Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-09
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 4.0)
The blueprint illustrates the site of an airport in the present and how it will be seen after the development happens in the next year.
Overall, the total numbers of gates, service facilities and accesses increased quite a lot. The main improvement is that they changed the walkway into sky train which makes it more accessible for people.
There were eight gates in total and had to use the walkway to access and had no
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0
The response is significantly under-length, failing to meet the 150-word minimum requirement. Because the response is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, it fails to provide a full overview or report the main features of the airport plans. The summary of the changes is extremely limited, and the lack of detail regarding the specific layout changes means the task is only partially addressed. To improve, you must ensure you describe all key features shown in the diagrams, including the new departures/arrivals areas, the relocation of check-in, and the addition of the sky train, while ensuring you meet the minimum word count.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The response lacks a logical structure due to its incomplete nature. While there is an attempt at an introduction and an overview, the body paragraphs are not developed. The text ends abruptly, which prevents any meaningful progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal, and the paragraphing is ineffective because the final paragraph is unfinished. To improve, you should plan your response to include a clear introduction, a concise overview of the main trends, and at least two body paragraphs that group related features together, ensuring each paragraph is fully developed before moving to the next.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'total numbers of gates' and 'main improvement' are functional but lack the precision required for a high band score. There is limited evidence of a range of vocabulary related to describing maps or architectural changes. To improve, you should incorporate more specific terminology for describing spatial changes, such as 'relocated,' 'extended,' 'transformed,' or 'integrated.' Expanding your range of descriptive adjectives and adverbs will also help you provide a more sophisticated analysis of the visual data.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
The response contains several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'total numbers of gates... had to use the walkway' and 'how it will be seen after the development happens.' The sentence structure is simplistic, and the abrupt ending makes it impossible to assess your ability to use complex structures effectively. To improve, focus on using a variety of sentence types, including complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions. Ensure that your subjects and verbs agree and that you use appropriate tense consistency when describing future changes compared to the present layout.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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