Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)
The line graph illustrates the shops that are closed in a country from 2011 to 2018.However the other graph shows the new shops that are opened in another country between the same years.
The line break graph shows a frequent change in number of shops closed in 8 years.The number of shops closed in first year are comparitively high to the coming years.The second year has much less as to the first year.There is rise in the next 2 years.Again then is a fall in the next year.for the next two years graph is approximately linear and has a fall down in last year.
The number of shops opened in 8 years are much more balanced.The graph for first 4 years is balanced by rise and fall.The the graph has a very low point of the number of new shops opened.In the last 3 years graph has a rise in first but approximately balanced in last 2 years
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
The response attempts to address the task by discussing shop closures and openings between 2011 and 2018. However, there are significant misinterpretations of the visual data. The student mistakenly asserts that closures and openings occurred in 'another country', and misreads key data points, such as stating that 2015 shop closures fell to 600 instead of 6,000. Furthermore, there is no proper overall summary or selection of the main trends. The information provided is limited, incomplete, and lacks accurate comparison, failing to cover all parts of the prompt adequately.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The writing shows some organisation into paragraphs separating closures and openings, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and at times inaccurate, such as 'However the other graph', 'The the graph', and 'In the last 3 years graph has a rise'. Paragraphing is attempted, but referencing between sentences is often unclear, meaning the overall logical flow is disjointed and difficult for the reader to follow smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic terms like 'shops', 'closed', 'opened', 'rise', 'fall', and 'balanced'. There are noticeable word choice and word form errors, such as 'comparitively' instead of comparatively, and missing prepositions or incorrect phrasing like 'has a fall down'. While the meaning can sometimes be guessed, the restricted range and persistent lexical errors mean the language is minimally adequate for the task.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The grammatical structures are very limited, consisting mostly of simple and basic sentences. Attempts at more complex descriptions are frequently faulty, leading to missing articles, incorrect verb forms, and poor agreement, such as 'The number of shops closed in first year are' and 'for the next two years graph is approximately linear'. Punctuation and spacing errors are also frequent, such as missing spaces after full stops. These numerous grammatical errors cause difficulty and strain for the reader throughout.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.