Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-08

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

map ielts writing task 1

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The picture illustrates the redevelopments of Southwest Airport which is going to take place next year with a variety of additions and relocations of facilities.

Overall, various new facilites are being added in the redevelopment plan such as increase in the number of gates, followed by establishment of a new transport system known as the sky train and shops in order for greater customer satisfaction.

Before the redevelopments of the airport, it consisted of eight gates for passengers along with the customs,security and passport control section. A cafe is also present for providing dining options to the passengers.

As per the redevelopments, several new facilities have been added. For starters. the number of gates is being increased from eight to eighteen followed by the establishment of sky train for better transportation. The security, passport control and customs sections remained same. A seperate bag drop counter is being added to avoid confusion among passengers regarding luggage. Alongside the establishment of shops , several other amenities were also being added to provide better services to the passengers such as ATM machine and Car hire service. The number of cafes were increased from one to two.

In conclusion, the redevelopments of Southwest Airport aided in providing better service to the passengers elevating their travel experience but also played a crucial role in creation of new enterprises and employement.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: capacity rises from eight to eighteen gates, and the sky train and shops are introduced. You also note the added bag drop, ATM and car hire, and the increase from one café to two. This gives the response a relevant overview and covers several important changes. However, some details are inaccurate or too general: security, passport control and customs are described as remaining the same, although their positions and arrangement are not fully reported; the relocation of check-in and the extended Y-shaped concourse are also omitted. The claim that the redevelopment creates employment and improves the travel experience is not shown by the plans. More precise coverage of the layout changes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the current airport, the proposed changes and a concluding statement. This makes the main comparison easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “Before the redevelopments” and “As per the redevelopments” help signal the stages, and the facilities are generally grouped sensibly. At times, however, the progression is mechanical: “For starters” and “Alongside” introduce a list rather than showing how the layout changes relate to one another. The final conclusion repeats broad claims instead of adding useful comparison. Organising the body around the terminal and the concourse, and using clearer references to locations, would make cohesion more flexible and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “facilities,” “establishment,” “transportation” and “amenities,” and the reader can understand the main changes. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing. However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a plan: “the number of gates is being increased” is less direct than “the number of gates will increase,” while “separate bag drop counter” and “creation of new enterprises” do not accurately describe the mapped features. Spelling errors such as “facilites,” “seperate” and “employement,” along with inconsistent spelling of “café,” reduce control. Prefer concise, location-specific terms and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple sentences and longer structures, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the sentence describing the increase in gates and the sky train. Meaning is generally clear, and errors rarely prevent understanding. Some grammatical problems remain, particularly with tense, agreement and sentence boundaries. For example, “which is going to take place” is awkward after “redevelopments,” and “The number of cafes were increased” should use singular agreement and a suitable future form. “For starters.” is an incorrect sentence break, while “The security, passport control and customs sections remained same” is missing an article before “same.” More consistent future forms for planned changes and careful proofreading of agreement and punctuation would improve accuracy.

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