Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-14
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 plan illustrates the airport site and the future redevelopment plan after next year.
Overall,it can be seen clearly the present plan and the redevelopment of southwest airport have many changes and some places are remain the same.However the bigest change is the amout of gates in the present that is less and they future it will decrese.
In the present the airport have 8 number of gates which pessanger will be go throu on walking but in the redevelopment plan will be 18 gates and people will go throu on sky train. The present airport has only one check-in but in the redevelop plan it change to bag drop section. In the redevelopment the check-in point is in the right side on the security passport control in the place of cafe in the present.However the cafe will be next to the bag drop section in the redevelopment plan.
In the redevelopment plan there are many changes they add ATM,car hire and another cafe these all will be on the passport contol costoms section.In addition these all are not avalible in the present airport.the other thing is shop next to the security passport control it will be also one of the big change.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the main contrast in capacity, noting that the airport expands from 8 to 18 gates, and you mention several additions, including shops, an ATM, car hire and another café. However, the overview is unclear and contains a factual contradiction: you say the number of gates will “decrese,” although it increases. Some locations are also misreported. The new check-in is on the inner wall beside Arrivals, not “on the right side on the security passport control,” and the new facilities are not all in the passport-control/customs area. The comparison of the current café with the future café is also confusing. To make the account more complete, give a clear overview and describe the main layout changes accurately, including the Y-shaped concourse and central sky train.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing changes. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and phrases such as “In addition” help connect details. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several changes are combined without a clear order. For example, the paragraph about the terminal moves from check-in to the café and then back to the location of check-in. “These all” and “the other thing” are also vague references, while punctuation around transitions is inconsistent. Organise the details by area—concourse, Departures and Arrivals—and use precise references to show which features are new, moved or retained.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “gates,” “check-in,” “bag drop,” “ATM” and “car hire,” so the reader can identify many of the features being compared. However, the range is limited and several word choices or spelling errors make parts of the description harder to understand. Examples include “amout,” “pessanger,” “avalible” and “passport contol costoms.” Phrases such as “8 number of gates” and “one of the big change” are also unnatural. Use accurate map vocabulary and vary basic terms with expressions such as “facilities,” “concourse” and “terminal area.” Check spelling carefully, especially for labels copied from the plan, and choose precise verbs such as “extend,” “relocate” and “add.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “but” and “In addition,” and you use present and future forms to compare the two plans. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries are frequent enough to make some statements difficult to follow. Examples include “the airport have,” “some places are remain the same,” and “people will go throu on sky train.” The sentence beginning “Overall” also lacks a clear grammatical structure, and several sentences run together after full stops. Practise accurate simple comparison patterns first, then add subordinate clauses; for example, “The concourse will be extended, while the number of gates will rise from eight to eighteen.”
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.