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.
Sample Response
The line graph illustrates the changes in the number of closed shopsnumbers of closed shops and newly-opened shops in one country from 2011 to 2018.
It is noticeable that both closures and openings experienced an overall decline throughout the period, while closures had a much smaller final drop compared with the initial number. While the figure for openings was largely higher than that of closures at the beginningthat of openings in the beginning, it was soon overtaken in 2012it had been soon overtaken in 2012.
In 2011, around 8500 new shops opened, while the figure for closed shops stayedstaying much lower at 6400. However, the number of openings was overtaken between 2011 and 2012 after a drastic fall to slightly less than 4,000 in 2012400 in 2012 in openings, while only a moderate slide happened to that of closures to about 6000. Since then, openings continued increasing steadily for two years to around 6100 in 2014, while the figure for closures climbed to approximately 7100 in 20132012 and then slid back to slightly higher than its initial leveloriginal place one year later.
Soon afterwards, a steep dropsteer jump brought closures to a low of roughly 600to the bottom roughly 600 in 2015, yet the figure for openingsopening underwent a milder decrease to 4000. After bouncing back to around 5100 in 2016, the number of closuresclosure stayed stable to 2018 with minor fluctuations. Meanwhile, openings saw a gradual increasemoderate gradual increase by about 200100 shops from 2015 to 2017, before dipping to 3000 in 2018.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response effectively provides a clear overview and organizes key trends chronologically across the period. However, the report contains notable data reporting errors, such as mistaking values like 4,000 for 400, alongside occasional grammatical slips. Prioritize verifying numerical figures against the chart axes and proofreading complex sentence structures for accuracy.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
Key trends and an overview are presented, but significant data inaccuracies occur when reporting specific numerical values.
Carefully check data points against the vertical axis to avoid miscopying scale values like writing hundreds instead of thousands.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is logically grouped into chronological paragraphs with a clear overall progression throughout the response.
Use a wider variety of linking expressions to connect clause transitions more naturally without relying on repetitive structures.
Lexical Resource
A good variety of trend vocabulary is used, though there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing.
Ensure appropriate word selection when describing movements, avoiding confusing terms such as using jump to describe a sharp fall.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of complex and simple sentence forms is attempted, but frequent minor grammatical and structural errors are present.
Focus on accurate verb tenses and participle clause constructions to ensure seamless grammatical accuracy.
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IELTS Academic Writing Task 1
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.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.