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 map diagram presents a development plan of an airport site now and how it will be developed next year.
Overall, the airport will undergo a lot of transformations keeping few things original. The most important part is that lots facilities for people will be added in the new layout.
The security passport control and passport control customs in current map will remain same in both map. The departures and arrivals gates will be in the same positions though will increase in number.
After redevelopment, two departures and two arrivals gate will be built on the intrance of the airport. There will be new addition of car hire and ATM in the arrivals section which was completely empty in the previous map. A new cafe will be constructed in the arrivals section. The facilities like check-in, cafe and bag drop will be built in departures section. The gate will be increased in
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You identify the broad change—an expanded airport with additional passenger facilities—and mention several relevant features, including the new car hire, ATM and café in Arrivals. However, the account only partially covers the plans: it omits major changes such as the Y-shaped concourse, the sky train, shops and the increase from 8 to 18 gates. Some details are inaccurate or unclear: the security and passport-control areas are not all simply unchanged, and the claim that “two departures and two arrivals gate” will be built is not supported by the plans. The final sentence also breaks off before completing the point about gates. To improve, give a clear overview of the main structural changes and compare the existing and proposed layouts accurately.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview and a paragraph describing proposed changes. This gives the reader some sense of the topic, and phrases such as “After redevelopment” help signal a time change. However, the progression is limited: the description moves between unchanged areas and new facilities without a clear spatial or thematic order, and several features are listed rather than connected. The final line, “The gate will be increased in”, is incomplete and disrupts the ending. Organise the details into a logical comparison—for example, first the terminal areas, then the concourse and gates—and use clear links to show what is retained, moved or added.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “development”, “arrivals section”, “car hire” and “check-in”. This is enough to communicate the general subject, but the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “A lot of transformations” and “lots facilities” are not natural collocations, while “gates” is used ambiguously for terminal areas and airport boarding gates. There are also spelling errors such as “intrance”, and “remain same” is an awkward phrase. Aim for precise map vocabulary and varied verbs, such as “extend”, “relocate”, “retain” and “accommodate”, while checking spelling and collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response uses mostly simple sentence patterns, with a few attempts to add clauses, as in “The departures and arrivals gates will be in the same positions though will increase in number.” However, errors are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. Examples include missing articles and plural marking in “two departures and two arrivals gate”, the incomplete construction “though will increase”, and the unfinished final sentence. “The security passport control and passport control customs … will remain same” also has problems with sentence structure and article use. Practise forming complete comparisons and checking agreement, articles and verb patterns; for example, state clearly that the number of gates will increase while their locations change.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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