Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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 provided line graph illustrates the amount of shops closure and newly opened in a country from 2011 to 2018.

Overall, number of shops that were closed showed irregular ups and downs for first half period. The stats fell considerably between 2014 and 2015 for shops closure and rose gradually for the next year. In contrast, newly opened shops suffered a major decline at first then observed a moderate increase and remained approximately constant for the last three years.

Number of shops that were newly opened declined steadily during 2012 and after that the ratio rose at same rate for the coming two years. The numbers remained same for 2016 and 2017 for newly opened shops and decremented to a moderate amount in 2018. On the other side, shops closure went down a bit and remained irregular for the next two years. A high decline was noticed in 21014. The amount of shops closure became exactly same for the last two years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response provides a general overview and identifies some key trends, such as the decline in shop openings and the fluctuations in closures. However, the report lacks precision in data reporting. For instance, the student mentions 'irregular ups and downs' and 'a high decline' without referencing specific figures from the graph, which is essential for Task 1. Furthermore, there is a factual inconsistency where the student mentions '21014' instead of 2014. While the main features are identified, the lack of specific data points and the inclusion of inaccurate information prevent a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes confusing. The use of cohesive devices is limited and occasionally mechanical, such as 'On the other side' and 'In contrast'. Some transitions feel abrupt, and the connection between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the comparison between the two categories effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'amount of shops closure' (should be 'number of shop closures') and 'decremented to a moderate amount'. The word 'stats' is too informal for an academic report. While the student attempts to use varied vocabulary, the lack of accurate collocations and the presence of word-choice errors limit the effectiveness of the communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'number of shops that were closed showed' (missing an article), 'for first half period' (missing an article), and the typo '21014'. Subject-verb agreement is occasionally problematic, and there is a lack of consistent control over articles and prepositions. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors is noticeable and impacts the overall fluency of the writing.

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

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