Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-02

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 illustrations show the site of an airport today and after redevelopment, which is expected to happen next year.

Overall, airport will undergo substantial changes after redevelopment. There will be frequent changes and additions of the locations of areas assigned for specific purpose.

Today's site of the airport has departures and arrivals on the south side. There is a check post on west side, with a cafe to the east. Security passport control is next to the cafe and check-in. Passport control customs is to the right side of security passport control. Walkway is on the north side of plan with 8 gates at different locations in its surroundings.

However, after dreevelopment, departure and arrivals location will remain unchanged. There will be a bag drop at the location that used to be a check-in. Cafe's place will be changed to south side of plan, adjacent to departure. Check-in will be moved to south side of security passport control, which will remain at the same location after redevelopment. There will a new cafe to the north of passport control customs, whose location will remain unaltered. There will be an ATM, next to the cafe. A new car hire will be to the east side of arrivals. There will be a new sky train on the north side of the airport plan, with 18 gates at scattered locations. There will be shops to the north of security passport control.

On the whole, departures, arrivals, security passport control and passport control customs location will remain unaltered. While cafe and check-in locations, next to departure will be changed. There will be additions of few more gates, a cafe, an ATM, a sky train.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by providing a summary of the two maps detailing the current layout of Southwest Airport and the proposed changes for next year. Key features such as the expansion of the gates, the addition of the sky train, shops, car hire, and the rearrangement of check-in and cafés are reported. However, some aspects are under-developed or imprecise; for instance, describing the gates as being at "scattered locations" misses the structured Y-shaped extension with numbered gates clearly visible in the data. Furthermore, the final paragraph largely repeats information already stated, indicating that the selection and reporting of data lack a fully extended overview. Nevertheless, the main features and general comparisons are successfully highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text maintains a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information logically, comparing the current layout with the future redevelopment. Paragraphing is employed to separate the introduction, the present layout, the future plan, and the overall summary. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on formulas like "There is" and "There will be" to introduce new elements rather than more sophisticated linking devices. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting abruptly between features without smooth transitions. While the progression of ideas is understandable, the heavy reliance on simple sentence starters limits the flow of the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic spatial arrangements and modifications such as "redevelopment," "unaltered," and "adjacent." The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but this is sometimes accompanied by inaccuracy or awkward phrasing, such as "dreevelopment" (spelling error) or "check post" instead of check-in counter. Word choice and collocations are generally functional but lack precision; phrases like "cafe's place will be changed" or "car hire will be to the east side" are simplistic. Spelling errors are present ("dreevelopment"), though they do not seriously impede communication. To reach a higher level, a wider range of precise lexical items and more natural collocations are required.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing future tenses and conditional structures appropriately to contrast the current layout with future changes. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly concerning missing articles (e.g., "airport will undergo," "There will a new cafe") and prepositions (e.g., "locations of areas assigned for specific purpose" instead of for a specific purpose). While these errors occur throughout the text, they rarely impede communication, and basic structures are generally well-controlled. The inclusion of complex clauses shows an attempt at a varied grammatical range, but frequent minor slips in articles and noun-phrase agreements prevent the score from being higher.

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