Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-14
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 line chart provides information about the number of stores that closed and the number of new shops that opened in a particular country between 2011 and 2018.
Overall, the number of store closures fluctuated significantly over the period, while the number of new store openings showed a more stable trend.
The number of closed shops were over 6300 in 2011 and the openings had just about 8500 at the same time. In 2012, the number of openings sharply decreased to about 4000, and the closures declined to over 6000. After one year, the number of closed stores sharply increased to over 7200 and the new shops grown to 5000. In 2014, the number of new stores had increased to just about 6200, and the closed shops declined to over 6300.
After another one year, closed shops have been faced significant changes in numbers, and fell dramatically to around 500, while new shops have only decreased to 4000. In 2016, the number of closures have dramatically increased to 5100, and new shops not faced any changes. The number of openings had increased steadily to just about 4100, while closures had decreased to over 5000. Furthermore, in 2018, the number of closures had increased slightly to about 5200, and the openings had decreased sharply to over 3000.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student successfully covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features of both shop closures and new openings between 2011 and 2018. An overview is provided, noting the significant fluctuations in closures compared to the more stable trend in openings. Key data points are selected and reported, such as the initial figures and the peaks and troughs over the years. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific data points from the chart (for instance, stating that closures fell dramatically to around 500 in 2015 when the chart shows around 4000 or 5000 depending on the exact reading, and reporting some figures imprecisely). Despite these data interpretation slips, the main trends are adequately captured, placing this response securely at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a chronological progression through the years shown on the chart. An introductory sentence sets the context, and an overview paragraph summarises the main trends. Cohesive devices are used to connect sentences and years, such as 'In 2012', 'After one year', and 'Furthermore'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, as the body of the response is clumped together into one excessively long paragraph rather than being broken down logically into manageable chunks of information. Additionally, referencing and cohesive transitions can feel slightly mechanical. This balances out to a Band 6.0 for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully employing terms related to data trends such as 'fluctuated significantly', 'sharply decreased', 'declined', and 'increased steadily'. Attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, though there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'new shops grown to 5000' (instead of 'grew') and 'closed shops have been faced significant changes'. Spelling is generally accurate, and while vocabulary errors occur, they do not impede communication. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor for Lexical Resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like 'while the number of new store openings showed...' and 'The number of closed shops were over...'. However, there are several grammatical errors and instances of faulty tense usage throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The number of closed shops were' instead of 'was'), awkward tense shifts ('closed shops have been faced', 'closures have dramatically increased'), and missing prepositions or awkward phrasing ('new shops not faced any changes'). These errors occur frequently but rarely impede overall comprehension, making Band 5.5 an appropriate score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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