Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 7.0)

The two plans illustrate the airport site in its current form and its proposed redevelopment for the following year.

Overall, it is clear that Southwest Airport will undergo major transformation, with increasing the number of gates and cafe, whereas walkway changed into skytrain.

Currently, the airport has 8 gates and walkway. The departure section consists of a cafe, a check-in, a security and a passport control, while arrival section includes only passport control and customs.

According to the proposal, the security, passport control, customs, cafe and check-in will remain from the original site. The most significant development will be the increase in number of gates from 8 to 18, while adding more shops in the departure area. The walkway will be demolished to make way for skytrain. However, a bag drop will be added in place of check-in, while latter will be moved to the place where cafe is located. The location of cafe will move to bottom left corner. On the other hand, arrival area will include cafe, ATM and a car hire.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response gives a clear overview of the main changes, especially the expansion from 8 to 18 gates and the replacement of the walkway by a sky train. It also covers changes in both the departures and arrivals areas, including the new bag drop, relocated check-in and café, ATM, and car hire. These details are generally grounded in the plans and the comparison is easy to follow. To make the account more fully developed, describe the new Y-shaped concourse and locate the shops along the angled wall between departures and the concourse. The statement that security, passport control and customs will remain is also somewhat general: identifying their positions or clarifying which areas retain them would make the comparison more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised in a clear sequence: an introduction, an overview, a description of the current layout, and then the proposed changes. This gives the reader a logical progression from present to future, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “According to the proposal,” and “On the other hand” help signal shifts. The main limitation is that some connections are compressed or unclear, particularly “while latter will be moved,” where the reference to check-in requires the reader to infer the intended meaning. The final paragraph also lists several changes without grouping them by area. More precise referencing and a clearer separation of departures and arrivals changes would make cohesion more flexible and less dependent on listing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for describing a site plan, and terms such as “redevelopment,” “passport control,” “customs,” “bag drop,” and “car hire” show useful task-specific range. The response also uses comparison language, including “from 8 to 18” and “in place of.” However, some choices and combinations are imprecise: “increasing the number of gates and cafe” is not a natural construction, and “walkway changed into skytrain” does not clearly express the relationship between the two features. “Major transformation” is understandable but broad; more exact terms such as “expanded” or “reconfigured” would improve precision. Aim for accurate collocations and use specific spatial vocabulary to describe where facilities are situated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple statements and more complex structures, including “while” clauses and the contrast introduced by “However.” Most meanings remain clear, and the present-to-future comparison is generally maintained. Some grammatical errors remain, though they rarely prevent understanding. For example, “with increasing the number of gates and cafe” has an incorrect construction and lacks a plural form; “whereas walkway changed into skytrain” is missing an article and an appropriate verb form; and “while latter will be moved” needs a determiner before “latter.” There is also a tense inconsistency in “the walkway will be demolished to make way for skytrain,” where the future passive is used for a feature in the proposed plan but the article is omitted. Review articles, plurals, and clause construction.

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