Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

the line graphs compares the represenation are closed and opened in a country between 2011 and 2018.

overview, it is evident that there was significantly rise shops open in 2011, while

there was the downward trend in 2015 shops closed.

opened shops, in 2011 there were highly opened shops above 8000, while less 4000 shops opened in 2012. folllowed by, some shops increased 5000 in 2013 and consistently rise 6000shops in 2014.After that, 4000 shops reduced in 2015. then figure was stable around 4000 shops opened still 2016 to 2017. in 2018 minorly decreased 3000 shops opened.

closed shops, In 2011 to 2012 the shops closed around 6000. whereas the less increeased 7000 shops by 2013.while few decresed by 6000 in 2014.the major declined 500 shops closed in 2015.whenever rose sharply abou 5000 shops closed in 2016. similarly increased slightly in 2017 and 2018

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify both shop openings and closures and include several relevant figures, including the sharp fall in closures in 2015 and the rise in openings to about 6,000 in 2014. However, the overview is unclear and does not summarise the main pattern across the whole period. The chart shows openings peaking in 2011 and then generally declining, while closures fluctuate and reach a low of about 600 in 2015 before recovering; these contrasts are not clearly brought together. Some figures are also inaccurate: closures were about 7,200 in 2013, not 7,000, and about 5,200 in 2018, rather than merely a slight increase from 2017. The response is 144 words, below the required 150, and needs fuller, more accurate coverage.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for openings and closures. This gives the reader some sense of how the information is grouped. However, progression within the paragraphs is often difficult to follow because links are used mechanically or inaccurately, as in “whereas the less increased” and “whenever rose sharply.” Several sentences run together without clear punctuation, particularly in the openings paragraph, so the sequence of years and changes becomes hard to track. Improve cohesion by using complete sentences, linking each change clearly to its year, and choosing transitions that express the intended relationship. A concise overview followed by two well-organised detail paragraphs would make the comparison easier to understand.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant chart vocabulary, including “downward trend,” “stable,” “declined,” and “rose sharply,” which helps communicate changes over time. However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate enough to make the meaning unclear. For example, “highly opened shops” does not naturally describe a high number of openings, and “the major declined” is not an appropriate phrase for a sharp fall. There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “represenation,” “folllowed,” and “increeased.” Aim for precise, conventional expressions for quantities and trends, and check spelling carefully. This will make your descriptions more natural and reduce ambiguity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

There are attempts to describe changes using time clauses and comparisons, but sentence structures are very limited and errors occur frequently. The opening sentence, “the line graphs compares,” has subject–verb disagreement, while “there was significantly rise” is missing an article and uses an incorrect adjective form. Other examples, such as “in 2011 to 2012 the shops closed around 6000” and “similarly increased slightly in 2017 and 2018,” lack clear grammatical relationships between the subject, time period, and change. Punctuation and capitalisation are also inconsistent, with several clauses joined together. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then combine them with controlled clauses such as “After falling to…, the figure rose to…”.

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