Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-19

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 an airport at present and after redevelopment next years.

Overall, In redevelopement of the airport, the significant number of gates has been added. The three new features have been introduced such as baf drop, ATM, and care hire. The check in and cafe remained the same in both plans.

Currently, the airport has eight gates with security and passport control in the center of the plan. Adjacent to this, there is the site fot passport control with customs. It has a small checkin on the western side and a cafe on the eastern side.

After redevelopment, there gates are increased significantly to eighteen in terms of number. The shops are added besides the gates. The security, passport control and customs are present at the same location. The bag drop is the latest feature present on the eastern side with a cafe at the base of the plan. A cafe and a ATM machine located on the eastern side. The small car hire is added in the corner. There are two sky trains located in the center of gates.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main change—the increase from eight to eighteen gates—and mention several additions, including shops, a bag-drop area, an ATM and car hire. However, some important details are inaccurate or unclear. The check-in and café do not both remain in the same positions: check-in moves from the west wall to the inner wall beside Arrivals, while the café is relocated and another café is added. The bag drop is on the west wall, not the eastern side, and the plan shows one central sky-train route rather than “two sky trains.” The overview also misses the Y-shaped concourse extension, a major feature. To strengthen the response, give a clearer overview and describe the key changes in location 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 helps the reader follow the comparison, and phrases such as “Currently” and “After redevelopment” signal the stages clearly. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by unclear references, such as “Adjacent to this” and “It has a small checkin,” where the reader must infer which area is meant. The future-plan paragraph also moves between gates, shops, facilities and transport without a consistent route through the map. Organise details by area—for example, terminal changes first, then the concourse—and use precise references to each section.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant map vocabulary, including “gates,” “western side,” “eastern side,” “customs” and “redevelopment,” so the reader can understand the general subject. There is also some attempt to vary wording, as in “introduced” and “added.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable: “redevelopement,” “baf drop,” “care hire” and “fot” make several details less clear. Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “the significant number of gates has been added” and “the latest feature.” Aim for accurate facility names and natural collocations, such as “the number of gates increases substantially” and “a new facility is added.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including “After redevelopment, there gates are increased significantly to eighteen in terms of number.” However, errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to interpret. Examples include “after redevelopment next years,” “the significant number of gates has been added,” and “A cafe and a ATM machine located on the eastern side,” which has no finite verb and an incorrect article. There are also problems with agreement and sentence construction, as in “there gates are increased.” Practise forming clear present and future descriptions, checking articles and subject–verb agreement, and proofreading each sentence for a complete verb structure.

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