Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)
While looking at the referance images you have. provided these are the things i have noticed earlier the airport has only eight gates and there is only one way to commute from one place to another which is walking but after the new development the airport will have eighteen gates and now since the area of the airport is increased it is hard to commute from one place to another, to resolve that issue there is train between the gates.And in the old airport there is no area for the shop but newly developed airport will have the dedicated area for the shops.And moving forward in the Departure lounge there is no place for the bagage drop but on the contrary the new airport has it, and the location for the cafe and the check-in is changed. And if we go the arrival area in the old airpot there is nothing pessangers are directly move to the Passport contril custom but the in the new air port there is ATM, cafe and care hire options available and also in the old airport there are two gates one for departure and one for arrival but the new airport has total four gates two for arrival and two for the departure.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to cover the main features of the airport plans comparing the 'now' layout with the proposed 'next year' redevelopment. The student successfully highlights key changes such as the increase in gates from eight to eighteen, the addition of a train, new shopping areas, and changes to the arrivals and departures facilities. However, the report lacks a clear overview, which is a vital requirement for Academic Task 1. Furthermore, the tone is informal, conversational, and overly reliant on direct address ('While looking at the referance images you have provided'), rather than maintaining an objective, impersonal report style. Ideas are presented somewhat simplistically without a logical grouping of features, leading to an overall band score of 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The response is written as a single, very long run-on sentence separated only by commas and occasional conjunctions, with a total lack of proper paragraphing and fundamental punctuation. There are no clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction, overview, and body details. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, relying heavily on repetitive linking words like 'and' to string thoughts together without appropriate subordination or logical sequencing. Although the text progresses from old features to new ones, the absence of sentence boundaries and paragraphing makes the organization chaotic and difficult to follow, resulting in a band score of 4.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently reusing terms like 'airport', 'gates', 'area', and 'old'. There are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'referance', 'bagage', 'pessangers', 'contril', 'care hire', and 'airpot'. Less common vocabulary is largely absent, and the student struggles with precise terminology suitable for describing maps and plans. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic comparisons, the frequency of spelling mistakes and lexical limitations keep the score at a 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The entire text essentially consists of a single massive run-on sentence joined by commas, demonstrating a severe lack of terminal punctuation (periods) and proper sentence structure. There is no control over complex structures, and basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are frequently violated, such as 'the airport has only eight gates' mixed with present and future forms without clear demarcation. Frequent grammatical errors and complete lack of punctuation cause significant difficulty for the reader and distort the structural integrity of the writing, justifying a band score of 4.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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