Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

This diagram illustrates the comparison between the two southwest airports. The one airport which having the less facilities and after redevelopment will contain many facilities there.

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

Now the airport has no ATM and bag drop, from that people face the significant problem there, 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 cafe's either in the 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 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the main features of the airport maps, noting the expansion from 8 to 18 gates, the addition of a sky train, car hire facilities, and new cafes. However, the response falls short in several areas. The interpretation of visual data contains some inaccuracies or unsupported personal commentary, such as claiming people faced 'significant problems' previously or that the airport gave 'local vibes'. Furthermore, there is no clear overview provided to summarize the overall spatial transformation. The attempt to quantify features, such as '10% increase in the number of gates' (when gates actually increased from 8 to 18, which is more than double), is inaccurate. Overall, the response addresses the prompt minimally, earning a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is broken down into a series of short paragraphs corresponding to different features of the airport. However, the logical progression between sentences and paragraphs is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and poor referencing. Phrases like 'The one airport which having the less facilities' and repetitive use of 'Now... After the development...' create a mechanical and disjointed flow. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs is weak. Conjunctions and cohesive devices are either misused or absent, making it difficult for the reader to follow a clear line of argument. Coherence and cohesion correspond to a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic, repetitive, and heavily relies on everyday spoken English rather than academic style ('local vibes', 'purchase the things', 'managed it'). There are frequent word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'redevelopment airport became advanced' instead of 'the redeveloped airport will become more advanced'. Less common lexical items are rarely attempted successfully. Vocabulary range is limited and minimally adequate for conveying basic facts about the maps, placing it in the Band 5.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical structures are severely limited and plagued by persistent errors. There is a frequent lack of main verbs ('which having the less facilities', 'that very difficult', 'having the sky train facility'), missing articles, and incorrect tense usage. Complex sentence structures are attempted but are almost always faulty, leading to ungrammatical constructions ('so, that's why after the development, there will be the car hire facility too'). Errors are frequent and often cause difficulty for the reader, matching the criteria for Band 4.0.

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

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