Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-03

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 maps depict the location of Southwest airport now and the further developments planned in the next year.

Overall, the airport will be undergoing a massive transformation, especially in the number of gates. Furthermore, a few shops will be repositioned, some new facilities will be opened and finally, there will be a new car hire area inside the airport.

Currently, the airport has one departure gate and an arrival gate, which would be doubled after the renovation. Similarly, the number of gates in the airport are eight, which would increase by more than twice than as of today. Furthermore, the cafe would be repositioned from the right corner of the departure area to the left bottom area, making room for the new check-in. The current check-in space would be replaced for the bag drop facility. After crossing the passport control and security check in the departure, space for new shops will be created.

The walkway to the gates and terminals would be replaced by the sky train. The arriving passengers will now have new facilities after the customs in the arrivals section of airport. The airport's arrival would be having a cafe, and an ATM adjacent to it. There's one more new amenity provided for the passengers, an extension in the arrival space for the car hire.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You successfully address all parts of the task by presenting a clear overview of the main changes at Southwest Airport and reporting the key features. You note the major transformation, such as the expansion of the gates from 8 to 18 and the introduction of the sky train and new facilities. However, some parts of your response are slightly inaccurate or under-developed. For instance, you mention that 'the airport has one departure gate and an arrival gate', which misinterprets the map labels for Departures and Arrivals. Furthermore, while you cover most spatial changes, some ideas lack full clarity in how they compare the 'now' and 'after development' layouts. To reach a higher band, ensure a completely accurate reading of the source data without misinterpreting functional areas as single gates, and extend your comparisons with more precise quantitative details.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your response has a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from an introductory overview to specific body paragraphs detailing the terminal changes and new amenities. You use paragraphing appropriately to separate the overview, departure/gate changes, and arrival zone updates. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Similarly', and 'after crossing' are employed to guide the reader through the maps. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty, as seen in referencing shifts like 'the airport's arrival would be having a cafe', which feels slightly awkward in a formal report. To achieve a higher band, refine the logical links between sentences and ensure referencing remains precise and unobtrusive throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and functional terms such as 'transformation', 'repositioned', 'amenity', and 'protruding' (implied by context). Your word choices communicate the intended meaning of map features effectively. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the number of gates in the airport are eight' (subject-verb agreement aside, collocation could be sharper) and stating that the airport has 'one departure gate and an arrival gate'. There are also minor awkward phrasings like 'replaced for the bag drop facility'. To improve, focus on precise lexical control and more natural collocations when describing architectural or structural changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You display a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional-like time markers successfully. Grammatical structures such as 'which would be doubled after the renovation' and 'making room for the new check-in' demonstrate a satisfactory command of complex syntax. There are some errors in grammar, such as 'the number of gates in the airport are' (agreement error) and 'would be having a cafe' (slightly unidiomatic continuous form for a static future layout). Nevertheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To reach the next level, increase the proportion of error-free complex sentences and ensure rigorous precision in verb tenses and agreement.

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

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