Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-04

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 given line graph illustrates the counts of new shops opened and the old shops getting closed in a country from 2011 to 2018 over the period of 7 years.

Overall, the graph experienced major changes over the time. In the beginning, the amount of shops that were closing was almost 6500 which was much lesser than the new opened shops.

There were fluctuations during 2011 to 2014 in the number of shops that were getting closed, but in 2015, that number goes down dramatically upto 500. But after that, there was again a dramatic surge just above 5100 in 2016. And then the line remained almost same until the end of period.

On the other hand, there was a huge drop in the count of newly opened shops that comes to 4000 from 7000. And then it fluctuates untill it only came back to 4000 in 2015 and after that time the limes remained almost similar but ends at 3000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the graph, outlining trends for both shop openings and closures between 2011 and 2018. However, some aspects of the task are addressed only partially. While an overall trend is attempted in the second paragraph, key data points are either inaccurate or under-developed. For example, the drop in closures in 2015 is incorrectly stated as going down to 500 when the graph shows around 600, and the description of the final years lacks precise referencing. Furthermore, the overview is somewhat basic and fails to clearly highlight the contrasting overarching trends between the two categories over the entire period.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with clear attempts at paragraphing and basic logical sequencing. Information is generally organized into introduction, overview, closures, and openings sections. However, referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesive devices are occasionally mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of transitions like "And then" and "But". Paragraphing is visible, but the logical progression between sentences within paragraphs lacks fluidity, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher level of cohesive control.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but the range is limited and contains noticeable errors in word choice and collocation. Phrases such as "old shops getting closed" and "new opened shops" sound unnatural and lack academic style. There are also imprecise lexical choices, such as describing the line remaining "almost same" instead of stable or constant. Although communication is not significantly impeded, these frequent lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to this band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response shows a limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple and mildly complex forms. Attempts at complex sentences often result in structural faults and grammatical errors, such as "the number of shops that were getting closed, but in 2015, that number goes down dramatically upto 500." Tense consistency is occasionally disrupted, and prepositional usage is flawed. Errors in grammar and punctuation occur frequently throughout the text, although they rarely completely obscure the intended meaning.

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