Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-28

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)

let's start with the entry arrivals and departures passsnegers will enter from the exact arrivals, firstly there were only one opening for the arrivals and the departure now in new plan there will be two for both. When will enter airport through the arrivals there is new car hire booth, ATM, and a new coggee shop as any of these were not present there. On the departure side check in counter has been moved to the opposite side, and a bag drop counter has been made in place of that. Additionally a new cofee shop is opened. As we move ahead security, pasport control, and customs are exactly same as where they were. on departure more shops have been made. Going further, the walkway is removed and in place of that a new sky train has been introduce, which will be more convenient for the passengers. Moreover, the major change can be seen in the development of gates as now area of gates in more wide and 10 new gates are built which will make it easier to manage the flow of passengers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important changes, including the added car-hire facility, ATM and café in Arrivals, the relocated check-in counter, bag drop, sky train and expansion from eight to eighteen gates. However, the account is not consistently accurate or complete: the claim that there will be “two” entrances for both areas is not supported by the plan, and the new shops along the concourse are mentioned only generally. The overview is also implicit rather than clearly summarising the main transformation: the concourse becomes a much larger Y-shaped structure, while facilities are added or rearranged in both terminal sections. Some details, such as the unchanged security and customs areas, are useful, but the response needs clearer selection and more precise reporting of the key spatial changes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response follows a broadly sensible route through the airport, moving from Arrivals and Departures towards the gates, and linking phrases such as “Additionally,” “As we move ahead” and “Going further” help signal sequence. However, it is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the overview and the detailed comparisons are not clearly separated. Some transitions are vague or awkward, particularly “When will enter airport” and “on departure more shops have been made,” making the relationships between locations less clear. Organise the report into a brief overview followed by separate paragraphs for the terminal facilities and the concourse. Use precise references such as “in the Arrivals area” or “along the concourse” rather than relying mainly on movement-based transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant airport vocabulary, including “check in counter,” “bag drop counter,” “ATM,” “sky train” and “gates,” which allows the reader to recognise many of the changes. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or imprecise: “opening” is unclear for an entrance, “area of gates in more wide” does not describe the expanded concourse naturally, and “shops have been made” is an awkward way to report new facilities. Spelling errors such as “passsnegers,” “coggee,” “cofee” and “pasport” also reduce control. Aim for accurate map-reporting expressions such as “the concourse is extended,” “facilities are added,” and “the number of gates increases,” while checking spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences, for example with “When will enter airport through the arrivals” and “which will make it easier to manage the flow of passengers.” However, many sentences contain errors in clause structure, tense, articles and agreement, and these sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “there were only one opening,” “When will enter,” and “a new sky train has been introduce.” The response also shifts between past and future forms without a consistent frame for comparing the current and planned layouts. Use present simple for the existing plan and future forms for the redevelopment, and build shorter, complete sentences before attempting more complex comparisons. Check subject–verb agreement and verb forms carefully.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.