Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows the number of shops that closed and the number of new shops that opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Number of shop closures and openings 2011– 2018

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The graph illustrates the number of closed and new opened shops in one country in duration of 8 years between 2011 and 2018.

Overall, both the number of shops closures and openings were declined over the periods and fluctuated till the end. Once new opening of shops were almost touched the ground level.

Regarding the opening of shops, the opening of shops slightly declined to 6000 from 6500 in 2012 and reached gradually to 7000 in 2013. It kept declining and reached to 500 in 2015, which was one of lowest point. Afterwards it sharply climbed to 5200 in 2016 and remained stable at the end of the year.

As for the closure of shops, at the beginning of the next year 2012, it sharply declined to 4000 from 8500 and it soared to 6100 in 2014. Again it kept moving downwards reaching 4000 in 2015 and remained stable for almost 2 years and reached 3000 in the final year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, including the overall trends and specific data points. However, the analysis is somewhat inconsistent. For instance, the statement that both trends 'declined over the periods' is not entirely accurate, as both categories show significant fluctuations and periods of increase. The description of the data points is occasionally imprecise, such as describing 500 as 'one of lowest point' without clarifying the context. While the main features are identified, the comparison between the two categories could be more effectively integrated to highlight the relationship between closures and openings throughout the period.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs focusing on openings and closures respectively. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Regarding', 'Afterwards', and 'As for', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'at the beginning of the next year 2012'. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved to better link the data points rather than simply listing them sequentially.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'sharply climbed', and 'soared'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'new opened shops' instead of 'newly opened shops' and 'touched the ground level' which is not standard terminology for data description. Some phrasing is repetitive, and the control over collocations is inconsistent. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of precision in describing trends limits the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('both the number of shops closures and openings were declined') and awkward prepositional usage ('in duration of 8 years'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is occasionally clunky. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. More attention to verb tenses and article usage would improve the overall accuracy.

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

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