Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-14
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 diagram illustrates how a southwest airport will change in coming year.
Overall, it can be seen that southwest airport underwent significant changes over the period shown, few existing features are being removed and located and several features are being added, such as, number of gates will be increased, with several features like shops, Bag drop, ATM, care hire and sky train.
The outer look of the southwest airport will be changed, in past there was walkway area, that is now replaced with sky train. In addition, number of gates will also increased from 8 to 18. Shops will be added after redevelopment. In center all facilities remained at same place, such as security, passport control, and customs services.
Moreover, in left side area, check-in will be relocated from west side to middle, cafe also redeveloped at west-south corner and bag drop will also be added. At the right-side area of the building, another cafe will be opened on east side, beside café, a ATM machine will be installed. Also, east south corner area will be allocated to a car parking, that will also be a new development. Despite this, departures and arrivals remained at the same place on south side.
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 successfully addresses the task by summarising the main features of Southwest Airport now and after its proposed redevelopment next year. You provide an overview outlining key alterations, such as the increase in gates from 8 to 18 and the addition of facilities like shops, a bag drop, and a sky train. You also make appropriate comparisons and note which features, such as security and customs, remain in the centre. However, the temporal references are slightly confused in places, such as stating 'over the period shown' or referring to the past when describing the current map ('in past there was walkway area'). Nevertheless, all key spatial changes are reported adequately, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall structure with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs detailing specific areas of the airport. You attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'Despite this' to guide the reader. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or awkward, as seen in phrases like 'in left side area' and 'in center all facilities remained at same place'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within sentences occasionally lacks fluidity due to missing articles and preposition errors, which holds this criterion firmly at a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying spatial locations and modifications such as 'relocated', 'redeveloped', 'installed', and 'allocated'. You attempt some less common vocabulary items like 'redevelopment' and 'facilities'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'care hire' instead of 'car hire', 'walkway area', and 'ATM machine' (which is redundant). Spelling and morphological inaccuracies also occur, such as 'east south corner' instead of 'southeast corner'. These limitations place your lexical range at a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors regarding articles and prepositions, such as 'how a southwest airport will change in coming year' (missing articles) and 'at the right-side area'. Tense consistency is also problematic, shifting incorrectly between past, present, and future references ('southwest airport underwent significant changes', 'will be changed', 'remained'). While communication is generally maintained, the frequency of basic grammatical slips prevents the score from reaching Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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