Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06
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 number if shopd that closed and the number of new shops that opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.
Overall, it is clear that number of opening shops was the highest in initial year, and over 7 years period of time it followed downwards trend. While the number of closed shops recoded flucatution throughout 8 years of period of time, landed lower than initial started.
Surtinizing deeper into obtainable information, the opening of shops was at it peaked at 8500 in 201, whereas in 2012 it plummed to 4000. While the closing of shops recoded flucatution, initial started at 6500 in 2011 and ended at 5100, during the 8 years period time it heavly plummed to 500 in 2015 and surge back to 5100 in 2016
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 response addresses the task only partially and falls significantly short of the minimum word count requirement, containing only 114 words of student-generated text (with 17 words copied from the prompt). While the student attempts an overview and highlights some key features such as the downward trend of openings and the overall fluctuations, the reporting of data contains major inaccuracies and missed details. For instance, the writer states that shop closures plummeted to 500 in 2015, which captures a specific data point correctly, but other figures are misread or imprecise. To reach a higher level, the response must meet the length requirement fully and report the data with greater accuracy and completeness.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response shows some organisation with an introduction, a brief overview paragraph, and a body paragraph. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the logical flow is disrupted by mechanical and repetitive transitions such as 'while' and 'whereas'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion of sentences is weak. References between sentences can be unclear, and cohesive devices are used inadequately or inaccurately. To improve, the writer needs to ensure ideas flow logically from one sentence to the next without abrupt shifts, and use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally to connect data points smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. There are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and spelling throughout the response, such as 'shopd' instead of 'shops', 'flucatution' instead of 'fluctuation', 'plummed' instead of 'plummeted', and 'Surtinizing' instead of 'Scrutinizing'. These errors and awkward collocations cause some difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the student must expand their range of vocabulary, use less common lexical items with greater precision, and eliminate spelling and word-form errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic past tense forms. Attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to noticeable structural errors such as missing articles ('number of opening shops'), incorrect prepositions ('over 7 years period of time'), and awkward phrasing. Frequent errors in grammar and punctuation can cause difficulty and strain for the reader. To progress, the student needs to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures and improve grammatical accuracy, particularly regarding verb forms, articles, and clause coordination.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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