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 plans compares the old and new site of southwest airport, after transformation how airport will look for coming year.
Overall, currently airport size is smaller and have less facilities compare to new plan of airport in next year. New developments like ATM, bag drop, sky train and car hire facilites should be provided.
On the one hand, current airport check-in is located at left, whereas cafe is opposite to that. Only one gate for departure and also for arrival. Above the cafe passport control and security room is situated, but opposite to that customs room is there for individuals who are arriving. Walkway for people which waited to reach thier terminals for takeaway, only 8 gates are opened to reach airoplane.
After redevelopment of airport, many developments are made like bag drop replaced by check-in, cafe is reallocated beneath the bag drop. Check-in room takes the place of cafe. Shops are also made above the security room, furthermore ATM is also installed who arrived at airport. Walkway is discontinued and sky trian operates and also 18 aeroplanes gate are added.
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 plans, including the current layout and the proposed redevelopment. You successfully identify key changes such as the addition of the sky train and the expansion of the gates. However, the description of the current layout is somewhat confusing, particularly regarding the location of the passport control and customs. To improve, ensure that your comparisons are more precise; for example, instead of saying 'currently airport size is smaller', specify that the terminal building is being expanded. The overview is present but could be more analytical by highlighting the shift from a basic facility to a more modern, high-capacity airport.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, moving from an introduction and overview to specific details of the current and future states. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'furthermore', but the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. Some referencing is unclear, such as 'opposite to that', which makes it difficult for the reader to visualize the map accurately. Improving the use of spatial markers (e.g., 'to the north of', 'adjacent to') would significantly enhance the clarity of your description and help the reader follow the spatial changes more effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'redevelopment', 'reallocated', and 'discontinued'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'walkway for people which waited' (should be 'waiting') and '18 aeroplanes gate' (should be 'airplane gates'). There is also some repetition of basic verbs like 'made' and 'is'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to maps and diagrams, such as 'extended', 'demolished', 'constructed', or 'situated in the vicinity of'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing), subject-verb agreement ('airport size... have less facilities'), and pluralization ('18 aeroplanes gate'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'ATM is also installed who arrived at airport'. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically ensuring that nouns and verbs agree and that articles are used correctly before singular countable nouns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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