Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-30
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 illustrates the number of shops that closed and opened in a country between 2011 and 2018.
Overall, it is evident that the figure for newly opened shops fluctuated throughout the period and experienced overall decreas until the end of the period. In contrast, the shops that closed, accounted for the dramatical dereased between 2014 and 2015 then it increased and remained stabel but also experienced overall decreased.
Looking first at closures shops, The figure stood at 6200 approximately in 2011, then it decreased to 6000 in 2012 before reaching peak at 7100 in 2013. It then decreased dramatically and fell to 800 in 2015 before Increased steadily in 2016, at 5100. It then alomost remained stable before slightly decreased in 2017 at 5000 then increased again at 5100 in 2018.
In contrast, the figure for newly opened shops stood at 8500 in 2011 then it fell sharply to 4000 approximately, in 2012 before rising to 6100 in 2014. It then decreased to 4000 in 2015 then remained unchanaged in 2016 before slightly increased at, 4100 in 2017. it then decreased to 3000 in 2018
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The student covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview of the main trends and reporting key data points for both shop closures and openings between 2011 and 2018. The overall trends are correctly identified, such as the fluctuations and overall decrease. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in the specific data figures reported compared to the visual data. For instance, the student states that closures fell to '800 in 2015', whereas the chart shows approximately 600. Similarly, the peak in 2013 is given as 7100 instead of 7200. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the main features and comparisons are successfully reported, fulfilling the core requirements of Task 1.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response is arranged logically with a clear overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph, moves into an overview, and then dedicates separate paragraphs to details for closures and openings. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In contrast', 'Looking first at', and 'It then' are employed to guide the reader through the data, although some transitional phrasing is a bit repetitive or mechanical ('It then... It then... It then'). Referencing is mostly clear, though occasional mechanical flow slightly hinders natural readability.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common items and descriptive verbs/adjectives such as 'flctuated', 'dramatical', and 'decreased'. However, there are several word form and spelling errors throughout the response, such as 'decreas' instead of decrease, 'dramatical dereased' instead of dramatic decrease, 'stabel' instead of stable, and 'unchanaged' instead of unchanged. While these lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips do not impede communication, they prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms to report the trends over time, using time clauses and contrastive connectors ('while', 'before'). There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and word classes, such as 'closures shops' instead of shop closures, 'slight decreased' instead of slight decrease, and missing articles or incorrect prepositions ('at 5100' versus 'to 5100'). Punctuation also exhibits minor issues, such as unnecessary commas ('slightly increased at, 4100'). These errors require some effort from the reader but do not completely obscure the meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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