The Number of Shops that Closed and the Number of New Shops Opening- Task 1 Line Graph Band 9 Sample

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart shows the number of shops that closed and the number of new shops opening in a country from 2011 to 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

Get your Detailed Essay Feedback from an IELTS Examiner

Get our downloadable eBooks, learn the details how to write a high band essay

IELTS Task 1 Line Graph Band 9 Sample Report (1)

The presented line graph depicts the number of store closures and openings in a particular country from the year 2011 to 2018. On the whole, both the opening and closure rates experienced a declining trend during the said period, although with significant fluctuations leading to several instances of role reversals.

Starting with store closures, the graph indicates that in 2011, the number of store closures was less than that of store openings, at around 6,500. The figure fell to 6,000 in 2012, although the closures began to surpass the openings in subsequent years. The number of closures peaked at over 7,000 in 2013 before declining to approximately 6,600 in 2014. However, the year 2015 witnessed a dramatic drop in the number of store closures, plummeting to just under 1,000. Following that, the closure rate gradually picked up, reaching around 5,000 by 2016 and maintaining that figure until 2018.

Turning to new store openings, with approximately 8,500 openings in 2011, the number of new store openings was greater than the number of store closures. The figure fell to just under 4,000 in 2012, and there was a minor increase in 2013 and 2014, with approximately 5,000 and just over 6,000 openings, respectively. Afterward, the rate of new store openings declined, with the figure hovering around 4,000 for the following three years before reaching a low point of 3,000 in 2018, emerging as the lower of the two categories.

Get our downloadable eBooks, learn the details how to write a high band essay

IELTS Task 1 Line Graph Band 9 Sample Report (2)

The graph illustrates the fluctuations in the number of shops closing and opening in a specific country between 2011 and 2018.

Overall, the graph reveals that both trajectories displayed inconsistent trends throughout the period, with openings initially surpassing closures, only to reverse roles by 2018.

Examining the shop openings, the count commenced at roughly 8500, then halved to 4000 in the subsequent year. During 2012 and 2015, this figure temporarily spiked to 6000 before reverting to 4000. A steady pattern emerged over the next two years, with the statistic leveling at approximately 4000, and eventually bottoming out at 3000 by the period’s end.

Turning attention to shop closures, the quantity started at 6200, decreased marginally by 200, and then achieved a peak marginally above 7000 in 2013. The figure dramatically plummeted, descending from 6400 to 800 in 2015. The trend eventually recovered, climbing to slightly over 5000 in 2016, and subsequently plateauing over the subsequent two years. This is how the data showcases a complex interplay of shop openings and closures, marked by fluctuating trends, contrasting highs and lows, and notable shifts in patterns that culminated in more closures than openings by 2018.

Get our downloadable eBooks, learn the details how to write a high band essay

IELTS Task 1 Line Graph Band 8.5 Sample Report (1)

The line chart illustrates the trends in the number of shop closures and openings in a particular nation between the years 2011 and 2018. Taking a broad view of the data, it is quite evident that both categories experienced an overall decrease over the time period, although the reduction in openings was more pronounced. There were several notable fluctuations during this period, resulting in multiple shifts of lead between the two categories.

To begin with, in 2011, the number of shop openings stood at approximately 8,500, which was considerably higher than the 6,200 closures. Over the next few years, the number of openings dropped to a low of 4,000 and then gradually recovered to 6,100 in 2014. In fact, the opening figure reached its zenith in 2014, peaking at just over 6,000 before returning to almost the same level as closures in the following year.

On the other hand, closures witnessed a steep decline to a mere 600 in 2015, after which they bounced back to lower levels and concluded the survey period at 5,100. By contrast, the number of openings witnessed a less severe downturn to about 4,000 from 2015 to 2017 before dipping to a figure of precisely 3,000 in 2018.

IELTS Task 1 Line Graph Band 8.5 Sample Report (2)

The provided line graph details the quantity of store closures and openings in a specific nation between 2011 and 2018. Looking from an overall perspective, it is evident that the number of closures and openings experienced a downward trend during the period, although with significant fluctuations resulting in several lead changes.

Initially, in 2011, there were roughly 8,500 store openings, exceeding the approximately 6,500 closures. However, both figures declined, with openings dropping below closures to around 4,000 in 2012, whilst closures sat at 6,000. Closures then reached a peak of slightly above 7,000 in 2013 before falling to about 6,500 in 2014. Openings, on the other hand, had a steady increase to reach slightly above 6,000.

In the remaining years, closures dramatically fell to about 750 in 2015, which is significantly below openings, whereas openings moderately declined to 4,000. It remained at that figure in 2016, but then rose slightly in 2017 before dropping to 3,000. However, closures bounced back to roughly 5,000 in 2016, once again overtaking openings. There was a slight drop of closures in 2017, but it ended up just above 5,000 in 2018.

IELTS Task 1 Line Graph Band 8 Sample Report (1)

The line graph depicts the number of store closures and openings in a particular nation from 2011 to 2018. Overall, the data portrays substantial fluctuations for both categories during the timeframe, but closures dominated over openings in all years except 2011 and 2015.

Initially, closures vacillated between approximately 6,000 and 7,000 during the initial four years of the period. Then, in 2015, the closures dropped precipitously to their lowest point at just 600. However, they bounced back in the following year, surging to almost 5,000, and stayed at that level until the end of the period.

In 2011, approximately 8,500 shops opened, generating 2,000 net openings. After plummeting to 4,000 in 2012, openings made a recovery, rising to slightly over 6,000 in 2014, almost the same level as closures. Nevertheless, this figure dropped back to its 2012 level in 2015, remaining there until it further declined to an all-time low of 3,000 in 2018.

IELTS Task 1 Line Graph Band 8 Sample Report (2)

The given line graph demonstrates the statistics of a country from the year 2011 to 2018, portraying the number of store closures and new store openings. It is evident that there was a sharp decline in the number of closed shops in 2015, while new shop openings experienced a gradual decrease.

To begin with, in 2011, about 8,500 stores opened in the country, which underwent a significant decline in the following year. There was then a gradual increase until 2014. On the other hand, the number of store closures was just over 6,000 in 2011, which increased to over 7,000 in 2013.

In 2015, around 4,000 shops opened, which experienced a stagnant trend in the subsequent years, and ended up with only 3,000 stores opening in 2018. In contrast, the number of store closures dropped significantly to less than 1,000 in 2015. However, the number of store closures steadily increased, exceeding 5,000 in 2018.

Get your Detailed Essay Feedback from an IELTS Examiner

Get our downloadable eBooks, learn the details how to write a high band essay