Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

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)

This diagram illustrates the comparision between the two south-west airports. The one airport which having the less facilities and after redevelopment containing much facilities there.

Before the development the airport having only 8 gates and that very difficult for the departures and arrivals. After redevelopment there will be the 10% increased in the number of gates. Now people just walkaway to go where they want, After the development having the sky train facility to go from one place to another that's makes easier for the people.

Now the airport having no ATM and bag drop, from that people facing the much problem their, so when they redevelop the airport, both things must be available.

Now there is only one cafe in departures line , but having the large number of majority there to purchase the things. After the development there will be the 2 cafe's either in departure or in arrival line too.

Now airport giving the local vibes that we not even hire the car there, people having a lot of luggage and due to this they facing the problem that how they managed it. so, that's why after the development, there will be the car hire facility too.

The redevelopment airport became advanced and enhances their structure too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response attempts to compare the two plans of Southwest Airport, but it falls short of providing a fully accurate overview and report of the main features. The student mentions some key changes, such as the increase in gates (stating a 10% increase, whereas the actual count goes from 8 to 18, which is more than double), the addition of a sky train, bag drop, ATM, car hire, and new cafes. However, the tone is inappropriately conversational and subjective, using phrases like 'people facing the much problem their' and 'airport giving the local vibes,' which are unsuited to an Academic Task 1 response. Furthermore, there is no formal introduction or clear overview paragraph, leading to a fragmented presentation of the visual data. Therefore, it partially addresses the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay lacks a logical overall structure and fails to use standard paragraphing for an academic report. Ideas are grouped somewhat randomly into short, disjointed paragraphs rather than following a coherent progression from an introduction to an overview and detailed body paragraphs. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused (e.g., 'Now the airport having...', 'so, that's why...'), making the transitions between sentences mechanical and awkward. The referencing of features ('The one airport which having...', 'The redevelopment airport...') lacks clarity and disrupts the flow of information.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and heavily restricted. The student frequently misuses words or relies on non-academic phrasing, such as 'much facilities,' 'local vibes,' and 'purchasing the things.' There are frequent word-choice errors, such as using 'redevelopment airport' as a noun phrase or confusing 'departures line.' While the student attempts to name specific features from the map (e.g., 'bag drop,' 'sky train,' 'car hire'), the overall lexical range is inadequate for an academic task, frequently causing strain and ambiguity for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The student exhibits a very limited range of structures, relying almost exclusively on simple or heavily flawed sentences. There are persistent, major errors with verb forms and auxiliaries, such as 'the airport having only 8 gates' (missing auxiliary or main verb agreement) and 'there will be the 10% increased.' Punctuation and article usage are also problematic, with missing articles ('the departures and arrivals') and incorrect capitalization. Complex sentence forms are rarely attempted successfully, and errors frequently impede smooth reading.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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