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)

The maps illustrate some changes that were made to the airport facilities redevelopment in the next year.

It is clear that major changes that were made to the new facilities of the ariport . These including new bag drop, ATM , sky train and Car hire . A disply area so on .

Looking at the map we can see that details ,now top of the two Walkway are north in the map. Middle of the security passport control is in the north - west corner opposite the passport control customs in the map. Next to the check- in besite the cafe in the side. bottom is the gates in the south

Next year. map will be development top of the two sky train in the south center. Shops will south -west side in the map. Relocating be the check-in and built bag drop middle in the map . Easten side built new cafe and ATM in the map north- east corner. Bottom in the car hire in the south path in the map.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The candidate attempts to describe the changes shown in the airport maps, identifying some key features such as the bag drop, ATM, sky train, and car hire. However, the response falls short of fully satisfying Task Achievement requirements. The overview is weak and fails to effectively summarise the main overall trends or changes (such as the expansion of the terminal concourse into a Y-shape). Furthermore, many of the spatial descriptions are confusing, inaccurate, or poorly articulated, making it difficult to follow the exact locations of features. While the student attempts to contrast the 'now' layout with future developments, the lack of clarity and underdeveloped reporting prevent the response from achieving a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response is broken into very short, disjointed paragraphs that fail to develop a clear logical progression. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, resulting in abrupt transitions between sentences and ideas. For instance, phrases like 'Next year. map will be development top of the two sky train in the south center' lack grammatical connection and fail to guide the reader smoothly through the visual data. Referencing is frequently unclear, and the overall structural organisation lacks the clear sequencing expected at higher band levels.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive. The student successfully identifies a few terms from the prompt, such as 'bag drop', 'ATM', 'sky train', and 'car hire', but struggles to use them within coherent, accurate phrases. There are numerous word-choice and collocation errors (e.g., writing 'disply area so on' and 'ariport'). The range of vocabulary is limited and inadequate for discussing spatial diagrams with precision, causing noticeable strain for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text contains a high frequency of basic and complex sentence errors, fragments, and incorrect word orders (e.g., 'It is clear that major changes that were made...', 'Shops will south -west side in the map'). Simple sentences are often malformed, and any attempt at complex structures leads to severe breakdown in grammatical accuracy. Punctuation is also erratic, which frequently impedes clear communication.

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

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