Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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 below illustrates the site of an airport in present time and what changes will occur in future after it's redevelopment next year.

Overall, changes in infrastructure are most likely to stay the same except few changes on the back and we will see modernisation in the building with improved facilities.

Now, Southwest airport have two major sections in which one is security passport control which has a check-in counter and a cafe built-in then there is a walkway connected for passengers to hop on their flight and lastly a gateway for people to departure with the total number of 8 gates.

Moving on to the after development structure, which will have an addition of bag drop section in the passport control section. There will be two entry gates which will serve wonderfully to manage traffic of people. In this model, there will be 18 gates for passengers.

Furthermore, there will be many new facilities made for the people ease in the airport. For instance, there will be an atm machine and a car hire for the arrival passengers in the new passport control customs section. Not just this, but a new sky train for the travellers to drop them on their gates to sit on plane.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main features of the airport plans, such as the increase in gates and the addition of new facilities. However, the response lacks a clear, analytical overview. The summary provided is somewhat vague, stating that 'changes in infrastructure are most likely to stay the same,' which contradicts the significant expansion shown in the diagrams. To reach a higher band, you should focus on highlighting the most significant changes, such as the doubling of gates and the complete reconfiguration of the terminal layout, rather than listing features in a descriptive, narrative style.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, moving from an introduction to the current state and then the future state. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moving on to' and 'Furthermore' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'in which one is security passport control,' which makes the sentence structure difficult to follow. Improving the use of cohesive devices to show relationships between the two diagrams would enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You use a range of vocabulary appropriate for describing a map, such as 'infrastructure,' 'modernisation,' and 'redevelopment.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'hop on their flight,' 'serve wonderfully,' and 'people ease.' These choices are slightly informal for an Academic Task 1 report. To improve, focus on using more precise, formal terminology related to airport facilities and spatial changes, and ensure that collocations are natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the airport,' 'an atm machine'), subject-verb agreement ('Southwest airport have'), and prepositions. Additionally, there are punctuation and spelling issues, such as 'it's' instead of 'its' and 'departure' used as a noun where 'departures' is required. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the content, they occur frequently enough to limit your score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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