Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The graph displays the average monthly percentage change in the prices of Copper, Nickel and Zinc during 2014.

Nickel prices fluctuated considerably during 2014, while copper prices showed a more steady overall trend. All three metals fell in June, though copper was affected the most.

Nickel recorded the most dramatic movements. It rose by 6% in January, but this growth slowly declined to -3% in June. Zinc peaked earlier in Feburary to 3% but steadily declined to -1% in June. Although, copper started from 2% in Jaunary and followed a steady decreasing trend till June.

From June to September, there was increasing trend in montly change prices of all the metals, where nickel rose from -3% to -2%, copper rose by 1% and zinc rose around -0.5%. In October, nickel fell down again to -2% similar trend appeared for the zinc which declined to -1%. Copper showed the steady trend in October.

After October, in November nickel monthly change rose to 1%, by contast, zinc rose to 1.5%. From November till december both metals showed a steady pace in the changing movement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between nickel’s large fluctuations and copper’s steadier pattern, and you note the shared decline around June. Several key figures are also reported accurately, including nickel’s January peak and June low, and zinc’s February high. However, some later descriptions misread the graph: from June to September nickel rises from -3% to about -1%, not -2%, while copper stays near 1% rather than rising by 1%. The overview also says all three fell in June, but copper had already fallen to about -0.5% in May and remained there in June. The final months are only partly covered: copper’s December rise to about 1.5% is omitted. More precise comparisons and a fuller account of the year-end pattern would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a brief overview, and paragraphs describing the earlier, middle and later months. This gives the reader a generally logical route through the data, and time markers such as “From June to September” and “After October” help signal progression. The organisation is not fully smooth, however. The middle-period account is difficult to follow because it groups all three metals together while giving unclear or inaccurate changes, and “In October” then repeats information already included in that period. Some links are mechanical or awkward, such as “Although” at the start of a sentence and “by contrast” joining the final comparison. Grouping the metals by their shared patterns and using clearer transitions would strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuated considerably,” “peaked,” “declined,” and “steady overall trend.” These choices help describe movement and comparison, and the meaning is generally clear. Some word choices and collocations are imprecise or repetitive: “growth” is used for a price change, “fell down again” is less natural than a direct description of a fall, and “steady pace in the changing movement” is unclear. There are also spelling errors in “Feburary,” “Jaunary,” “montly,” “contast,” and “december.” Aim for concise, conventional graph language and check spelling carefully; this will make the account more precise without requiring more elaborate vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “Nickel prices fluctuated considerably…, while copper prices…” and the time clause “Although, copper started…”. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “Although” is incorrectly used as a sentence opener here, and “there was increasing trend” needs an article and a more suitable construction. In “From June to September, there was increasing trend…,” the phrase “monthly change prices” also lacks a clear grammatical relationship. The sentence beginning “In October, nickel fell…” joins two independent ideas with a comma. Review articles, clause linking, and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use varied structures.

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