Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-06

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 5.0)

The given line graph illustrates average monthly variation in the cost of three different metals in the year 2014.

Overall,nickel was expensive metal but its price started decreasing throughout the period. While, there was continuous change in the cost of a copper and zinc.

In 2014, nickel cost was high approximately 6% in January, while other metals such as copper and zinc prices was low about 2% and 1%. In Febraury, copper decreased down at 1% and nickel at 4%, but zinc rate increased at 3%. From March to May, there was a slight change in the amount of these metals in between 0 to 2%.

In june 2014, there was a decline in the price of nickel with

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the graph’s subject and include some relevant figures, such as nickel at about 6% in January and the metals’ values in February. However, the response only partially summarises the data: the overview that nickel “started decreasing throughout the period” is inaccurate, since it rose again in November and remained positive in December. The claim of “continuous change” for copper and zinc is also too vague to highlight their main patterns. Most importantly, the report stops partway through the June description, so it omits the later months and the overall recovery in all three metals. It is also 31 words below the required minimum. To improve, complete the account and select the key peaks, falls and year-end changes for comparison.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and a paragraph of monthly details. The sequence from January through May is generally easy to follow, and “while” helps contrast nickel with the other metals. However, the overview is not clearly separated from the detailed account, and the final sentence breaks off after “with,” leaving the report without a conclusion or progression through the remaining months. Some linking is awkward, as in “Overall,nickel” and “While, there was…”. Use complete paragraphs with a clear overview followed by grouped comparisons, and connect changes with precise transitions such as “by contrast,” “after falling,” and “towards the end of the year.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “variation,” “decline,” “increased,” and “slight change,” so the main subject is usually understandable. There are also attempts to vary how prices are described, using “cost,” “price,” “amount,” and “rate.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “nickel was expensive metal” does not clearly describe a percentage change, and “copper decreased down” is redundant. “Continuous change” is too general to convey the metals’ contrasting movements. Spelling errors such as “Febraury” and “june” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise trend language—such as “fell,” “fluctuated,” “recovered,” and “rose”—and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes both simple statements and some attempts at longer sentences, for example the comparison beginning “In February… while…”. However, the range is limited, and errors occur often enough to make several sentences awkward. Examples include “Overall,nickel was expensive metal,” which needs an article and punctuation spacing, and “copper and zinc prices was low,” where the verb does not agree with the plural subject. “While, there was…” is an incorrectly punctuated fragment, and “In june 2014, there was a decline… with” is unfinished. Practise accurate comparisons and complete complex sentences, checking articles, subject–verb agreement, capitalisation and sentence boundaries before finishing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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