Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13

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 compare the map of the Southwest airport before and after the redevelopment work next year.

Overall, major changes were observed in the map after the redevelopment work. Although, some of the main areas allocated for passport control,customs and secuirty remained same in both of the maps, but few new additions were done next year.

Before the renovation, airport has only one gate for departure and arrival, whereas after renovation, one gate for each, departure and arrival were added. Besides this, arrival area in the old map was empty, but after reconstruction north-east corner below the customs office was allocated for cafe.Moreover cafe in the old map that was in the right top corner on the departure side as shifted in the bottom left corner.. Below the cafe there ATM was added. Further more, right bottom corner was reserved for car hiring.

Bag drop section was assigned instead of check-in area in new map as compared to the old one,whereas check-in was shifted to the right after development work. Above the security office area for the shops were assigned in comparison to the old map. Ten more gates were added after renovation. IN addition, instead of walkway sky trains were used

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student provides an overview of the main changes shown in the Southwest Airport plans, noting key additions such as the expansion of gates, the introduction of sky trains, and the reconfiguration of facilities like the cafe and check-in areas. The response covers most parts of the task and makes relevant comparisons between the 'before' and 'after' layouts. However, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly described, such as the statement regarding the gates ('airport has only one gate for departure and arrival, whereas after renovation, one gate for each...'). While the overall progression and selection of features are visible, the development of ideas could be more precise to reach a higher band. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of Task 1 adequately, earning a band score of 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into clear paragraphs, moving from an introductory overview to specific spatial changes across the airport map. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Although', 'Besides this', and 'Moreover' are utilized to connect ideas, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or awkward (e.g., 'Although, some of the main areas... but few new additions...'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the sentence 'as shifted in the bottom left corner', where the subject pronoun or article is missing. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the report logically, but the overall mechanical cohesion keeps the performance at a band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and spatial changes, using terms like 'redevelopment', 'renovation', 'allocation', and specific airport facilities such as 'passport control', 'customs', and 'bag drop'. However, there are notable word-choice errors, missing articles, and awkward collocations (e.g., 'secuirty' instead of security, 'as shifted' instead of 'was shifted', 'there ATM was added'). While the student attempts less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in spelling and collocation slightly impede smooth reading, reflecting the characteristics of Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinate clauses ('Although, some of the main areas... remained same...'). However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text. There are issues with article usage ('airport has only one gate', 'was empty', 'below the cafe there ATM was added'), prepositional choices, and punctuation errors (e.g., spaces before commas, missing spaces after periods). Despite these errors, the meaning remains mostly clear, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor where a mix of structures is used alongside persistent errors.

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

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