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 given diagrams illustrates the information about the airport that is currently developed and changes that will be taken place in the next year.
overall, the site of an airport will undergone substantial redevelopment and modification with car hire, sky train, ATM and bag drop. while the several original amenities will be allocated into different areas.
currently the southwest airport is divided into two major areas: security passport control and passport control customs. on north side of airport their is a walkway area. there are two gates people arrives through passport control customs whereas in security passport control area, the departures gates is located. check-in activities are occur in security passport control section incase of waiting there is an small cafe on right side of it.
however, after redevelopment major facilities will be introduced for benefit of people like ATM and cafe will establish in left side of passport control customs sites, along with car hire. on the other hand check-in will relocate on the right side of security control while cafe rebuild on left of departures gate. bag drop facilities is also organized on above the cafe. the major changes will be taken place in north side of airport walkway area will replace with sky train.
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 provides a clear overview of the changes, identifying the main features such as the introduction of the sky train and the relocation of facilities. However, the description of the spatial layout is occasionally confusing. For instance, phrases like 'on north side of airport their is a walkway area' and 'bag drop facilities is also organized on above the cafe' lack precision, making it difficult for the reader to visualize the exact changes. While the main features are covered, the report would benefit from more precise directional language and a clearer distinction between the 'now' and 'next year' states to fully satisfy the requirements for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression from the current state to the future state. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'on the other hand' is used inappropriately to introduce a list of relocated facilities rather than a contrast. Additionally, some sentences are poorly linked, such as 'check-in activities are occur in security passport control section incase of waiting there is an small cafe on right side of it,' which lacks proper punctuation and logical flow. Better use of linking words would improve the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the airport features. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary like 'redevelopment,' 'modification,' and 'amenities.' However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'the site of an airport will undergone' (should be 'undergo') and 'check-in activities are occur' (should be 'take place'). The range is sufficient to convey the main points, but the lack of precision in describing the layout limits the score. More varied and accurate terminology would elevate the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('diagrams illustrates,' 'bag drop facilities is'), incorrect verb tenses ('will undergone,' 'cafe rebuild'), and missing articles ('on north side,' 'on left side'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and missing commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage is essential.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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