Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-08

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 two diagram illustrate the layout of southwest airport now and how it will look after redevelopment next year.

Overall , the airport is expected is undergro significant expansion with a large number of gates and the adittion of new passengers facilities the terminal buildings will be larger and more modren.

Currently , the airport has only 8 gates numbered 1to 8 in a small terminal building there are basic facilities including security passport control and customer the departure area is left side and arrivals area on the right side there are the entrerance , there are check in , cafe and shops.

After development , the number of gate will more than double from 1to 18 the terminal will have new Y shape design the gate will be divide into two sides on the left side will be gates 1to 8 and on the right side will be gates 9 to 18 a new adittion is sky train , car hair, ATM , and shop will be addd in enterence gate the security pasport cvontrol and customs control is same position the check in and bag drop area will also b expanded

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main change clearly: the airport expands from 8 gates to 18 and the concourse takes on a Y-shaped design. You also mention several new facilities, including the sky train, ATM and car hire, and note that some security and customs areas remain in place. These points address the task and support a relevant overview. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the future gates are not divided into 1–8 on the left and 9–18 on the right; the arms contain gates 1–9 and 10–18. Shops are not described as being at the entrance, and the response says check-in and bag drop will be expanded rather than explaining their changed positions. More precise coverage of these changes would strengthen the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction and overview to the current layout and then the future plan. This gives the reader a basic sense of comparison, and phrases such as “Currently” and “After development” help signal the stages. However, progression within paragraphs is weakened by long strings of details joined with commas, especially in the final paragraph, where the gate layout, facilities and unchanged areas run together. Some references are also unclear, such as “in enterence gate,” and the overview sentence is difficult to follow because several ideas are compressed together. Use clearer sentence boundaries and group information by area—for example, concourse changes separately from terminal facilities—to make the comparison easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “gates,” “terminal,” “passport control,” “Y shape” and “sky train,” so the reader can identify the main features. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, spelling and word-form errors reduce precision: “customer” appears to mean “customs,” “car hair” for “car hire,” and “adittion” is repeatedly misspelled. Phrases such as “new passengers facilities” and “the number of gate” are also not natural or accurate. Aim to use precise location and change vocabulary, such as “is situated,” “is relocated,” and “is extended,” and check spelling carefully. This would make the description more fluent and reduce the effort needed to interpret some details.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple statements and more complex comparisons, including “the airport has only 8 gates” and “the number of gate will more than double.” However, control is inconsistent, and several sentence patterns are faulty. The opening says “The two diagram illustrate,” requiring plural agreement, while “is expected is undergro significant expansion” contains an incomplete and confused verb construction. In the final paragraph, clauses are joined without clear punctuation, and forms such as “will be divide” and “will be addd” do not use the correct passive structure. Articles and plurals also need attention, as in “a small terminal building” followed by “the number of gate.” Practise accurate past/present/future forms and divide long sentences into complete clauses.

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