Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-05

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 diagrams illustrate the site of an airport and how it will change after its scheduled redevelopment next year. Overall, Southwest Airport will be greatly expanded to include new facilities such as ATM booths, sky train, car hire services and bag drop station.

In its current state, the airport has two gates to the south, with the departure gate directly opposite the arrival gate separated by a border. At the departure side of the border lies the check in area north west of the departure gate. To the check-in counter's right there is a cafe. North of both the cafe and check-in area lies the security passport control section. Similarly, the passport control customs section stands immediately right of the security passport control on the other side of the border. At the very top, there is a walkway.

In the next year several changes are planned for instance the walkway at the northern end of the site will be expanded and in its place a sky train will be erected. Directly below it at the western side the border new shops will be introduced along with a cafe right next to the departure gate on the left. The checkin counter will be shifted to the left where the previous cafe cafe used to be and in its place the Bag drop section will be constructed. Similarly on the eastern side where the arrival gate lies, the empty spaces north of the gate will be remodeled to include an ATM booth, a cafe and a car hire service where the walls of the facility will be expanded to accomate the extra spaces required,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main features of both airport layouts and provides an overview of the key changes, such as the overall expansion and the addition of facilities like the sky train and car hire. However, some parts of the task are only partially covered or are under-developed. For instance, the description of the gates and concourse changes in the second plan lacks clarity and precision regarding the Y-shape extension and the specific gate numbering from 1 to 18. Furthermore, some spatial descriptions are confusing or inaccurate, such as referring to departure and arrival 'gates' opposite each other with a border in between, rather than clearly identifying the terminal areas and concourses. To reach a higher level, the student needs to select and report the most salient spatial and structural transformations more accurately and ensure that all comparisons between the current and future layouts are fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, a body paragraph describing the current layout, and a final paragraph detailing the planned changes. Information is generally ordered logically, moving from the general overview to specific locations within the airport. However, cohesion at times feels mechanical or is hindered by referencing issues. For example, the phrase 'Similarly on the eastern side' introduces the new facilities, but transitional devices are occasionally overused or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'Similarly'. Additionally, referencing within sentences is sometimes unclear, making it difficult to follow the exact spatial relationships between altered zones. Paragraphing is used to separate the two timeframes, which helps structure the response, but improving the flow of cohesive ties between sentences would enhance the overall readability.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to name various airport features such as 'check-in area', 'security passport control', 'walkway', and 'car hire services'. However, the range is limited and there are notable word choice and spelling errors that occasionally impede smooth reading. For example, the student writes 'check in' instead of 'check-in', and repeats 'cafe cafe' in the final paragraph. There are also less common lexical items attempted with some inaccuracy or awkward phrasing, such as 'erected' for a sky train running along a concourse, or 'accomate' (a spelling error for accommodate). To achieve a higher score, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire with more precise aeronautical or architectural vocabulary and demonstrate greater control over spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional or future structures like 'the walkway at the northern end of the site will be expanded and in its place a sky train will be erected.' However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text. Commas are often missing after introductory clauses (e.g., 'In its current state the airport...'), and prepositional usage is sometimes faulty, as seen in phrases like 'at the departure side of the border' or 'on the western side the border'. Punctuation is also neglected in places, leading to run-on structures or confusing boundaries between clauses. While these errors rarely completely obscure the message, they persist consistently enough to restrict the score at this level.

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

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