Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-03

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 TWO PLANS SHOW THE SITE OF AIRPORT NOW AND HOW IT WILL CHANGE AFTER REDEVELOPMENT IN THE NEXT YEAR.

OVERALL THE IMAGES SHOW THAT AREA OF AIRPORT WILL EXPAND AFTER DEVELOPMENT AS NUMBER OF GATES WILL INCREASE TO DOUBLE. NEW SHOPS WIL BUILD AND CUTOMERS FACILITIES SERVICES WILL INCREASE INCLUDING BAG DROP, ATM, CAR HIRE. NUMBER OF CAFE WILL ALSO RAISED.

CURRENTLY, THERE ARE ONLY 8 GATES AND WALKWAY. ON THE DEPARTURE SIDE THERE ARE SECURITY AND PASSPORT CONTROL COUNTERS. ON THE LEFT SIDE THERE IS CHECK IN COUNTER AND ON THE RIGHT THERE IS A CAFE. ON ARRIVAL GATE THERE IS ONLY PASSPORT CONTROL AND CUSTOMS OFFICE.

AFTER THE REDEVELOPMENT IN NEXT YEAR TOTAL AREA WLL EXPAND. NUMBER OF GATES WILL INCREASE TO MORE THAN DOUBLE FROM 8 TO 18 GATES. WALKWAY WILL BE REPLACED BY SKY TRAIN. NUMBER OF NEW SHOPS WILL BUILD. CUSTOEMR FACILITES SERVICES WILL INCREASE. THERE WILL BE A ADDITION OF BAG DROP ON DEARTURE SIDE AND CAFE,ATM AND CARE HIRE ON ARRIVAL SIDE.

THIS IS THE TOTAL PLAN OF SOUTHWEST AIRPORT

REDEVELOPMENT. MANY NEW FEATURES WILL BE INCLUDED.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main change clearly: the airport expands and the number of gates rises from 8 to 18. You also report several relevant additions, including shops, a sky train, bag drop, an ATM and car hire, and compare the current and future layouts. This covers the task’s central features. However, some details are incomplete or imprecise: the sky train replaces the walkway only in the expanded concourse, and the new café and ATM are in Arrivals, while the café in Departures is relocated. The overview’s claim that the gates “will increase to double” is also inaccurate, since 18 is more than double 8. A clearer overview of the Y-shaped concourse and the changes to the terminal’s facilities would make the main features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an overview to the current layout and then the proposed redevelopment. This helps the reader distinguish the two stages, and the repeated references to the departure and arrival sides provide some organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is limited: several points are presented as short, separate statements, and the final paragraph repeats the redevelopment summary rather than adding useful information. Linking expressions such as “whereas,” “in addition,” and “by contrast” could make comparisons clearer. Group related changes together—for example, describe the concourse and gates in one sequence, then the terminal facilities—so the account develops more logically and avoids repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant airport vocabulary, including “gates,” “walkway,” “passport control,” “customs,” “bag drop,” and “car hire,” which makes the subject clear. There is also some attempt to vary wording with “redevelopment,” “expand,” and “addition.” However, several word-choice and spelling problems reduce precision, including “customer facilities services,” “number of café,” and misspellings such as “cutomers” and “custome[r]” in the response. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “number of new shops will build”; the shops are added or constructed, rather than the number being built. Use accurate collocations and check spelling, particularly for key labels. More precise terms for location and layout would also help describe the plans effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the reader can generally understand the intended comparison between the current and future airport. However, grammatical control is uneven. Examples include “THE SITE OF AIRPORT” and “AREA OF AIRPORT,” which need articles, and “number of gates will increase,” where a determiner is needed. There are also errors in verb forms and agreement: “shops will build,” “number of café will also raised,” and “total area wll expand.” The final sentence fragment, “Many new features will be included,” is understandable but adds little after the preceding summary. Practise accurate future forms (“will be built,” “will increase”) and article use, while combining related details into well-controlled sentences.

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.