Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-16

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 number of shops that closed and new shops that opened between 2011 and 2018 in a country.

Overall, the highest number of shops were opened at the beginning and then decline over these period, whereas the least number of shops that was closed in 2015 which rose and was the largest by the end of these period.

In 2011, there were the highest number of shops opened which was 8500, whereas the number of shops closed were 2000 less than this. In the next year, there was a significant decrease in the opened shops which reached to only 4000. However, as compared to this, the number of closed shops were more than opened shops till 2014 with different fluctuations. After 2014, there is sharp decline of closed shops to only 500 in 2015 before rose to 10% of it in the following year while the opened shops decreased to 4000 in these period.

By 2018, the number of closed shops were higher than opened shops by 2000, which was same in proportion as it was in the beginning.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the two series and give a relevant overview, noting the opening peak in 2011 and the unusually low closure figure in 2015. However, the overview is not fully accurate: closures did not rise to their highest point by the end; they peaked in 2013, and the 2018 figure was below that peak. Several comparisons also misread the data. Closures were not higher than openings throughout 2012–2014, and in 2018 the gap was about 2,200, not 2,000. The statement that closures rose to “10% of it” is also incorrect: they rose from about 600 to 5,200 in 2016. Select the main trends accurately and support them with clearer comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the figures over time. This makes the account easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In the next year,” and “By 2018” help signal progression. However, some connections are imprecise or confusing. For example, “However, as compared to this” does not clearly identify the comparison, and the sentence about the 2015 fall and subsequent rise combines several movements in a way that obscures the figures. The final paragraph is also very brief and repeats a comparison without explaining the intervening trend. Use clearer grouping of the two series and make each comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “significant decrease,” “fluctuations,” and “sharp decline,” and the reader can generally understand the trends you intend to describe. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which reduces precision. “Reached to only 4000” is not a natural construction, while “rose to 10% of it” does not express the large increase shown by the graph. “Same in proportion” is also unclear for a comparison of absolute numbers. Aim for precise trend language and use verbs such as “fell to,” “recovered to,” or “stood at” with the correct figures. This would make your descriptions more natural and reliable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including contrast clauses with “whereas” and time clauses such as “After 2014.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur. In the overview, “the highest number of shops were opened” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “over these period” has an incorrect determiner and number. Similar agreement errors appear in “the number of shops closed were” and “the number … were higher.” The phrase “before rose” also needs a correctly formed verb construction, such as “before rising.” Review agreement with singular “number,” articles and plural forms, and verb patterns after “before”; these corrections would improve accuracy while preserving your sentence variety.

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