Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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 given line graph represents a comparison between the number of shops, closures and opening, in a country for a period of seven years i.e from 2011 to 2018.

Overall the number of shops that open during the whole period, seems to dominate in every year except 2014. Whereas the number of closed shops was less during this time, other than a rise in closure in 2011.

The number of shops which were closed during this tenure decreased from approximately 8500 in 2011 to 3000 in 2018. There was a sharp decline in this number from 2011 to 2012 resulting in nearly half of the original number. Although, this number again increased uniformly in the following two years i.e from 2012 to 2013 but didn't follow the same pattern afterwards. From 2013 to 2014 this number of closed shops dropped back to 4000. After this change, the number remains constant from 2014 to 2015. Even in the next one year it didn't show a major change and was almost the same. From 2017 to 2018, it was again reduced to 3000 showing

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the topic and attempts an overview, but its account of the graph is substantially inaccurate, which limits how fully it addresses the task. It says openings dominated in every year except 2014, whereas closures were higher in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The detailed paragraph also repeatedly assigns opening figures to closures: closures were about 6,400 in 2011, not 8,500, and about 5,200 in 2018, not 3,000. The overview’s claim that closures were generally lower is therefore misleading. There is some attempt to describe changes over time, but the series are not clearly distinguished and key comparisons are missing. Check each line’s label before selecting figures, then give an accurate overview of the main contrasts and extremes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to a detailed account, and time markers such as “from 2011 to 2012” help show sequence. However, the progression is weakened because the detailed paragraph discusses only one series and appears to switch between the two lines without making that clear. The repeated use of “this number” leaves the referent uncertain, while “After this change” and “Even in the next one year” do not create precise links between the stated periods. The final sentence is also unfinished, so the account stops without a clear conclusion. Organise the body by series or by key periods, name “closures” or “openings” consistently, and complete each comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

There is enough vocabulary to discuss a line graph, including “sharp decline,” “increased,” “dropped,” and “remains constant.” These choices show some range beyond basic repetition. However, several expressions are inaccurate or awkward for this task: “shops, closures and opening” is unclear, “dominate” is not a natural way to describe which figure is higher, and “uniformly” does not accurately describe the changes. “Tenure” is also an unsuitable substitute for a time period, and repeated use of “number” makes the description less precise. Choose standard graph language and use the series labels directly. For example, describe figures as “higher than,” “fell to,” or “rose to,” and distinguish “shop closures” from “shop openings” throughout.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “Whereas,” and most of the intended meaning can be followed. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms are noticeable. “Seems to dominate” is missing “be” (“seems to be”), while “the number of shops that open” does not maintain an appropriate past-time form for the graph. The sentence beginning “Although, this number again increased…” is incorrectly punctuated and its clause structure is awkward; “Although” should connect to a main clause rather than stand as a separate transition. There are also inconsistent tense choices and an incomplete final sentence. Use past tense consistently for the data and check that each sentence has a complete, clearly connected clause structure.

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