Southwest Airport Redevelopment Plans

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.

Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Test 3 Writing Task 1 visual

Annotated response

3 correction notes

Showing 3 correction notes.

The two maps represent the current layout of Southwest Airport and the proposed redevelopment that will take place next year after the renovation work is complete.

Generally speaking, the airport is set to undergo a substantial transformation, with notable additions and improvements in infrastructure, passenger facilities, and accessibility.

At present, Southwest Airport consists of a single terminal designated for departures and arrivals, positioned on the left and right ends of the airport. A small walkway leads to the gates, which are accessed via a narrow concourse. The airport facilities now are limited, with only a café and a check-in area in the departure area, and the arrivals area is virtually empty.

As the airport development plan suggests, the terminal will be expanded significantly with 18 gates, new amenities and . In the departure area, the check-in counter will be relocated to the right, making room for a new bag drop. Additional features such as a café, ATM, and car hire services will be incorporated into the terminal's arrival area, enhancing passenger convenience. A sky train will be introduced to connect the main terminal to the newly added gates, which will increase from 8 to 18. Therefore, the proposed upgrades to Southwest Airport will greatly enhance its functionality, capacity, and passenger experience.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 8.0

This is a fluent, well-organised report that makes the main redevelopment easy to understand. Its strongest feature is the confident language used to describe the gate increase and changes to passenger facilities. The main limitation is the selection of detail: the new shops and branching gate layout are absent, while the closing prediction about passenger experience uses space that could support a more concrete comparison.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.0

The report gives a clear overview of expansion and accurately describes the gate increase, relocated check-in, bag drop and new arrival facilities. Coverage is less complete because the new shops and distinctive branching gate area are not described, while the claimed improvement in passenger experience goes beyond the plans.

Coherence and Cohesion

8.0

The introduction, overview and separate descriptions of the present and future layouts create a clear progression. References to the departure and arrival areas keep the comparisons easy to follow, although the final sentence largely repeats the overview.

Lexical Resource

8.0

A wide range of appropriate vocabulary, including "concourse", "amenities" and "relocated", describes the redevelopment fluently and precisely. Some broad evaluative language, such as "greatly enhance its functionality", is less useful than concrete spatial description.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

8.0

Complex sentences, relative clauses and passive constructions are used accurately and flexibly throughout. Punctuation and agreement are well controlled, and the response contains no significant recurring grammatical errors.