Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 map presents an airport; how it looks now and how it will appear in the next year after re-construction.

Overall, drastic changes will take place like substituting the check in point with a bag drop, increasing the number of ates at the airport, installation of car hire, sky train, ATM machines etc while the location for departures and arrivals and cafe will remain the same.

As compared to the current map, the future airport will contain a car hire, ATM machines, and a sky train instead of walking tracks. Additionally, the check-in point will be replaced by a bag drop as well as there will be shops and the installation of 18 gates in the new airport as compared to the previous eight number of gates.

While the location of departures and arrivals will remain the same in both airports. Similarly, the location of a cafe will exist the same but a new one will also be installed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main direction of change: the gate capacity expands, new facilities are added, and the departures and arrivals areas remain in place. The overview also recognises that a second café is planned. These are relevant features and show a sound understanding of the plans. However, some details are inaccurate or too general: the check-in point is not replaced by bag drop, since check-in moves to the inner wall and bag drop is added on the west wall. The café locations also change, rather than simply remaining the same. To make the summary more complete, describe the Y-shaped concourse and the new facilities’ positions, including the shops and car-hire extension.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to comparisons of the facilities and terminal areas. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is limited because the second and third paragraphs repeat points already made in the overview, particularly the unchanged departures and arrivals and the café. Linking phrases such as “As compared to” and “Additionally” help connect ideas, but “While” begins a sentence without a main clause, and “Similarly” does not clearly express the relationship between the café locations. Group the changes by area—concourse, departures, then arrivals—and use references that make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “gates,” “departures,” “arrivals,” “bag drop,” “car hire” and “sky train,” and the reader can generally understand the intended changes. There is also an attempt to use more formal language, such as “drastic changes” and “installation.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “walking tracks” does not accurately describe the walkway, “the location … will remain the same” is too broad for the cafés, and “the previous eight number of gates” is awkward. There is also a spelling error in “ates.” Aim for precise map language such as “concourse,” “is extended,” and “is relocated,” and choose collocations that describe the changes accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the comparison “as compared to the current map” and the clause beginning “While.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. “The map presents an airport; how it looks now…” uses a semicolon where a full clause is needed, while “While the location … will remain the same in both airports” is a dependent clause without a main clause. In “there will be shops and the installation of 18 gates,” the construction is not parallel. Practise forming complete sentences and keeping coordinated items grammatically consistent; this will make your comparisons clearer and more controlled.

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

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