Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11
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 maps show the site of an airport now and how it will look after redevelopment next year. First of all, we see departures in ancient map only one gate aavailable but in the new map two gates are redeveloped. Moreover, at the arrivals area only one gate available now this time but two gates are develop in the next year.
In addition to this,next year the place of check-in counter are changed and new place is far away than the ancient. Cafe are develop near the ATM machine and ATM are install at near the arrivals. Now this time facility of bus is not available but next year facility of bus introduce at the walkway area. Furthermore, new car hire and shops are built next year. Now this time only 8 gates are available but next year 18 gates are made and area of airport are also increase next year.
At the end, many new facilities are introduce next year like sky train and bag drop these are not available now this time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify several important changes, including the increase from 8 to 18 gates and the addition of shops, car hire, a sky train and bag drop. However, some key details are misread: the current departures and arrivals areas do not each have one gate, and the redevelopment does not create two gates in each area. The café and ATM are also described imprecisely: the new café is in Arrivals, with the ATM below it, while another café is in Departures. The response lacks a clear overview of the airport’s major transformation, especially the Y-shaped concourse and expanded gate capacity. Focus on accurate comparisons and summarise the main changes before listing details.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a basic paragraph structure and uses linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “In addition to this,” and “Furthermore” to connect points. The ideas are generally relevant, but the progression is not consistently clear: the opening moves from gates in Departures to gates in Arrivals, then later shifts among check-in, café, ATM, transport and other facilities without a clear spatial or thematic order. “At the end” introduces a repeated summary rather than a distinct concluding point. Organise the report into an overview followed by grouped comparisons—for example, terminal changes and then concourse and facility changes. This would make the relationships between details easier to follow and reduce repetition.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “check-in counter,” “arrivals area,” “gates,” “car hire” and “sky train,” so the reader can identify the general subject. However, the range is limited and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “ancient map,” “two gates are redeveloped,” and “facility of bus.” Repeated wording such as “next year” and “now this time” also makes the description less precise. Choose vocabulary that describes map changes directly, such as “is relocated,” “is added,” “is extended” and “is replaced,” and use location phrases like “adjacent to” or “along the concourse.” Check spelling and word forms, including “available” and “café.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response communicates its main points through mostly simple sentences and attempts to link clauses with “but” and “and.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to understand. Examples include “Cafe are develop,” “ATM are install,” and “area of airport are also increase,” where verb forms and subject–verb agreement are not controlled. Articles and sentence construction are also problematic in “in ancient map only one gate aavailable.” Practise forming accurate present and future passive sentences for map descriptions, such as “The check-in counter will be moved” and “A sky train will be added.” Vary sentence patterns only after securing these basic forms.
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