Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 plans illustrate how Southwest airport looks now and how it will look after refurbishment. Overall, the airport is likely to not only undergo expansion to accomodate more passagers, but will also be modernized to make movement more efficient. Additionally, more refreshment joints will be introduced.

Currently, the airport has only 8 gateson the northern part and walkway next to the gates. The central part is the security passport controll and adjacent to it is a check in section and a cafe with only one exit from the departure section.

After renovation, their will be extension of the northern part with 10 more gates making a total of 18 gates, with a sky train to facilitate movement. Their will be shops in the central part. The departure section will have to exits and a bag drop will be introduced. The arrivals section will have two entrance and a cafe, an ATM and a car section will be established.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main change clearly: the concourse expands from 8 to 18 gates, and you mention the new sky train, shops, bag drop and facilities in Arrivals. The overview also captures the broad aims of expansion and improved movement. Some details, however, are inaccurate or insufficiently precise. The plans show one entrance arrangement in each section, not “two exits” in Departures or “two entrance” in Arrivals; the new car-hire facility is not simply a “car section.” You also omit important changes: check-in moves to the inner wall, the café in Departures changes position, and the concourse becomes Y-shaped. The response covers the main stages, but fuller and more accurate comparisons would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introductory overview is followed by a paragraph describing the current layout and one describing the redevelopment. This makes the comparison easy to follow, and transitions such as “Currently” and “After renovation” signal the stages effectively. The overview also groups the changes into expansion, movement and refreshments. Within the paragraphs, however, several features are listed in quick succession, so their locations and relationships are not always clear—for example, “The central part is the security passport controll and adjacent to it is a check in section.” Organising each stage by area, and using clearer spatial links such as “to the west of” or “beside,” would make the progression more precise and cohesive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of airport and map vocabulary, including “gates,” “walkway,” “bag drop,” “sky train” and “ATM,” and phrases such as “undergo expansion” and “facilitate movement” show an attempt to use more formal language. However, some word choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a plan: “refreshment joints” is informal, “car section” does not accurately name the facility, and “modernized” is a broad interpretation rather than a specific mapped change. There are also spelling errors in “accomodate,” “passagers,” “controll” and “gateson.” Use precise facility names and location vocabulary, and proofread spelling, to make the description more accurate and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some more complex structures, including “not only … but also” and the clause “with a sky train to facilitate movement.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable. However, some grammatical errors recur, particularly in verb forms and agreement: “their will be” should be “there will be,” while “the arrivals section will have two entrance” needs a plural noun and a more accurate description of the plan. The sentence beginning “The central part is…” also joins several features without clearly expressing their spatial relationships. There is some variety, but greater control of sentence construction, articles and plural forms would make the account more accurate and easier to read.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.