Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-27

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

overall, It is clear the after redevelopment the site has been more advanced than before. Whereas the most noticeable thing is the number of gates.

Initially, The southwest airport has arrival on right side and there are custom passport control when you enter. Then after there is walkaway having 8 number of entry points. Also Before the departure there are two checkpoint like as security and passport control and . After passing the point you can find a checkin spot and a cafe spot where you can wait and have to coffee. When you done your check-in point you can proceed for the departure.

Finally, After the redevelopment the number of arrival gate and departure gate has increased to 2 for boths. There is two new things added on the side of arrival one is Cafe and another is ATM. After that same as before custom and passport control but there is one replacement of walkway to sky train and also the number of gates are increased from 8 to 18. similarly on departure side as before security and passport control . The place of cafe and check-in point are changed and another new thing is added at the olace of check-in is bag drop point.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover both the current and planned layouts and identify the main change: the gates increase from 8 to 18. You also report several relevant additions, including the café and ATM in Arrivals and the sky train. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the planned layout does not create two sets of arrival and departure gates; rather, the concourse expands to serve 18 gates. The bag drop is added on the west wall, while check-in moves to the inner wall, so it is not simply replaced by bag drop. The overview that the airport becomes “more advanced” is broad; summarise the major expansion and changes to passenger facilities more precisely. The response meets the required length; 11 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction and overview are followed by descriptions of the current and future layouts. This makes the comparison generally understandable. Sequencing words such as “Initially,” “Finally,” and “After that” help guide the reader, but some links feel mechanical, and the long descriptions combine several locations and changes without clear grouping. For example, the current-layout paragraph moves from Arrivals to the walkway, then back to Departures. Organise each stage by area—first Departures, then Arrivals and the concourse—and use clearer comparisons such as “In contrast” or “Meanwhile.” Also remove the stray “and .” and make references such as “the point” more specific so readers can follow the layout easily.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “redevelopment,” “passport control,” “ATM,” “walkway,” and “gates,” so the reader can identify many airport features. However, the range is limited and several phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “8 number of entry points,” “two checkpoint like as,” and “the number of arrival gate and departure gate has increased to 2.” “Spot” is also repeated for facilities, and “more advanced” does not precisely describe the physical changes. Choose accurate map vocabulary and collocations, such as “eight gates,” “security and passport-control areas,” and “the concourse is extended.” Check spelling and word forms, including “walkway” and “place,” to make the description more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including the contrast in “Whereas the most noticeable thing is the number of gates” and the time reference “when the redevelopment done after one year.” However, some sentence structures are incomplete or incorrectly formed, which sometimes makes relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “when the redevelopment done” needs a passive verb form, and “There is two new things” has subject–verb disagreement. Articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries also need attention in phrases such as “a checkin spot” and “the number of arrival gate.” Use complete sentences with consistent tense, and proofread punctuation and capitalisation; these changes would make your comparisons easier to understand.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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