Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-12

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 map compares the construction plans of an airport site before and after redevolopement by the next year. The following changes are going to be made by the next year for southwest Airpoprt.

Walkway area will be completly transfomed to Sky tain area. Initially Walkway area have 8 doors, in the upcoming redevelopement plan, this area will be expanded to sky train area for that there will be 18 gates.Shops beside the security passport control, will becompletely removed from the previous plan.

In the security passport control section check-in arae will be replaced by bag drop section.

The cafe area will be replaced by check-in area.

Currently the passport control customs is an empty space at the Southwest Airport.acording to thr plan, after a year this part of airport is going to have space for cafe and ATM. In the updated map the cafe is going to be a part of security passport control near departures. At the arrivals, the space will be accomodated for car hire.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad contrast between the current airport and its planned redevelopment, and you include several relevant changes, such as the increase from 8 to 18 gates and the addition of a café, ATM and car hire. However, some key details are misread or unclear: the current walkway is not simply transformed into a sky-train area; the concourse is extended into a Y-shape, with the train running along its central stem. Shops are added in the redevelopment, not removed, and the café is not replaced by check-in: check-in moves to the inner wall, while a café is added in Arrivals. The response also lacks a clear overview of the main changes. Select the major structural changes accurately and distinguish the two terminal areas more carefully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is divided into paragraphs and generally moves from the concourse to the terminal facilities, so the reader can follow some of the comparisons. However, there is no clear overall progression from an overview to grouped details, and several transitions make relationships difficult to understand. For example, “In the security passport control section check-in area will be replaced by bag drop section” is hard to reconcile with the next claim that the café is replaced by check-in. Repeated references to “this area” and “this part” also leave the locations unclear. Organise the response around the concourse changes and the changes within Departures and Arrivals, using explicit location references and accurate comparison signals.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant map vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “expanded,” “passport control,” “ATM” and “car hire,” which helps convey the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes obscuring the intended change: “Walkway area will be completely transformed to Sky train area” and “shops … will be completely removed” do not describe the plan correctly. Spelling errors such as “redevolopement,” “Airpoprt,” “completly” and “acording” are also noticeable. Use precise terms for map features and their locations, and check spelling carefully. For example, describe the concourse as “extended” and the shops as “added,” rather than relying on broad or incorrect descriptions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer structures, including “Initially …, in the upcoming redevelopment plan …,” and most of the intended meaning can be recovered. However, control is uneven, with frequent errors in tense, agreement, articles and sentence construction. Examples include “Walkway area have 8 doors,” “the passport control customs is an empty space,” and “the space will be accomodated for car hire.” The opening also combines the comparison and introduction awkwardly, while punctuation between some clauses is insufficient. Practise consistent future forms for planned changes and accurate subject–verb agreement, and build longer comparisons with a clear subject and verb in each clause.

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