Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-17

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 diagrams illustrated the area of the SouthWest Airport today and how it will look after adding some new places such as ATM, Sky train, bag drop and car drop coming year.

Overall, an airport will be completely redeveloped and increases its size. However, the walkway area will be declined and Sky train will be occupie their place. Furthermore, you can also hire car for traveling.

Today the airport is completely simple. It has 8 gates which are placed on the top of an airport. On the inside of gates, it has passenger walking area. The airport is substitude into four sections. If you see on left side, it's a departures area where you would see check-in area and the cafe. On the other hand, you can see arrivals. As other as, it has also security and customs which checks the person passport.

Next year, it will be changed due to addition of some places. The airport size will increases and instead of 8 gates, it will have 18 gates. There will be small cafe, bag drop, and check-in area which would exist on departures side. However, the cafe will also be placed on arrival side. They would also offer the oppurtunity of ATM and car hire. Customs and security officers will still remain on its location.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover both the present layout and the planned redevelopment, and your overview identifies the main changes: the airport will expand, the gate count will rise from eight to eighteen, and new facilities will be added. Most details are relevant, including the current departures and arrivals areas and the future café, ATM and car hire. However, some important spatial changes are not clearly reported: the concourse becomes Y-shaped, the sky train runs along its central stem, and shops are added between departures and the concourse. The statement that the walkway will be replaced by the train is also imprecise; the plan shows the concourse extended and a train added. Develop the comparison with clearer locations and distinguish retained facilities from new ones.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, a paragraph on the current airport and one on the future plan. This makes the two stages easy to identify, and linking phrases such as “Overall,” “On the other hand” and “Next year” help guide the reader. Some connections are awkward or unclear, however. “As other as” does not establish a meaningful relationship, while “However” before the future café on the arrivals side does not express a clear contrast. The overview also combines several changes without explaining how they relate. Use more precise transitions and organise each stage around the terminal, concourse and added facilities to make progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “gates,” “departures,” “arrivals,” “check-in,” “customs” and “car hire,” so the reader can follow the general description. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “adding some new places,” “the walkway area will be declined,” and “car drop” in the introduction. “Completely simple” is also an imprecise description of the current airport. Spelling errors such as “substitude” and “oppurtunity” further reduce accuracy. Aim for precise map language—such as “facilities,” “concourse,” “extend” and “be relocated”—and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including “If you see on left side…” and “However, the cafe will also be placed on arrival side.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “an airport will be completely redeveloped and increases its size” shifts incorrectly between future and present forms; “the airport size will increases” uses the wrong verb form; and “it has passenger walking area” is missing an article. Some sentences are also awkwardly formed, such as “The airport is substitude into four sections.” Practise consistent future forms and article use, and build complex sentences around clear subjects and verbs.

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