Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The architecture illustrate how an airport looks like now and after redevlopment next year.
Southest Airport now has departure and arrivals doors. There is check-in the left upper side of the room and cafe in the upper right place in the departure section. Furthermore, there are security and passport control the room after, then it ends with walkway that has a gate numbered from 1 to 8. In the arrivals section the first room is empty, the next room it has customs and passport control. Afterwards, it end up to the same walkway that is numbered from 1 to 8.
One year from now, the place becomes bigger and better. It has cafeon the left down side and Bag drop on the same place where check-in location placed now. The check-in location will be placed on the right upperside where cafe is placed now. Arrivals and departure both will have two main doors. In arrivals, cafe will be placed on the right upper corner. ATM machine will be placed just below the cafe followed by car hire in the right below corner. Nothing changed in the next rooms. The next next room has shops in the departure side. Finally the walkway will be changed to sky train and it will have 18 gates
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the task by describing the current layout of Southwest Airport and the proposed changes for next year. However, the response lacks a clear overall summary or overview, which is essential for Band 6 and above in Task 1. Certain spatial features are described in a somewhat fragmented or confusing manner, such as referring to rooms sequentially rather than integrating them into a cohesive spatial description. While the main changes—such as the Y-shaped extension, the addition of the sky train, and the relocation of check-in and bag drop—are mentioned, the lack of an overarching synthesis and occasional inaccuracies in describing exact locations limit the score to a Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into three paragraphs, separating the introduction, current layout, and future changes, which provides a basic framework. However, progression is somewhat disjointed. Sentences like 'There is check-in the left upper side' and 'The next next room has shops' show mechanical referencing and lack smooth cohesive links. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within paragraphs relies heavily on repetitive sentence structures ('There is...', 'It has...', 'will be placed...'), leading to a somewhat mechanical flow. Overall, it demonstrates the characteristics of Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, heavily relying on literal descriptions of layout elements ('room', 'left upper side', 'right below corner'). There are also noticeable lexical errors and missing prepositions, such as 'The architecture illustrate' instead of 'illustrates', and 'cafeon' (spaceless error). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success ('redevlopment' spelling error). Because the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic points but contains frequent errors in word choice and spelling, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student uses a mix of simple and moderately complex sentences, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent missing prepositions and articles (e.g., 'There is check-in the left upper side', 'ATM machine will be placed'). Subject-verb agreement errors are also present, such as 'The architecture illustrate'. Control over future passive forms ('will be placed') is mixed with awkward active constructions ('the place becomes bigger and better'). These frequent errors can occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, aligning with Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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