Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-07

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)

This airport will go through redevelopment next year and there are a few changes being made to it as seen. The southwest airport will be expanded to be more efficient and accessible for the people. The departure area will not only have a check in area and a cafe shop but now it will also have a bag drop off area. This will make it easier for depatures to check in and do bag drop offs at the same time. Another development I noticed was the fact that arrivals will now have an area for car pick ups and access to an atm. Pass the security, passport control and customs , there are now shops that will be available to both arrivals and departures. A new development of a sky train is akso seem in areas where it was just walkeays for people, now making it easier to get to respective gates for arrivals and depatures.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify several important changes, including the new bag-drop facility, car hire, ATM, shops and sky train, so the response is relevant to the plans. However, the main transformation is not fully reported: the concourse expands from 8 to 18 gates and changes to a Y-shape, which should be central to the overview. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear. The shops are not simply beyond security and passport control; they are placed along the angled wall between departures and the concourse. The sky train serves the concourse stem, rather than replacing walkways generally, and the response does not explain that check-in moves to the inner wall. Develop the comparison of the two layouts and describe locations more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from departures to arrivals and then to the concourse, and phrases such as “Another development” help signal a new point. However, it is presented as one continuous paragraph, with no clear overview separated from supporting details. The progression is also difficult to follow in places: “Pass the security…” introduces the shops without a clear connection to their position, while the final sentence combines the sky train, the former walkway and access to gates. Use a short opening overview, then group changes by area. More precise linking and reference would make the relationships between features easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary such as “redevelopment,” “bag drop,” “passport control,” “car” and “ATM,” which allows the reader to understand the general subject. However, some choices are informal or imprecise for describing a plan: “cafe shop,” “car pick ups,” and “at the same time” do not accurately describe the facilities or their layout. There are also spelling errors, including “depatures,” “akso,” “seem” and “walkeays,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for precise location language and standard forms, such as “situated,” “adjacent to” and “along the concourse,” rather than describing presumed benefits or user actions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response includes both simple statements and longer structures, for example, “The departure area will not only have … but now it will also have …,” showing some ability to vary sentence forms. Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors remain. In “Pass the security, passport control and customs,” the opening phrase is not grammatically formed as a location description; use “Beyond security, passport control and customs.” The comma before the space in “customs ,” is also incorrect. The sentence beginning “A new development of a sky train…” has an unclear construction and tense, and “where it was just walkways” does not clearly express the comparison. Build complete, controlled sentences and check articles, verb forms and punctuation.

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