Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-30

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 4.5)

This graph illustrates that the numbers of shops closed and new shops opened in specfic country in the time period of ([redacted phone])

Overall, At the start of this time the closures number of shops was at low level after some time their ratio reached at high level . Whereas, the new opened shops was fluctuate at early but low at the end of this period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the chart’s subject and attempt an overview, noting that closures changed over time and openings fluctuated before ending lower. However, the overview is too vague and partly inaccurate: closures began at about 6,400, not a low level, and the most striking feature—the sharp fall to roughly 600 in 2015—is omitted. There are no specific figures or clear comparisons to support the summary, so the main trends are not adequately reported. The response also contains only 65 words, below the required 150, which leaves the task substantially incomplete. To improve, write a fuller overview and select key figures to describe the major rises, falls and differences between the two series.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall shape: an opening sentence identifies the graph, followed by an overview introduced with “Overall” and a contrast marked by “Whereas.” These signals help the reader recognise the intended relationship between the two series. However, the response is extremely brief and does not develop into a clear sequence of details; there are no body paragraphs or comparisons supported by data. The contrast introduced by “Whereas” is also left as a fragment rather than forming a complete sentence. Organise the report into an introduction, an overview and one or two detail paragraphs, using time order and clear links between comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “graph,” “numbers,” “shops,” “closures” and “opened,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited, and several phrases are inaccurate or awkward, such as “closures number of shops,” “their ratio reached at high level” and “new opened shops.” “Specfic” is also misspelled. These choices make parts of the meaning difficult to interpret and do not provide the precise language needed to describe trends. Practise common chart collocations such as “the number of shop closures,” “rose to a peak,” “fell sharply” and “shop openings,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both a simple opening sentence and a more complex overview using “Whereas,” showing some effort to vary sentence structure. However, grammatical errors are frequent and sometimes make the relationships between ideas unclear. For example, “in specfic country” is missing an article, while “in the time period of (2011-2018)” is an awkwardly formed time phrase. In “the closures number of shops was,” the noun phrase and agreement are not correctly constructed. The clause beginning “Whereas” is incomplete, and “was fluctuate” uses an incorrect verb form. Aim first for accurate complete sentences, then add complexity: for example, “Shop openings fluctuated in the early years but ended at a lower level.”

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