main features of the airport layout before and after redevelopment and making relevant comparisons. In your opening, you write, 'The plans illustrate the current layout of airport and how it will look after development in the future.' You successfully identify key transformations, such as the expansion of entrances to the north, the addition of an ATM on the eastern side of the arrivals area, and the relocation of the cafe. The overview paragraph captures the most salient changes clearly. While some finer details could be slightly more fully developed to reach a higher band, all parts are addressed adequately and accurately based on the provided visual data, demonstrating a clear understanding of map interpretation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. You make effective use of introductory and transitional cohesive devices to guide the reader through the spatial changes, such as 'Currently, a cafe is located...' followed by 'After future redevelopment, the entrances will be expanded...' Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, overall summary, current features, and future changes. However, there are minor instances of slightly repetitive referencing, such as 'the layout' and 'the eastern side', which prevent the essay from achieving a higher score. Overall, the information is coherent and easy to follow, and cohesion is managed with reasonable flexibility.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, employing terms such as 'layout', 'redevelopment', 'relocated', and 'extended'. There are successful attempts to use less common items like 'installation', 'region', and 'introduction'. However, some word choices and phrasing feel a bit basic or slightly awkward, such as 'bag drop region' instead of 'bag drop area', and minor spelling or lexical inaccuracies like 'norther' instead of 'northern'. These minor flaws do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical range and precision to a Band 6 level. Incorporating more precise collocation will help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating your ability to construct compound and complex sentences such as 'Overall, it can be seen that significant developments will take place...' and 'Although arrivals region will be extended to the east...'. There are some grammatical errors, notably missing articles ('layout of airport' instead of 'layout of the airport', 'arrivals region' instead of 'the arrivals region') and spelling slips like 'norther' instead of 'northern'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout. You have a solid foundational control of grammar, but reducing these minor slips will lead to higher band placement.

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

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