Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The two plans illustrate how an airport presently will be compared to next year after redevelopment.

Overall, the airport will undergo huge development to facilitate passenges including increased number of gates, a new sky train and more options for cafes.

Presently, departures have a check-in counter on the left side of the hall. Opposite to the check in counter there is a cafe, going stright from cafe there is passport control and security. On the northren side of airport there are total of 8 gates for passengers along with a walkway connecting the gates. Going towards arrivals there is passort control and customs adjecnt to the security and passport control of deparutres.

After the development, a new gate will be added to the arrivals and departures hall, with the cafe now being on the bottom left corner of the departures. Check in counter will be transformed into a bag drop facility and opposite that a new check in counter will be constrcuted. While the positions of security, passport control and customs will remain the same in both halls, new shops will be added after crossing security at depatures. Arrivals will also now have an cafe on the top right corner follwed by an atm in the middle and a car hire option in the bottom right. In the north number of gates will be inreased from 8 to 18. A skytrain will be constructed in place of the walkway to connect increased number of gates after development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You give a clear overview of the main changes, especially the expansion from 8 to 18 gates and the addition of a sky train and passenger facilities. Most details are grounded in the plans: you describe the café and ATM in Arrivals, the car-hire area, and the relocated check-in counter. However, some descriptions are imprecise or inaccurate. The redevelopment does not add a single gate to the arrivals and departures halls; it extends the concourse into a Y-shape with two arms. Also, the sky train runs along the central stem rather than replacing the walkway in exactly the same location. The statement that security, passport control and customs remain unchanged is not clearly supported by the plan. More precise comparisons of the concourse shape and the new shops would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable progression: an introduction and overview are followed by a description of the current layout and then the redevelopment. This makes the comparison generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “Presently” and “After the development” help signal the stages. The paragraphing also separates the two plans. However, some sentences pack several locations and changes together, particularly the long sentence beginning “While the positions of security…”, so the relationships between details become harder to track. Directional sequencing such as “going straight from” and “after crossing” is not always a clear way to describe a map. To move further, group details by area and use more precise references, such as “in the Departures hall” or “along the extended concourse,” while varying transitions rather than relying mainly on time markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “check-in counter,” “passport control,” “customs,” “walkway,” and “car hire,” and you attempt to describe change with phrases such as “will be transformed” and “will be increased.” However, the range and control are limited by repeated general wording such as “new” and “number,” and several word-choice or spelling errors are noticeable: “passenges,” “stright,” “northren,” and “constrcuted.” Some collocations are also awkward, for example “a new gate will be added to the arrivals and departures hall” and “an cafe.” Use more precise terms for the plan’s features, such as “concourse extension,” “gate capacity,” and “relocated check-in desk,” and check spelling and article use during editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including the contrast introduced by “While” and the clause “to connect increased number of gates.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms are frequent enough to limit clarity. For example, “how an airport presently will be compared to next year” has an awkward tense and comparison structure; “departures have a check-in counter” does not use the natural article and singular form for the area; and “an cafe” has incorrect article agreement. There are also missing articles in phrases such as “increased number of gates,” and some long sentences need clearer punctuation. Practise accurate present-versus-future forms and article use, and divide sentences that combine several changes.

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