Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-31

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 the site of an airport current and how it will look after redevelopment next year.

Overall, it is clear that the major diffrence is at the entrence point the 8 gates convert into 18 gates, while created a sky train area at the gate center. in the arrivals area developed with ATM, cafe and car hire center.

The site of current airport look like at the entrence point have 8 gates, after entring the right side area contain on security, passport conrtrol center, cafe and check in area, while in the center have a long wall. In left side have founded also a possport control, costoms center and Arrivals area.

After development airport it will looked like the entrance gate convert into 18 gates, and also create a sky train area. In the right side all things will remained in his place, while the new shops build and in departures area the at the place of cafe replaced with chick in area, chick in replaced with bag drop, and cafe transfer in the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main expansion from 8 to 18 gates and mention the new sky train and additions to Arrivals, so the response includes relevant features and an overall comparison. However, several details are unclear or inaccurate: the current layout is described as having security and passport control on the right, whereas these facilities are in Departures before the concourse, and Arrivals has passport control and customs. The changes to check-in, bag drop and the cafés are also difficult to follow, and the final sentence breaks off before explaining where the café moves. To strengthen the report, describe the main changes accurately and complete the comparison of both terminal areas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to descriptions of the current and future layouts. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is difficult to follow, particularly in the long sentence beginning “The site of current airport,” where several locations are joined without clear relationships. Repeated use of “while” does not always show a meaningful contrast, and references such as “the right side” are ambiguous because the map contains separate terminal areas. The final paragraph also ends mid-sentence. Use shorter, clearly ordered descriptions—first Departures, then Arrivals, then the concourse—and connect each change explicitly to its location.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “gates,” “sky train,” “Arrivals,” “Departures,” “ATM” and “car hire,” which helps identify the map features. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the description hard to understand, such as “entrence point,” “long wall,” “convert into” and “cafe transfer.” Spelling errors, including “diffrence,” “conrtrol” and “costoms,” are noticeable and reduce clarity. Aim for precise location and change vocabulary, such as “concourse,” “is extended,” “is relocated” and “is added.” Check spelling carefully, especially for labels taken directly from the plan.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to compare the two stages using clauses with “while” and future forms, but sentence structures are limited and errors are frequent enough to make some relationships difficult to understand. Examples include “The plans illustrate the site of an airport current,” “the 8 gates convert into 18 gates,” and “the new shops build,” where word order or verb forms are faulty. There are also incomplete or poorly formed clauses, such as “In left side have founded also…” and the unfinished final sentence. Practise complete subject–verb sentences and consistent passive forms for planned changes, for example, “The concourse will be extended” and “Check-in will be moved.” Use punctuation to separate distinct locations and changes.

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