Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows the average monthly change in the prices of three metals during 2014.

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

Average monthly change in prices of copper, nickel and zinc (2014)

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the monthly percentange variation in the prices of three metals (copper, zinc and nickel) throughout 2014, compared with previous months.

Overall, it is evident that nickel experienced a major fluctuation over the year, whereas copper showed a stable trend. All the three metals showed decline in the middle of the trend before recovering towards the end of 2014.

At the beginning of the year, nickel had the highest monthly prices, at 6% in January. However, this figure fell steeply to 1% in March and remained the same for one month before declining dramatically at -3% in June, the lowest point in the chart. After that, it rose by -1% in July and stood at the same figure till September before declining to -2% in october. It recovered to 1% in both November and December.

In january, copper's monthly price was at 2%, which gradually declined to approximately 0.5% in March and stood same during April. After that it fell to -0.5 and stayed same for another month. It gradually increased to 1%, in July and remained the same till September. Later it declined again before rising to around 1.5%, in December. Moreover, Zinc had the lowest monthly prices, at 1% in January, and it climed dramatically in February at 3%, the highest point of zinc in the chart. The price started to gradually fell at 1%, in May, before steeply declining to -1% in June. It barely recovered to around -0.5% in July and steyed same until September and it fell to -1% in October before steeply increasing to 2% in December.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all three metals and provide a clear overview: nickel fluctuates most, copper is comparatively stable, and the metals generally weaken mid-year before recovering. Many figures are accurately selected, including nickel’s January peak and June low, copper’s small negative changes, and zinc’s February high. However, some details are imprecise or incomplete. Nickel is described as rising “by -1%” in July, which obscures that its monthly change improved from -3% to -1%; copper’s October and November values are not clearly reported; and zinc’s November recovery to 1.5% is omitted. Also, “all the three metals showed decline” is too broad, since zinc and nickel rose in some early months. More precise comparisons and a fuller account of the late-year changes would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing nickel and copper/zinc. This makes the information easy to locate, and sequencing within each metal’s account is generally chronological. Linking expressions such as “However,” “After that,” and “Moreover” help connect points, though some transitions feel mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. For example, “Moreover” introduces zinc after a long copper account, while the paragraph would be clearer if the two series were separated or compared directly. The overview’s “middle of the trend” is also vague. To improve progression, group metals by shared patterns or contrast their turning points, and use references such as “this figure” only when the figure is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “declined,” “recovered,” and “remained,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are attempts at more descriptive language, such as “fell steeply” and “climbed dramatically,” although some choices are inaccurate or repetitive. “Monthly prices” can suggest actual price levels rather than percentage changes, and “rose by -1%” is not a natural way to describe a movement from -3% to -1%. Several spelling errors—“percentange,” “climed,” “steyed,” and “october”—also reduce accuracy. Choose precise terms for changes in the rate and vary repeated verbs, while checking spelling and capitalization before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “whereas,” “before,” and “which,” and most sentences communicate the intended trend. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “All the three metals showed decline” needs an article or a different construction (“all three metals showed a decline”), and “stood same” should be “stayed the same.” In “the price started to gradually fell,” the verb form after “to” should be “fall.” There are also punctuation and sentence-boundary issues, such as commas separating a verb from its phrase in “increased to 1%, in July.” Review articles, verb patterns, and comma placement; these corrections would make the otherwise understandable descriptions more controlled.

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