Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-13

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 plans illustrate the site of southwest airport at present and the view of it the following year after reconstruction.

Overall, the number of gates will almost get doubled after development, likewise there will be plenty of facilities will get added to the airport to make the travel easy for customers.

At present, there is only entrance gate for departure and arrival. Moving from departure towards gate there is checkin counter on the left side and cafe on the right. After, passing through security and passport control towards gates there is walkway along the gate 1 to 3.

After development, there is addition on entrances and exits to the departure and arrivals each side, with the relocation of cafe to left corner near departure and a new place for car hire on the right corner of arrivals. Moreover, the checkin will move to the opposite side

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad change in capacity, noting that the gates will “almost get doubled,” and mention several relevant changes, including the café’s relocation and the addition of car hire. However, the report covers the plans only partially: it omits major features such as the Y-shaped concourse, the sky train, shops, bag drop, and the new café and ATM in Arrivals. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the plans show entrance doors in both areas, but do not establish that extra entrances and exits will be added. The overview is also vague, and the response is four words below the required minimum. To improve, give a clear overview of the main structural changes and describe the most important additions and relocations accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the current and future layouts. This gives the reader a basic progression through the two plans, and phrases such as “At present” and “After development” help signal the time comparison. However, the final paragraph stops abruptly at “the opposite side,” leaving the relocation incomplete and weakening the overall flow. Some linking is also awkward or mechanical, as in “After, passing through security…” and “Moreover,” where the relationship between details is not fully clear. Organise the future changes into a complete sequence, use precise references to the areas being compared, and ensure the final sentence is finished.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing airport layouts, including “relocation,” “security,” “passport control,” and “car hire.” These terms help communicate the general subject, and “almost get doubled” attempts to describe the increase in gates. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “entrance gate” for the terminal doors, “addition on entrances and exits,” and “make the travel easy for customers.” “Plenty of facilities” is also vague when the plans show specific additions. Spelling and word formation in “checkin” reduce accuracy; use “check-in.” Aim for more precise map vocabulary and natural collocations, naming the facilities and describing their positions rather than relying on general phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the overview sentence beginning “Overall” and the contrast between “At present” and “After development.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “there will be plenty of facilities will get added” combines two verb structures incorrectly; write “many facilities will be added.” In “there is addition on entrances and exits,” the article and sentence construction are faulty. The final sentence is incomplete, and “After, passing through…” has incorrect punctuation and clause structure. Practise forming complete sentences with accurate articles, verb patterns and punctuation, while retaining the useful range of sentence types you are attempting.

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