Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-11

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 illustrates the numbers of shops closed and opened in a country between 2011 and 2018

Overall, the number of new shop openings generally declined over the period, despite some fluctuations. Meanwhile, shop closures varied considerably, reaching a dramatic low in the middle of the period before reacovering.

The line that represents the number of new shop openings saw a general rose in the year 2011 with approx 8,500 new opening. However, their was a massive decline in the new shop openings with the consecutive years with a slight increase in the year 2014 followed by general decline over the period of 2018.

Meanwhile, the shop closures varied with period. Their were approximately 6,100 shops that were closed in the year 2011. It had experienced dramatic fluctuations in the following period with a sudden decrease in the year 2015. However, the number of shop closure recovered with theyear 2018.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You provide a relevant introduction and identify two important overall patterns: openings generally declined, while closures fluctuated and reached a sharp low in 2015 before recovering. However, the account is only partly developed because several key comparisons and figures are missing or unclear. For example, openings began at about 8,500, fell to 3,900 in 2012, rose to around 6,200 in 2014, and then ended at 3,000; the description does not make this sequence clear and incorrectly suggests a slight increase in 2014 without specifying the preceding movement. Closures were about 6,400 in 2011, not 6,100, and the dramatic 2015 low of roughly 600 should be stated explicitly. Add selected figures and clearer year-to-year comparisons to support the overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for openings and closures. This gives the reader a basic route through the information, and transitions such as “Overall” and “Meanwhile” help signal shifts. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is not always clear. The openings paragraph moves from 2011 to a general decline and then mentions 2014, but does not clearly guide the reader through the intervening years or the final value. Phrases such as “with the consecutive years” and “with the year 2018” also make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Organise each series chronologically and use precise references such as “from 2011 to 2012” and “by 2018” to make the comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some suitable task vocabulary, including “illustrates,” “fluctuations,” “dramatic low,” and “recovering,” which helps communicate the main trends. The range is nevertheless limited, and several word-choice, collocation, word-form, and spelling errors reduce precision. For instance, “a general rose” is not the appropriate form for describing a trend, while “new shop openings with the consecutive years” is an awkward expression. “Their was” and “reacovering” are spelling errors, and “shop closure” is used where the plural form is needed. Build a more accurate set of trend phrases, such as “rose,” “fell sharply,” “remained relatively stable,” and “recovered to approximately,” and check spelling and singular/plural forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overview includes a useful contrast between openings and closures. However, errors in sentence construction, agreement, and verb forms are frequent enough to make some statements unclear. In “The line … saw a general rose,” the verb pattern is faulty; “their was” has incorrect subject–verb agreement; and “with theyear 2018” lacks a space and does not form a clear grammatical phrase. The sentence beginning “However, their was a massive decline…” also has an unclear structure, particularly around “with the consecutive years.” Use shorter, controlled sentences to report each movement, then add complex clauses only when the relationship is clear. Check agreement, verb forms, and punctuation carefully.

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