Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 plan comprehnds the present condition and after redvelopment changes of airport next year .

Overall the design and layout is significantly changed after redevolopment,Number of gates, area of the terminal and ceratin facilities are enhanced in redevelopment plan.

At present there are only 8 number of gates while after refurnishment number of gates will increase to 18, which is a significant change.Similarly the wallkway will be changed with skytrain.In presnet airpot at departutre and arrival not much services available but in new plan ceratin additions is shown like in departutre area,only cafe at one corner opposite to checkin whil in arrival there isnt any facility, However in new plan cafe is moved to left corner from gate, chek in section cahnged location and bag drope is added, Furthermore in narrival ATM, cafe and car hire facilities are provided .

After passing security control shops are additional in new plan, after passing securuty controls.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main transformation: the airport expands from 8 to 18 gates, and the walkway is replaced by a sky train. You also report several new facilities, including shops, a bag-drop area, an ATM and car hire, so the response covers the key overall changes. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate. The café is not simply moved “to left corner from gate”: the existing departures café is repositioned to the bottom-left, while a separate café is added in Arrivals. The statement that Arrivals has no facilities now overlooks passport control and customs, and the location of the shops is described imprecisely. A clearer overview and more exact comparisons of the two terminal areas would make the account more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable progression: it introduces the plans, gives an overall comparison, and then discusses gates, terminal facilities and shops. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Similarly” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between points. However, the main body is largely one long, crowded paragraph, and several ideas run together, making the sequence of changes difficult to follow. The repeated reference to passing security controls at the end adds little and does not develop the description. Some connections are also unclear, for example the sentence about the café being moved “from gate.” Organise the comparison into separate paragraphs for the concourse and the terminal facilities, and use clearer references to each plan.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a redevelopment, including “gates,” “skytrain,” “check-in,” “bag drop,” “ATM” and “car hire.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the changes. However, spelling errors are frequent and sometimes make words harder to recognise, as in “comprehnds,” “redvelopment,” “wallkway” and “securuty.” Some word choices and collocations are also imprecise: “number of gates” is awkwardly repeated, “services available” is vague, and “refurnishment” does not accurately describe the airport’s redevelopment. Aim for accurate, consistent spelling and use more precise location and facility vocabulary, such as “concourse,” “terminal area” and “is situated.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use comparison structures, including “while after refurbishment…” and “but in new plan…,” showing an effort to connect related changes. However, many sentences contain grammatical errors that make the relationships between details difficult to follow. For example, “At present there are only 8 number of gates” has an incorrect noun construction, while “in departutre and arrival not much services available” lacks a clear subject and verb. Articles and sentence boundaries are also often missing, as in “in new plan” and the long sentence beginning “Similarly.” Practise forming complete sentences with accurate articles, plurals and verb patterns, and divide complex descriptions into shorter, controlled clauses.

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