Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07
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 image depicts the plan of an airport site current plan and after development plan of the southwest airport.
Overall, the major differences after redevelopment is the sky train on the top side of the airport and 10 more gates were added in the site.
To commence with, there was 1 door added each to the arrivals and departures, a bag drop area has been shifted at the area of check-in departure site, and arrivals were used to empty but after redevelopment an ATM and an cafe, and a car hire for people has been constructed in the arrival's site.
Furthermore, security passport control and passport control customs were same before and after redevelopment, a shop has been constructed for travelers upside the security passport controls, a sky train has been constructed instead of the walkway near the gates, and size of the area has increased a lot after development.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the airport redevelopment, such as the addition of gates, the sky train, and the new facilities in the arrivals area. However, the report lacks precision in describing the spatial changes. For example, stating the 'size of the area has increased a lot' is vague and does not accurately reflect the visual data provided. While the main features are identified, the comparison between the 'now' and 'next year' plans could be more analytical. The overview is present but could be more effectively integrated to highlight the most significant changes rather than just listing them.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the description. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'Overall'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'arrivals were used to empty'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, moving from an overview to specific details, but the transition between the description of the arrivals area and the security/gate area could be smoother to improve the overall cohesion of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing for the description of airport features like 'check-in', 'passport control', and 'sky train'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and phrasing, such as 'arrivals were used to empty' (likely meaning 'were previously empty') and 'upside the security passport controls'. These errors occasionally hinder the precision of the description. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing, such as the repeated use of 'constructed' to describe every new addition to the airport site.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and article usage (e.g., 'the image depicts the plan of an airport site current plan', 'a bag drop area has been shifted at the area of check-in departure site'). These errors are noticeable and sometimes distract from the content. The use of punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction often feels clunky. Increasing the variety of sentence structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the quality of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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