Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 illustrates the site of an airport nowadays and how it will look after the redevelopment after one year.

Overall, there are alot of development and new facilities are added for for the customer, like some are very modify and some are completely removed from the area.Moreover, the site is expanted as compare to now.

The site seen very advance and have more facilities for the custome compare to nowadays, like in departures check in is completely move from the left side to the right side and bag drop and cafe are added to that place.However, in the arrivals cafe, ATM and car hire are added for custome services, and shops are seen in the development site.

Moreover, security passport control and passport control customs remained the same, walkway have completely replaced with sky train in the development area.In addition, in now plans there are 1-8 gates and in development sites there are 1-18 gates.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall changes: the airport is expanded, the number of gates increases from 8 to 18, and new facilities are added. You also report several relevant relocations, including check-in moving and the addition of bag drop, cafés, an ATM and car hire. These points address the task, but some are not fully or accurately described. For example, saying bag drop and the café are added “to that place” is unclear, and the café’s specific locations in the two plans are not distinguished. The statement that the walkway is “completely replaced” by the sky train is also too broad: the new plan shows a sky train along the concourse stem, while the concourse itself is extended into a Y-shape. A clearer overview and more precise spatial comparisons would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing changes. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Moreover,” and “In addition” help signal relationships. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. The phrase “bag drop and cafe are added to that place” has an uncertain reference, while the final paragraph moves from security and passport control to the walkway and gate numbers without a clear organising principle. Some connectors are also repeated or used mechanically. Grouping changes by area—for example, the concourse first, then departures and arrivals—and using clearer references would make the comparisons easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “departures,” “arrivals,” “gates,” “check in,” “bag drop,” and “car hire,” so the reader can identify many of the airport features. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which sometimes makes descriptions unclear. Examples include “a lot of development,” “very modify,” “expanted,” and “the site seen very advance.” “Customer” is also repeated and is not the most natural term for describing airport facilities. Aim for precise verbs and collocations such as “is expanded,” “is relocated,” and “facilities are added,” and check spelling and word forms carefully. More accurate location language would also help distinguish where each facility is situated.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “like,” “however,” and “in addition.” The main meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “The plans illustrates” has subject–verb disagreement, and “the site seen very advance and have more facilities” lacks an appropriate verb form and agreement. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “in departures check in is completely move” and the run-on transition “place.However.” These errors make some relationships harder to understand. Practise accurate present and future passive forms for map descriptions, such as “is moved” and “will be added,” and check agreement, articles, and punctuation when editing.

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