Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-20

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 provided information in the given plans compares the current view of a particular airport site and how it will be looking after reconstruction in the upcoming year.

Overall, it is quite evident for the mentioned maps that the current view of the airport is straightforward and have minimal facilities as compared to the updated one. Whereas the new updated airport look very advance as well as have a wide variety of facilitation services and user friendly to walk in.

The current view of the airport have two main entrance where left one is using for departures and the right one for arrivals. Furthermore, inside a square hall one cafe is located in the north-east corner, and at the left side a check-in is placed. After that, a passport control desk is seen before the security desk, then the passenger can go toward the gates through walkway, Moreover there are eight similar gates surrounded by the walking area.

After Development, the main entrance gates are remain stable, but the cafe will be moving from north-east corner to south-west corner, and the check-in will be shifting the old cafe location. Furthermore, a new bag drop will be added in the place of old check-in. After that, the passport control and security desks maintain the same location, while some new shops will be introduced after the security desk. Moreover, the walkway will be replaced by skytrain and number of gates increased up to 18. Moving to arrivals side, the passport control and customs desk is seen near to the skytrain. After that, at the right side a cafe shop, ATM, and car hire facilitation will be added before the arrivals gate.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student successfully addresses all parts of the task by comparing the current layout of Southwest Airport with the proposed changes for next year. An overview is provided in the second paragraph, highlighting the general expansion and added facilities. Key features are reported, such as the increase in gates from 8 to 18, the introduction of a sky train replacing the walkway, and new amenities like shops, a bag drop, an ATM, and car hire. However, some descriptions are slightly mechanical or overly detailed regarding minor positional changes, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, the visual data is accurately interpreted and reported without major omissions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is logically organized into four paragraphs, moving from an introduction and overview to the current layout and finally the future redevelopment. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the comparison, using transition phrases such as 'Overall', 'Furthermore', and 'Moving to arrivals side'. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel repetitive or slightly mechanical (e.g., repeatedly starting sentences with 'After that'). Paragraphing is appropriately handled to separate the 'now' and 'after development' phases, ensuring the overall progression is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing maps and spatial changes, incorporating terms such as 'reconstruction', 'redevelopment', 'facilities', and 'concourse'. There are some awkward collocations and lexical errors, such as writing 'the left one is using for departures' instead of 'used for', and describing the updated airport as 'user friendly to walk in'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success, but the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main features clearly without impeding the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response includes a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though attempts at complex structures sometimes result in grammatical errors. Examples of inaccuracies include 'the current view of the airport is straightforward and have minimal facilities' (subject-verb agreement error), 'the main entrance gates are remain stable' (incorrect verb form), and 'the check-in will be shifting the old cafe location' (missing preposition). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor errors in tense consistency and grammar prevent the score from rising higher, although they rarely impede overall communication.

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