This paper proposes a moment-rotation tri-linear backbone curve model for reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls. Equations for predicting key points on the backbone curve are provided. The calculated sectional effective stiffness and ultimate drift ratio are compared with experimental results from 105 RC shear walls. The Modified Ibarra-Medina-Krawinkler (ModIMK) material in OpenSees software that considers the strength and stiffness degradation is used to define the hysteresis rules. Numerical simulation and analysis of low-cycle reciprocating tests on reinforced concrete shear walls are carried out, and the simulation results closely align with the test results. When compared to a model that considers the bending-shear coupling effect (SFI), our hysteretic model effectively predicts the response of the frame shear wall during earthquake events. Furthermore, dynamic incremental analysis (IDA) shows that our model can accurately predict the collapse behavior of shear walls during earthquakes, with inter-layer drift ratios during collapse being smaller than those in the fiber mode.