Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-05

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 given map illustrates the proposed changes after redevelopment in an airport as compared to the recent map.

Overall, there are significant changes anticipated in next year development which are not there in the recent development such as car hires,sky trains, ATM and bag drop. It is clearly seen that the predicted development has been expanded in large areas which includes several gates more than double in compared to the old development.

To begin with, in the current departure at the left there is a cafe and check in. After development, there is a one new facility which will be a bag drop and the other are same. Afterwards ,in the old plan there is not any service available in the arrival gate on the right side but in the proposed plan one more cafe, ATM and car hire areas is available.

Regarding gates, in the recent plan there is a walk path between 8 gates which becomes more than doubled about 18 gates with a sky trains add in the future development. It can be noticed that the predicted plan has numerous facilities available for commuters to make their travel convenient and reliable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response satisfies the prompt by addressing all parts of the task, presenting an overview and covering the main features of Southwest Airport both now and after redevelopment. The writer successfully identifies major alterations, such as the expanded Y-shaped concourse, the increase in the number of gates from 8 to 18, and the addition of new facilities like the sky train, bag drop, ATM, and car hire. However, some areas remain slightly under-developed or imprecise; for instance, the description of changes in the terminal building lacks fine detail regarding exact spatial shifts. To reach a higher level, the response would need to provide a more fully extended and sophisticated comparison of layout changes, ensuring that all reported details are articulated with greater precision and depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs detailing specific zones. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the comparison, such as 'To formalise transitions', 'To begin with', and 'Regarding gates'. Nevertheless, cohesion at times feels mechanical or slightly repetitive, and referencing can become slightly hazy, as seen in phrases like 'the other are same' which disrupt the smooth flow of information. To progress further, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive ties, ensuring that transitions between contrasting spatial features are handled with greater subtlety and seamless progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary sufficient for the task, successfully attempting less common lexical items related to airport infrastructure, such as 'redevelopment', 'facilities', 'commuters', and 'concourse'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies, inappropriate word choices, and awkward phrasing that restrict the score, such as 'recent map' instead of 'current plan', 'car hires' instead of 'car hire', and 'walk path' instead of 'walkway'. Spelling and word-form slips also appear, indicating a lack of full control over more sophisticated terminology. To improve, the writer needs to expand their range of functional vocabulary and refine collocations and word forms to ensure precision and naturalness without error.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordinate clauses and comparative structures, such as 'which includes several gates more than double in compared to the old development.' There are some error-free sentences; however, grammar and punctuation errors are present throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies ('are not there' / 'will be'), article omissions ('in airport'), and faulty prepositional patterns ('in compared to'). While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they demonstrate only partial control of grammatical structures. To achieve a higher band, the writer must increase the proportion of error-free complex sentences and eliminate recurrent mistakes in articles, prepositions, and verb agreement.

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

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