Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-17

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 maps depict the location of Southwest airport now and the future site after its redevelopment in the next year.

Overall, it is evident that the aiport will undergo major changes, that includes increasing the number of gates as well as the departures and arrivals entrances. Furthermore, some new amenities will be introduced and some existing shops will be repositioned.

The current plan of the Southwest airport has a single departure and arrival entrance, which will be increased to two each. Additionally, the gates towards the plane will be incremented to 18. Finally, the other major upgrade includes repacing the older walkway with sky train.

Currently, the departure area has a check-in and a cafe, which will be repositioned and the new bag drop facility will also added. After clearing the passport and security checks, the passengers would be able to shop after the renovation. At last, a new cafe just afterr the customs, followed by ATM will be added in the arrival section. The arrival area will now have aa extra car hiring station for the arrival passengers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main direction of change: the airport gains more gates, a sky train, and additional facilities, and you describe several changes in both terminal areas. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear. The entrances are not increased to two each; the plans show entrances in both the departures and arrivals areas in each layout. The gates increase from 8 to 18, but “towards the plane” does not clearly describe the expanded Y-shaped concourse. You also say shops are repositioned, although the new plan adds shops, and the café/ATM sequence is not clearly located. The overview is relevant, but more precise comparisons of the concourse shape and relocated check-in would make the report more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. This makes the main points easy to locate, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Additionally,” and “Finally” help signal progression. However, the sequence within the detail paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, with repeated “Finally” and “At last,” and some references are difficult to follow. For example, “the gates towards the plane” and “after clearing the passport and security checks” do not clearly connect the new concourse and shops to their positions on the plan. Grouping changes by area and using clearer spatial references would make the progression more logical and cohesion less dependent on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing redevelopment, including “repositioned,” “facility,” “renovation,” and “customs.” These choices communicate the general changes, but some wording is imprecise or does not fit the map description naturally. “The gates towards the plane will be incremented” is an awkward way to describe the increase in gate numbers, while “shops will be repositioned” misrepresents their addition. There are also spelling errors, including “aiport,” “repacing,” and “afterr,” alongside the nonstandard “car hiring station.” Aim for accurate map vocabulary and natural collocations, such as “the concourse will be extended” and “a car-hire facility will be added.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the overview clause “it is evident that…” and the relative clause “which will be increased to two each.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions reduce accuracy. In “the new bag drop facility will also added,” the future passive requires “will also be added.” “The airport has a single departure and arrival entrance” would be clearer as “has one entrance for departures and one for arrivals.” The phrase “that includes increasing” also has an unclear reference and agreement; “including an increase in the number of gates” would be more controlled. Check articles, verb forms, and sentence punctuation when revising.

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