Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-10
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 given plans describe about a site of an airport that how it looks right now and how it will look after development in next year.
In the present plan, the airport is splitted into two main parts. The first one is on left side which is for departures in which a check-in, a cafe and a sacurity passport controll centre is present. The second one is on right side which is for arrivals with a passport contioll customs in it. On south side, there are 8 gates and a walkway.
The development plan for next year shows different modifications in structure of port. A car hire, an ATM and a cafe will be built in arrivals site and a bag drop area will be added to departures area. Moreover, the number of gates on south side will be increase from 8 to 18. The walkway is will exchanged with sky train.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify the two main airport areas and report several relevant changes, including the addition of car hire, an ATM, a café and bag drop, as well as the increase from eight to eighteen gates. However, the account is only partial and the main overall transformation is not clearly summarised. The concourse becomes Y-shaped, and the shops and relocated check-in are important changes that are omitted. The statement that the walkway is exchanged for a sky train is also imprecise: the new train runs centrally along the extended concourse, while the plans do not establish that the walkway is simply replaced. Develop a clearer overview and describe the most significant spatial changes to make the comparison more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a coherent basic sequence: it describes the current layout first and then moves to the proposed development. Phrases such as “In the present plan” and “The development plan for next year” help signal this shift, and the information is grouped by airport area. However, the progression within each section is somewhat list-like, and the final sentence combines two changes without explaining their relationship. Some references, such as “on south side,” are not sufficiently precise for a plan description. Organise the comparison around the terminal areas and the concourse, and use clearer links to show what is retained, moved or added. This would make the connections between details more natural and precise.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant task vocabulary, including “departures,” “arrivals,” “gates,” “bag drop” and “car hire,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, for example “sacurity,” “controll” and “splitted.” Some phrases are also unnatural for describing plans, such as “structure of port” and “the walkway is will exchanged.” Aim for accurate, conventional map-description language and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for the Y-shaped concourse, relocated facilities and added services would help you report the changes clearly rather than relying on broad or awkward wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a relative clause in “the first one is on left side which is for departures.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in verb forms, articles and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some statements awkward. Examples include “the airport is splitted,” “will be increase” and “The walkway is will exchanged.” The opening sentence, “describe about a site … that how it looks,” also has an unclear grammatical structure. Practise forming direct comparison sentences with accurate passive forms, such as “will be extended” or “will be added,” and check subject–verb agreement and article use. More reliable sentence patterns would make your meaning easier to follow.
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.