Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-12

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 plans illustrate below the site of an airport now and how it will look after the redevelopment in next year.

Overall, today's airport have less constructed and have only 1-8 gates, while after redevelopment the airport replaced and added many items, like bag drop, sky train and increase the gate numbers.

Firstly, today's airport contain departure and arrival and departure have check in system were present near to that cafe is located, Although security passport control and passport control customs have separate sections. However airport built only 1-8 gates for walkway.

On other hand, after redevelopment they developed many things, In departures check in system replaced by bag drop and near to that check in system placed. The car hire, ATM, were constructed in the arrivals. They also developed 1-18 gates for walkway and added sky train.Security and pass

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main contrast between the current airport’s 1–8 gates and the planned 1–18 gates, and mention several additions, including the sky train, bag drop, ATM and car hire. However, the account is partial and some details are unclear or inaccurate: the current check-in is not described as being replaced by bag drop; in the new plan, check-in is relocated to the inner wall, while bag drop is added on the west wall. The Y-shaped concourse, shops and the changed café locations are also important features that are omitted. The response is 128 words, below the required 150, which limits how fully the changes can be reported. Add a concise overview and cover the main relocations and extensions accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an opening, an overview and separate paragraphs for the current and future layouts. This gives the reader a general sense of the comparison. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven, and several linking expressions do not clearly connect the ideas. For example, “Although” introduces a clause that is not completed as a contrast, while “However airport built only 1-8 gates” does not follow smoothly from the preceding point. The final sentence is cut off at “Security and pass,” leaving the comparison unfinished. Use clear topic sentences and group details by area or by change, then check that each sentence is complete and that connectors express the intended relationship.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “gates,” “bag drop,” “sky train,” “ATM” and “car hire,” so the reader can recognise several airport features. However, the range is limited and some word combinations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “less constructed,” “check in system,” “developed many things” and “for walkway.” Repetition of “developed” and “added” also makes the description less precise. Choose verbs that describe map changes directly, such as “relocated,” “extended,” “introduced” and “accommodates,” and use accurate labels for facilities. This would make the account clearer and more suitable for a formal report without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts a few longer sentences and uses basic sequencing, but sentence structures are limited and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. Examples include “today's airport have,” “departure have check in system were present,” and “they developed many things,” where agreement and clause construction are faulty. Articles and prepositions are also often missing or misused, as in “in next year” and “near to that cafe.” The final fragment, “Security and pass,” further affects completeness. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses—for example, “The current terminal has eight gates, while the proposed layout will have eighteen.” Check subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence endings.

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