Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18
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 5.0)
The line graph illustrates the amount of shops that have been opened and closed in a country between 2011 and 2018.
Overall, it is evident that 2015 is the year where minimum number of shops were opened and 2011 had the highest number of shops that have been closed.
With reference to the line graph, it is clear that from the years between 2011 to 2012 experienced a sharp decrease in shop closures and it rose steadily until 2014. The next year onwards there were only a slight change in the shop closures. At the end of 2018 it again declined to 3000.
Furthermore, above 6000 shops were opened at 2011. Even though it declined slightly in the next year, several shops were opened at 2013. After the year 2014 a sharp amount of decline happened. However, it went up again to 5000 and maintained a slight steady way.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response makes a clear attempt to summarise the main features of the line graph, providing an overview and mentioning various fluctuations in shop closures and openings. However, there are notable inaccuracies in the data reporting. For instance, the student states that 2015 had the 'minimum number of shops were opened', whereas the graph actually shows shop closures dropping sharply to around 600 in 2015 (while openings were at 4,000). Furthermore, the concluding sentence contains a confused data reference ('At the end of 2018 it again declined to 3000', which conflates closures and openings). Additionally, the response falls just short of the 150-word minimum, containing 149 words. These factors prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, and separate body paragraphs for closures and openings. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by imprecise referencing and abrupt transitions, such as 'The next year onwards there were only a slight change' and 'Furthermore, above 6000 shops were opened at 2011.' Cohesive devices are attempted, but referencing between sentences is sometimes weak or confusing, which disrupts the smooth flow of information. Paragraphing is present and logically separates the different data series, but overall coherence remains at a Band 6 level due to these organizational flaws.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating terms such as 'illustrates', 'sharp decrease', 'declined steadily', and 'fluctuations'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'amount of shops' instead of 'number of shops', 'only a slight change' instead of 'only slight changes', and 'sharp amount of decline'. There are also vocabulary misapplications, such as stating 'a sharp amount of decline happened'. These errors reflect a limited control of collocations and word choice, typical of a Band 5 performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including introductory subordinate clauses ('Overall, it is evident that...'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as 'the year where minimum number of shops were opened' (missing articles), 'from the years between 2011 to 2018' (faulty prepositional phrasing), and 'maintained a slight steady way' (incorrect adverbial/adjectival usage). While these errors do not completely obscure the intended meaning, they occur frequently enough to impede smooth reading and cap the grammar score at Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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