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 illustration shows the diffrence between the site of an airport now and how it will look after redevelopment after a year.
Overall, Some more gates are constructed. new cafe, ATM, car hire and bag drops will be cunstructed.
In the first illustration, there are 2 gates, departure and arrival. after entering departure gate there is check-in counter near the left corner and the cafe in the right corner. then comes the security passport control. And the passport control custom is right beside the security passport control. after crossing both of them there is some free space. where this free space ends there are walkways surrounded with 8 gates around them.
The airport after recunstruction and rearrangment there are some changes, As the Check-in counter on the left after entering departure gate is replaced by the bag drop while the cafe came right in the left corner after entering departure gate. As there was only one arrival gate but one more gate will be opened for arrivals car hire comes in the right corner. An ATm and a new cafe is also constructed after that. Security Passport control and passport control customs remain in same place. New shops are opened in the left free area. Walkway are replaced by Sky train and some more area is covered with 10 new gates on the left corner and right corner.
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 and making comparisons between the current and future layout of Southwest Airport. The overview correctly identifies key developments such as the addition of new gates, a cafe, an ATM, car hire, and a bag drop area. In the body paragraphs, the student attempts to report the spatial arrangements and structural modifications chronologically and spatially, noting features like the replacement of walkways by a sky train and the expansion of boarding gates. However, some descriptions are overly detailed and somewhat confusing, leading to minor omissions or unclear reporting of certain features. Overall, the main trends and changes are presented, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the information logically, starting with an introduction, moving to an overview, and then detailing the current and future layouts. Paragraphing is used to separate the different sections of the response. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. The use of transitional markers and cohesive devices is limited and sometimes awkward, as seen in phrases like 'In the first illustration...' followed immediately by 'then comes...' and 'And the passport control custom...'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, and the lack of a smooth progression between sentences impacts the overall readability, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, justified at 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to airport layouts such as 'check-in counter', 'passport control', 'walkways', and 'gates'. However, there are notable spelling errors and non-standard word formations throughout the text, including 'diffrence', 'cunstructed', 'recunstruction', 'rearrangment', and 'ATm'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are constrained by these recurring slips. While communication is not severely impeded and the meaning remains clear, the frequency of lexical and spelling inaccuracies prevents the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.5 the most appropriate score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as 'The illustration shows the diffrence between... and how it will look...' and 'where this free space ends there are walkways...'. However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, including missing capitalisation ('Overall, Some...', 'new cafe...'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing such as 'the cafe came right in the left corner'. Punctuation is also weak, with run-on constructions and comma splices. Despite these errors, the sentences generally communicate their intended meaning without causing major difficulty for the reader, which aligns well with the criteria for a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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