Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 plan illustrates the site of an airport currently and how it will become after development in the coming year.

Overall, the site of an airport is much developed after the alteration as we can see there are many many differences in the site plan of airport. Also there are many new facilities including, shops, bag drop, ATM, sky train and car hire respectively.

At the walkway point there are now 2 sky trains with more covered space and 10 new gates are placed all around it. The walkway points are now removed. Then there are newly opened shops beside the sky trains and next to security passport control office. Cafe is now moved on the other side near the passport control customs and a new ATM is installed with it. Also there's a new car hire facility near the ATM and it is located in the corner. More place is now assigned to the entrance of departures and arrivals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the broad change from the current airport layout to a larger, more developed one, and your overview names several additions, including shops, bag drop, an ATM, a sky train and car hire. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: the plan shows one sky train, not “2 sky trains,” and the café in Arrivals is added rather than moved from its current position in Departures. The claim that more space is assigned to the entrances is not supported by the plans. You also omit important changes, especially the Y-shaped concourse and the relocation of check-in. To strengthen the response, compare the two layouts accurately and select the main structural changes as well as the new facilities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview and a paragraph describing changes. This gives the reader a general sense of the topic. However, the progression within the final paragraph is difficult to follow because it moves between the concourse, shops, cafés, ATM and car hire without clearly grouping changes by area or comparing “now” with “after development.” Linking words such as “Then” and “Also” are used, but the sequence is sometimes mechanical, and references such as “it” in “a new ATM is installed with it” are unclear. Organise the details into a logical route through the plan—for example, concourse first, then Departures and Arrivals—and use precise references to make each comparison easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing airport facilities, including “concourse,” “gates,” “passport control,” “bag drop” and “car hire.” This gives you a minimally adequate range for the task. However, several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as “many many differences,” “more covered space” and “newly opened shops.” Some combinations are also unnatural, including “the site of an airport is much developed” and “at the walkway point.” These choices make parts of the description less clear, even though the general topic remains understandable. Aim for more precise map language and avoid repeating general words such as “new” and “place”; describe locations and changes with terms such as “extended,” “relocated” and “adjacent to.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and longer sentences, and the opening sentence communicates the basic comparison. However, control is uneven in the more complex sentences. For example, “The plan illustrates the site of an airport currently and how it will become after development” has an awkward construction, while “Overall, the site of an airport is much developed after the alteration” uses an unsuitable tense and form. The sentence beginning “At the walkway point” also combines several changes in a way that makes the relationships difficult to track. There are some sentence-boundary and punctuation issues, including the comma after “including” and the fragment-like sequence “Then there are newly opened shops…” Practise clear comparative structures, consistent future forms for planned changes, and shorter sentences when listing locations.

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