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)

The diagram illustrates the plan of renovation of Southwest airport in next year.

Overall, the new plan of airport has alot of changes,the most significant chage will be increase in number of gates from 8 to 18, multiple amneties like sky train, car hire service, Atm and bag drop is added in new plan.

Currently, airport has single departure and arrival gate and before security passport control office there is only check-in and cafe services are available additionally there are 8 gates and between the gates walkaway service is available. However in new plan the area of airport will increases,there will be addition of gates in departure and arrival area, there will be bag drop service included near security passport control office with the relocation of cafe.

Furthermore, cafe car hire and bank services are included in new plan at arrival gate.There is inclusion of shops in new plan along with sky train facility between the gates.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main change—the increase from eight to eighteen gates—and mention several additions, including the sky train, shops, bag drop and car hire. This gives the reader a basic sense of the redevelopment. However, the comparison is only partly accurate and developed: the gates are in the extended concourse, not in the departure and arrival areas, and the new plan does not show a single departure and arrival gate. Some important positional changes are also unclear or omitted, such as check-in moving to the inner wall and the new Y-shaped concourse. To strengthen the summary, describe the overall expansion and explain the key changes in each terminal area more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing current and future features. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “However” and “Furthermore” help signal the stages of the description. Nevertheless, progression is uneven: the second paragraph combines current and future details in a long comparison, while the final paragraph repeats additions already mentioned without clearly locating them. References such as “there” and “the gates” can also leave the reader unsure which part of the plan is meant. Organise the details more systematically—for example, describe the concourse changes together, then compare the departure and arrival facilities—and use clearer location references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “gates,” “departure,” “arrival,” “security,” “relocation” and “sky train,” so the main subject is generally understandable. There is also some attempt to vary wording with phrases such as “increase in number” and “inclusion of shops.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are imprecise, including “departure and arrival gate,” “bank services” for the ATM, and “walkaway service” for the walkway. Spelling errors such as “amneties” and “chage” are noticeable, and “alot” is informal. Use accurate map terminology and check spelling; “facilities,” “concourse” and “ATM” would help make descriptions more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “However” and a clause beginning “with the relocation of cafe.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between features difficult to follow. Examples include “the plan of renovation … in next year,” “the area … will increases,” and “bag drop service included,” where articles, verb forms or sentence structure are faulty. The sentence beginning “Currently” also runs several ideas together, and punctuation is inconsistent. Practise accurate future forms (“will increase,” “will be added”) and article use, then separate descriptions into shorter, complete sentences before attempting longer comparisons.

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