Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-16
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 diagrams illustrate the building of an airport presently and how it will look after construction in the future.
Overall, some facilities will be added while some removed. Some will be reconstructed in size, others will be moved from X to Y. While security passport control and passport control customs will remain constant.
New facilities which include car hire will be added and it will be behind the arrivals door, bag drop will also be added in the new development which will take the place of check-in in the present site. sky train will be added and will take the spot of walkway just in the top of the building, surrounded by gates. Shop will added beside security passport control, and atm will also be added in the right side of the building close to the passport control customs. While security passport control and passport control custom will remain unchanged.
Extra doors will be added in dapartures and arrivals and addition gates will also added moving from 8 to18 gates. and extra space will be awarded to cafe in the new development. Check-in will be moved from the left side of security passport control to the right side.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to summarise the main features of the airport plans, noting key changes such as the extension of gates to 18, the addition of a sky train, car hire facilities, shops, and ATMs, as well as the relocation of check-in counters. However, the overview paragraph is overly vague ('some facilities will be added while some removed') and lacks a cohesive summary of the major structural transformation from a linear to a Y-shaped concourse. Furthermore, some spatial descriptions are inaccurate or imprecise (e.g., stating the car hire is behind the arrivals door when it is on the far right, and placing the sky train 'just in the top of the building' rather than running centrally along the stem). Consequently, the response addresses the task partially, corresponding to a Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, but the paragraphing is somewhat disjointed. The second paragraph consists of a single, fragmented sentence listing disparate points, while the third and fourth paragraphs merge multiple distinct spatial updates without clear transitions. Cohesive devices are repetitive and basic, relying heavily on 'will be added' and 'while'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as ambiguous pronoun use ('it will be behind the arrivals door'). Although an overall progression is attempted, the faulty cohesive mechanisms and lack of smooth logical flow place this criterion firmly at a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range to describe basic spatial features and facilities, utilising terms such as 'reconstructed', 'relocation', 'concourse', and various airport amenities ('bag drop', 'passport control', 'customs'). However, there are numerous lexical inaccuracies, awkward word choices, and morphological errors, such as 'Shop will added' (omission of auxiliary/passive verb structure), 'passport control custom' (singular/plural mismatch), and 'dapartures' (spelling error). Less common lexical items are attempted with mixed success. Overall, the lexical range is sufficient for the task but hindered by frequent errors, matching Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writing exhibits a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple and repetitive passive constructions (e.g., 'will be added', 'will be moved'). There are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including missing capitalization ('sky train', 'shop', 'atm'), missing articles ('an atm', 'the sky train'), and persistent run-on sentences joined inappropriately by coordinating conjunctions or commas (e.g., 'and extra space will be awarded to cafe in the new development. Check-in will be moved...'). Complex sentences are rarely attempted successfully. These frequent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, justifying a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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