Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-27
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 two maps illustrate an area of an airport as it's present condition and how it will look next year after construction.
Overall, it is clear that there are many changes after development. The noticable change is that gates. At present, there has only eight gates, which will constructed into 18 gates and this will be a "Y" shaped structure.
To begin with, there are two parts, one is departures and another is arrivals, both has one entrance, which will increase by two entrance. After that, check-in and cafe are on the west side and on the northeast side of the departures, while it will replace by bag drop and check-in. Additionally, cafe will be the southwest side. Passing through the security passport control, there will a shop and people could buy something if things are important.
Furthermore, in the arrivals, there has no features, however, in the upcoming days, some features will add into it such as ATM, car hire and cafe. Most importantly, people have to go the gates on foot, however after constructing 18 gates, people will able to go the gates through by bus.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the main features of the two maps, noting the reconfiguration of the gates into a Y-shape, the increase in capacity from 8 to 18 gates, and the addition of facilities such as a sky train, shops, car hire, and ATMs. However, there are notable inaccuracies in reading the visual data. For instance, the student states that departures and arrivals will increase by two entrances, which is not supported by the map, and misinterprets the sky train as a bus ('people will able to go the gates through by bus'). Furthermore, some spatial descriptions are vague or incorrect. While an overview is present, the inaccurate reporting of specific features pulls the task achievement score down.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is divided into paragraphs, starting with an introduction, an overall statement, and body paragraphs detailing changes to departures and arrivals. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions, such as 'To begin with, there are two parts...' and 'Furthermore, in the arrivals, there has no features...'. Cohesive devices are often misused or repetitive, leading to a mechanical feel. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within sentences is weak, making it sometimes difficult to follow the progression of ideas from the current layout to the future plan.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally basic and repetitive ('features', 'changes', 'gates', 'cafe'). There are several inappropriate word choices and collocations, such as 'as it's present condition', 'The noticable change is that gates', and 'things are important'. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary ('redevelopment', 'construction'), frequent errors in word formation ('noticable', 'constructed into') and lexical imprecision limit the range. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey simple ideas about the map, but it struggles with precise spatial and functional descriptions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex ones. There are numerous grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('both has one entrance', 'there has no features'), tense confusion ('it will replace by'), preposition errors ('on the southwest side'), and missing auxiliary verbs ('which will constructed'). Additionally, modal verb structures are flawed ('people will able to go'). These frequent errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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