Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-04

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 line graph provides the comparative trend between two aspects in a country from 2011 to 2018: the number of shops that closed and the number of new shops that opened.

Overall, at the start of the period, more shops were opened as compared to the closing of shops. During the whole period, numerous fluctuations occurred from time to time, and both categories overlapped each other.

In 2011, the opening of shops accounted for about 8500, while closure was approximately 6500. Additionally, after one year, closed shops showed a slight decrease and moved to 6000 but surpassed the opening category, while the opening of shops class showed a significant decline from 6000 in 2011 to 4000 in 2012. In addition, the opening and closing of the shops accounted for 5000 and 7100 in 2013, respectively. Moreover, the opening of shops followed the increase and climbed to 6100; the closure of shops had a downward trend with around 6200.

In 2015, the closure of shops showed a sharp decline from around 6100 to around 600. Furthermore, closure of shops had a slight decline and moved to 4000 in 2015. In 2016 and 2017, the opening of shops category remained stable, while closure surpassed the opening class in 2016 and moved to around 5000. In 2016 and 2017, closure had slight fluctuations and had about 5000 at the end of the period, while openings had a slight decline in 2018 and stayed at 3000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have successfully identified the main trends and provided a clear overview. However, the data reporting is inconsistent and contains significant inaccuracies. For example, you state that in 2015, closures dropped to 600, which is not supported by the graph. Additionally, your description of the 2012 data is confusing, as you mention a decline from 6000 to 4000 while simultaneously stating that closures surpassed openings. The report lacks precision in data extraction, which is a key requirement for Task 1. To improve, ensure that every figure mentioned is accurately cross-referenced with the graph axes and that comparisons are logically structured to avoid contradictory statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into logical paragraphs, and you use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, the progression of ideas within the body paragraphs is sometimes disjointed. The transition between years is occasionally confusing, particularly in the third paragraph where the sequence of events is difficult to follow. While you use linking words, they sometimes feel mechanical or are used to connect ideas that do not logically follow one another. Improving the flow between sentences would help the reader track the data more effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'fluctuations', 'accounted for', 'downward trend', and 'surpassed'. However, there is some repetitive phrasing, such as 'opening of shops' and 'closure of shops', which could be varied using synonyms or referencing (e.g., 'the former', 'the latter', 'the number of new businesses'). There are also minor issues with word choice, such as 'opening of shops class', which is not natural in this context. Expanding your range of reporting verbs and nouns would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For instance, 'the opening of shops class showed a significant decline' is slightly awkward, and 'the opening and closing of the shops accounted for 5000 and 7100' is grammatically imprecise. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the general message, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and more precise sentence construction will help.

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