Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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 5.0)

These pictures show the Southwest airport site before and after the development of one year. Before one year, the airport has one to eight zones for airplanes. There were small entrance, walkways, no shops to entertain the passengers, no ATM machine and good services for passengers.

After one year, when airport is developed there are sky trains, car hiring services, more gates for passenger for their easy entry, also providing ATM servies and shops to entertain the passengers.

As if we move towards comparision, the airport after the development has more place the airplanes, providing good services like car hiring, providing easy entrance to passengers, bag drop and sky train services.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad change from 1–8 gates to a larger airport with a sky train, shops, an ATM and car hire, so the response is relevant to the plans. However, the main features are only partly reported: there is no clear overview of the Y-shaped concourse or the increase to 18 gates, and several important changes inside Departures and Arrivals are omitted. The claim that there were “no…good services” is unclear and not supported by the plan. The response also contains 111 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail available. To improve, describe the key layout changes and accurately compare the locations of facilities in both plans.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic sequence: it describes the airport before development, then after development, and ends with a comparison. Phrases such as “After one year” and “As if we move towards comparision” signal these stages, but the progression is not consistently clear, and the final paragraph largely repeats points already made. Some ideas are grouped together without explaining their locations or relationships, making the comparison difficult to follow. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview and the main changes, and connect details with clear references such as “in the Departures area” and “by contrast, Arrivals gains…”. This would create a more coherent account rather than a list of loosely connected features.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “gates,” “sky trains,” “ATM,” “bag drop” and “shops,” which helps communicate the general changes. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “zones for airplanes,” “car hiring services” and “more place the airplanes.” “Comparision” and “servies” are also misspelled, while “good services” is vague and does not describe a specific feature. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Build a bank of map vocabulary—such as “terminal,” “concourse,” “is located,” and “is extended”—and check spelling and collocations. Naming facilities and their positions will make the description more exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few different sentence patterns, including a time clause in “After one year, when airport is developed…” and a comparison introduced by “As if…”. However, the range remains limited, and errors in basic sentence construction and verb forms occur frequently. For example, “Before one year” is not a suitable time expression, “the airport has one to eight zones” does not clearly express the past layout, and “when airport is developed” is missing an article and has an awkward verb form. The final sentence, “the airport after the development has more place the airplanes,” is also difficult to interpret grammatically. Practise accurate past and future forms, articles, and complete comparison structures before attempting longer sentences.

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