Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-18

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 graph illustrates the number of shops that closed and the number f new shops that opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.

Overall, openings and closures both experince downfall. In 2011, openings were higher then closures but by 2018, closures were higher then openings.

To begin with, In 2011, opening were higher then closures around 8,500 shops were opened and 6,500 shops were closed. By 2012, there was sharp decrease in openings it came to the 4000 but closuers experience slighlty drop it came to the 6000 shops. In 2013, opening and closuer both increased and came to the 5000 and 7000 respectively by 2014, both openings and closuers were approximately same.

In 2015, closuers experience sudden drop and came to the 500 but opening came to the 4000 in 2016, opening remain same and closuers were increased and came to the around 5100 by 2017, closuers were decrease slighlty and opening increase slightly by 2018, around 5200 shops were closed and 3000 shops were opened.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the two series and give a broad comparison, noting that openings start higher and closures finish higher. Several key figures and trends are also included, such as the high opening figure in 2011 and the sharp fall in closures in 2015. However, the overview is too general: both series do not simply experience a “downfall,” since closures fluctuate considerably and recover after their 2015 low. The 2015 closure figure is also reported as about 500, whereas the chart indicates approximately 600. The response is 148 words, below the required 150; the 20 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Add a little more accurate comparison and a clearer overview of the contrasting patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and two paragraphs describing the figures. The chronological order helps the reader follow the changes, and phrases such as “By 2012” and “In 2015” signal time clearly. However, progression within the detail paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several years and changes are packed into long sentences, particularly the final paragraph. Linking is also repetitive, with frequent use of “and,” “by,” and “came to.” Separate the 2015 low from the 2016–2018 recovery into clearer sentences, and use comparisons to connect related figures rather than listing each year in sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “openings,” “closures,” “sharp decrease,” and “sudden drop,” so the reader can generally understand the subject and changes. However, the range is limited and several spelling errors are noticeable, including “experince,” “closuers,” and “slighlty.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “both experience downfall” and “came to the 4000.” Use accurate forms such as “experienced a decline” and “fell to approximately 4,000.” Take care to distinguish “openings” from “shops opened,” and use a wider range of trend language, such as “recovered,” “remained stable,” and “reached a low.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response uses time clauses and comparisons to describe changes. However, errors are frequent and sometimes make relationships between figures unclear. Examples include “opening were higher then closures,” “there was sharp decrease,” and “opening remain same”; these show problems with agreement, articles and verb forms. Several sentences also run together, as in the final paragraph, where the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 details are joined without clear sentence boundaries. Practise forming complete sentences with consistent past-tense verbs, for example, “Openings remained at about 4,000 in 2016, while closures rose to around 5,200.” Check punctuation and capitalisation after full stops as well.

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