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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The given maps illustrate the layout of southwest Airport at present and the proposed changes for next year.

Overall, it is evident that the airport will undergo a major expansion. Key modification include an increased number of gates, additional facilities and the installation of a sky-train system for improved transport.

Currently, the airport has a single terminal building. Passenger enter through the main entrance, where the security check and passport control are located together near the entrance area. beyond passport control there are eight gates positioned along a single corridor.

Next year, the airport layout will be significant modernised. The number of gates will increase from 8 to 18, divided across two brand-new concourses brancing out in a Y-shape. To help passenger move around efficiently, a new sky-tain will intorduce in the run down the centre. Inside the terminal, dedicated shops will be added near the security area, and the passport control and security areas will be rearranged to process passengers more smothly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main transformation clearly: the airport expands, the gate count rises from eight to eighteen, the concourse becomes Y-shaped, and a sky train is introduced. These are central features and are accurately reported. However, several important changes are either omitted or described too generally. The response does not explain the altered terminal facilities, such as the new bag-drop area, relocated check-in, added cafés and ATM, or car-hire area. It also says security and passport control will be rearranged, but the plan does not clearly support this as a specific change. The overview is relevant, but fuller, more precise coverage of the terminal changes would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively into an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the current and future layouts. The progression from the existing airport to its redevelopment is easy to follow, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Next year” help signal the stages. The main limitation is that the final paragraph groups several changes together without explaining their locations or relationships, so the description feels less developed than the earlier account of the gates and concourse. Some transitions between the terminal and concourse details could also be clearer. Overall, the structure is logical and cohesive; more deliberate sequencing of the specific terminal changes would make the progression more consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “layout,” “expansion,” “concourse,” “positioned,” and “divided across,” and the main ideas remain understandable. There is also an attempt to use more precise language, such as “dedicated shops” and “rearranged.” However, several spelling errors—“brancing,” “sky-tain,” “intorduce,” and “smothly”—reduce accuracy, while “run down the centre” is an awkward choice for describing the train’s route. “Brand-new concourses” is also less precise than describing the two arms of the Y-shaped concourse. Greater control of spelling and more natural collocations would strengthen the otherwise adequate range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview sentence with a list of changes and the comparison “increase from 8 to 18.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Passenger enter” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “the airport layout will be significant modernised” uses an incorrect adverb form and passive construction. In “a new sky-tain will intorduce,” the verb form is incomplete; a passive form such as “will be introduced” is needed. Capitalisation after a full stop is also inconsistent in “beyond passport control.” These errors do not generally prevent understanding, but more reliable agreement, verb forms, and sentence editing are needed.

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