Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-02

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 rendered map compares the site of an airport now and how it will look in near future after the renovation.

Overall, it is widely seen that as of now, there are very few facilities available for the travelers, but it will going to equip with huge number of facilities in the upcoming year.

Starting with the current entrance, there are only eight walkways available for the travellers which will going to be replaced with 18 sky trains. So in future, passengers do not need to be reach the security passport control unit by walk, sky trains will be there for them. Next there are not even a single shops available in the entrance of the airport, but going to be constructed in the future, where passengers can buy gifts for them and their loved ones. Crossing the security, there is a check-in counter and opposite to it there is a cafe. There is a huge space which can be occupied by various facilities, so keeping this thing in mind, current check-in going to be replaced with bag drop area. Cafe counter is going to be near the departure gates in future. And Check-in counter moves in place of cafe.

Moving your attention to the remaining part, so there is one another gate build in the departure section. Talking about the arrival, so this section also got one another gate in order to reduce the congestion. Also, the car hire section is going to be available in the future, along with it there is one ATM facility.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by outlining the main changes shown in the airport plans between now and next year. An overview is successfully attempted, noting the general shift from limited facilities to a significantly expanded layout. However, some key features are inaccurately reported or misinterpreted. For instance, the student states that 'there are only eight walkways available for the travellers which will going to be replaced with 18 sky trains,' whereas the visual data shows that the gates increase from 1–8 to 1–18, and a sky train is introduced centrally along the concourse rather than replacing walkways. Additionally, some descriptions regarding the relocation of check-in, the bag drop, and the new car hire section are somewhat unclear or underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, the report should ensure that all visual data is read accurately and reported with greater precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs detailing the terminal and concourse changes. Paragraphing is used to separate the introduction, overview, and specific spatial details. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. The transitional phrases used to guide the reader, such as 'Starting with the current entrance,' 'Next,' and 'Moving your attention to the remaining part,' feel repetitive and slightly unnatural. Furthermore, referencing is not always clear, particularly in phrases like 'there is one another gate build in the departure section' without precise contextual anchors. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more natural range of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing between sentences remains clear and precise throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for a basic task summary, including terms such as 'renovation,' 'facilities,' 'congestions,' and 'departure section.' Less common lexical items are attempted, but they are often marred by inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'the render map' instead of 'rendered map' and 'widely seen' instead of 'readily apparent.' There are also some awkward phrasings like 'equip with huge number of facilities.' While communication is generally maintained despite these errors, the lexical control is limited. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to expand their range of functional vocabulary for describing spatial changes and use precise collocations consistently without noticeable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting to compare current and future layouts using relative clauses and conditional ideas. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, tenses, and sentence structures that persist throughout the text. Examples include 'it will going to equip' instead of 'it will be equipped,' 'passengers do not need to be reach' instead of 'reach,' and 'not even a single shops available' displaying subject-verb agreement issues. Prepositions and articles are also occasionally misused, as seen in 'at the entrance of the airport' or 'build in the departure section.' Although these errors rarely impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the writing from attaining a higher band. Greater control over auxiliary verbs, tense consistency, and basic sentence construction is required.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.