Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The plans illustrate difference between the site of an airport now and in one year.

Overall, it is clear that airport is going to have a lot of changes such as a large sky train, shops and other sites.

As can be seen on the left plan airport have a small walkway. There are two rooms under it which are not even used. Moving further down there are two small rooms. They both have a passport control. Room on the left also has a security zone while room on the right includes customs in it. People come there from arrivals which has no sites in it whereas departures has a check-in and cafe.

In the next year a walkway will become a sky train and be really bigger than previous. Also

an empty room under sky train is going to be shops. Check-in and cafe also gonna change their places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the broad purpose of the plans and mention several relevant changes, including the sky train, shops, and the relocation of the café and check-in. However, the comparison is only partial and several details are inaccurate or unclear. The current concourse is described as a “small walkway,” and the rooms beneath it are called unused, although the plans show the departures and arrivals areas with facilities. The future description omits major features such as the Y-shaped concourse and its increase from 8 to 18 gates, as well as the bag drop, ATM, and car-hire area. Develop a clearer overview of the main expansion and report the key changes in both terminal sections.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, an overview, a description of the current layout, and a brief account of the future plan. Phrases such as “As can be seen” and “Moving further down” help signal movement through the description. However, the progression is not consistently clear, particularly when the account shifts from the concourse to the rooms below it and then to the future layout. The final paragraph is very brief and ends without a complete comparison of the main areas. Use a more systematic order—for example, describe the concourse first, then departures and arrivals, and follow the same order for the proposed plan. Clearer links between corresponding features would improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing a plan, including “walkway,” “passport control,” “customs,” “check-in,” and “café.” This gives the reader a basic understanding of the airport facilities. However, the range is limited, and several expressions are imprecise or awkward for a map description. “Other sites” is vague, “rooms” does not clearly identify the airport areas, and “be really bigger” is an unsuitable way to describe the expansion. There is also repetition of “room” and “has.” Choose more precise terms such as “terminal area,” “concourse,” “facility,” and “is considerably larger,” and use verbs such as “relocate,” “extend,” and “accommodate” to report changes accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes some attempts at complex sentences, such as “There are two rooms under it which are not even used,” and “Room on the left also has a security zone while room on the right includes customs in it.” However, grammatical errors occur frequently and sometimes make the relationships between features difficult to follow. Examples include “illustrate difference” (missing an article), “airport have” (subject–verb agreement), “People come there from arrivals” (unclear construction), and “Check-in and cafe also gonna change their places” (informal and grammatically incomplete phrasing). Tense and sentence control also need attention when describing planned changes. Practise accurate present-tense descriptions of the current plan and use consistent future forms, such as “will be relocated,” for proposed changes.

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.