Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-08

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 below demonstrates the number of shops that closed and opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.

Overall, both figures showed the downward trend, but the number of openings was higher than closures of 2011, but this was a sharp fall in 2015.

The line graph depicts that in 2011, the numbers of closures was around 6500, and these numbers went up to 7000, in 2013, but after 2014 these numbers went down sharply to 300 in 2015. After one year this figure again jumped to approximately 5100 and remained same till 2018.

In contrast, the number of openings was 8600 in 2011, but these numbers dropped to nearly 3900 after a year. These figures rose again in three years and stood at 6100 in 2014, after this the trend went down continuously for next four years and this stood at 3000 in 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify both series and report several relevant figures, including the opening peak in 2011, the sharp fall in closures in 2015, and the decline in openings to 2018. However, the overview is inaccurate: openings were not generally higher than closures; closures exceeded openings in most years after 2011. The closure figure in 2015 is also reported as 300, whereas the graph shows approximately 600. The claim that closures remained the same until 2018 overlooks the small changes from about 5,200 to 5,000 and back. These inaccuracies and the limited overview mean the task is only partly addressed. The response is 139 words, below the required 150; the eight words copied from the prompt are excluded.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic, useful structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of closures and openings. The contrast marker “In contrast” helps distinguish the two series, and the events are mostly presented in chronological order. However, the overview does not provide a reliable organising summary, and some links between details are unclear. For example, “after 2014 these numbers went down sharply” is followed by the 2015 figure without clearly identifying the year-to-year sequence, while “after this the trend went down continuously” compresses several years of data. Repetition of “these numbers” and “these figures” also makes cohesion mechanical. Grouping key changes more clearly and using precise references would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of graph vocabulary, including “sharp fall,” “dropped,” “rose,” “remained,” and “stood at,” so the main trends are generally understandable. There is some variation in how you describe movement, but several phrases are imprecise or repetitive. “The number of openings was higher than closures of 2011” is awkward and unclear, while “these numbers” is repeated instead of naming the series. “Went down continuously” is also not an exact description of the opening figures, which level off between 2015 and 2016 before rising slightly. Aim for more precise collocations and use terms such as “shop closures,” “shop openings,” “declined,” and “fluctuated” accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, and most of the data can be understood. However, errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “the numbers of closures was” should be “the number of closures was” or “the numbers … were”; “higher than closures of 2011” needs a clearer comparison structure; and “remained same” requires “remained the same.” The sentence beginning “Overall” also joins contrasting ideas awkwardly with “but,” making the relationship difficult to follow. Commas are sometimes placed between a subject and its verb, as in “these numbers went up to 7000, in 2013.” Practise accurate comparison clauses and check agreement and articles when editing.

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