What's up with the hatch? AFAIK only the 1974/75 was different in some details. The main visible difference at the back of early Golf I/Rabbit is the 1975-only swallow-tail back panel. Plus the badges. Only in MY they were made from aluminium.
It's a 1977 or newer model. The bumper guards are more widely spaced on the 1977-79 models and the trim above the grille sits higher than on the similar 1975-76 models. The picture doesn't show the grille/parking lights clearly enough to tell exactly which year.