Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-23
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 graph illustrates the relation between the shops opened and closed during the span of 7 years from the start of the decade to the near end of the decade(2010s) . The graph shows the number of shops on y axis and span years on the x axis.The dotted line shows a clear decend in the intial years and then gained some numbers in the next year and then showed relatively stable trend after some decline in the middle years . The solid line showed a slight stability and postive trend in the early years and then plummeted close to 1000 shops in 2015. Then it surged little above 5000 in the next year and remained in that postion over the next 2 years. Both the lines intersected in the few areas more noticeably at the end 2014 and interestingly showed similar trends in the last years under consideration closing above 5000 and 3000 .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the task by describing the overall trends of shop openings and closures between 2011 and 2018. However, there are significant data interpretation errors. For example, the student states that the solid line (closures) 'plummeted close to 1000 shops in 2015', whereas the data clearly shows closures dropping to around 600, while openings were at 4,000. Furthermore, the summary lacks a clear overview paragraph highlighting the broader trends, and the conclusion contains confused figures ('closing above 5000 and 3000'). Because of these inaccurate references and the lack of a distinct overview, the task response is partially limited, corresponding to a band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is written as a single dense paragraph rather than being appropriately structured into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. This lack of proper paragraphing significantly hampers the structural flow. Although the student uses some basic cohesive devices like 'Then' and 'Both the lines', the progression of ideas feels cluttered due to the absence of clear divisions between different trends. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'Both the lines intersected in the few areas more noticeable at the end 2014'. Consequently, the organization lacks clear progression, placing it at band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a limited range of vocabulary suitable for a Task 1 report. While there are some attempts at describing trends using words like 'plummeted', 'surged', and 'stable', there are awkward word choices and phrasing, such as 'relation between the shops opened and closed' instead of 'number of shop openings and closures'. Spelling and word forms also show inaccuracies, such as 'decend' instead of 'descent' and 'intial' instead of 'initial'. The vocabulary used is minimally adequate to convey basic concepts, but frequent minor lexical flaws keep the score at a band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several run-on structures and missing punctuation marks, particularly around parenthetical elements like '(2010s) . The graph shows...'. Grammatical errors include tense and preposition usage inconsistencies, as well as missing articles before nouns (e.g., 'on y axis' instead of 'on the y axis'). While meaning is generally recoverable, the frequency of structural and mechanical errors means the student does not fully achieve consistent control, fitting the band 5 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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