Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-06

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 5.5)

The diagram illutrates the before and after development process of southwest airport.There are some significant extensions,changes and rearranging done.

Overall, there a some big changes and extension done in the airport after development.Gates are extented vastly and some other extra facilitys are also given than before with a slight rearrangment of facilities.

First, before the development the number of gates were 8 in which people walks along path.But after developement the gates are extented to the numbers of 18 with machine being installed for the public to reach to a certain destination.Second, the section for shops were removed after development.Third, the security passort control and passport control customs sections are untouched.Fourth, there were only two facilities for the public a chceck-in and cafe,which were rearranged and new installation was done for bag drop in the departures sector.Finally, before development the arrivals section was empty with no facility.However, new installation were done by adding a cafe,ATM machine and car hire for public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main transformation clearly: the gates increase from 8 to 18, and new facilities such as a café, ATM and car hire are added. The overview also recognises that the airport is extended and facilities are rearranged. However, some details are inaccurate or insufficiently precise. The shops are not removed; they are added along the wall between Departures and the concourse. The new transport feature is a sky train, rather than an unspecified “machine,” and the arrivals area was not empty before redevelopment: it already contained passport control and customs. You also say the security and passport-control sections are untouched, but do not explain the important changes to the concourse and terminal layout. Select the key changes accurately and describe their locations to make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overall summary and a sequence of details. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, the body relies heavily on mechanical sequencing—“First,” “Second,” “Third,” “Fourth” and “Finally”—rather than grouping related changes by area or type. Some links are also unclear: “the section for shops were removed” does not clearly connect to the map, and “the gates are extended to the numbers of 18” is difficult to follow. Organise the details into a paragraph about the concourse and another about the terminal facilities, using clear references such as “in the departures area” and “in arrivals.” This would make progression more natural and cohesion less repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “gates,” “departures,” “arrivals,” “check-in,” “ATM” and “car hire,” so the main subject is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more descriptive language, such as “significant extensions” and “rearrangement.” However, spelling errors and imprecise word choices are noticeable, including “illutrates,” “facilitys,” “rearrangment” and “passort.” Phrases such as “machine being installed for the public to reach to a certain destination” are vague; “sky train running along the concourse” would be more precise. “Facilities are also given” is not a natural collocation in this context. Build accuracy with common map-description terms such as “added,” “relocated,” “extended” and “situated,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “before,” “after” and “however.” The meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical errors occur across the response. For example, “there a some big changes” is missing the verb “are,” while “the number of gates were 8” has subject–verb disagreement; use “there are” and “the number … was.” Articles and plural forms also need attention in phrases such as “along path” and “a check-in and cafe.” Several sentences are joined with full stops or commas without consistent punctuation, and the long sequence of numbered points makes sentence control harder. Practise accurate past and present descriptions, agreement, articles and punctuation, then vary sentence patterns while keeping each comparison clear.

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