Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph illustrates the proportion in price change of three different metals , copper,nickel and zinc over 12 months by 2014.

Overall,nickel declined dramatically in the first six minths , before recovering over the last period , also copper fell slightly ,before increasing minimaly in the last two months . In contrast, zinc rose considerablly in the two first months , compare to fall in the next 8 months , before rosing in the last months .

In january nickel was remained 6%, then a substantaill declined -3% in june ,after that remained stable in the next 3 months before increased to 1% by december , while copper showed 2% in january , and dropped nearly -0.5 by june , and climbed in the last months to around 1.5% .

On the other hand, zinc grew from 1% to 3% from january and february , after that fell greatly to -1% in june , then follow the same pattern of n

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast between nickel’s sharp early fall and later recovery, copper’s relatively small changes, and zinc’s rise and subsequent decline. Several figures are also reported accurately, including nickel at 6% in January and around −3% in June, and copper at about 2% and −0.5% in those months. However, the overview is not fully precise: copper did not simply fall before rising in the final two months, as it recovered to around 1% from July and stayed near that level before December. The account of zinc is cut off, so its late-year rise is not explained, and the claim that it fell greatly to −1% in June overlooks its smaller decline compared with nickel. A clearer, complete overview and more balanced coverage of all three trends would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs giving details about the metals. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “On the other hand” help signal comparisons. However, progression becomes difficult to follow because several long sentences combine multiple metals and time periods, particularly the sentence beginning “In january nickel…” The final sentence ends abruptly at “the same pattern of n,” leaving the zinc description incomplete and disrupting the conclusion of the response. Some links are also mechanical or unclear, such as “after that” repeated across the details. Use shorter, more focused sentences and group information by clear stages or metals, ensuring each paragraph develops a complete point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of trend vocabulary, including “declined dramatically,” “recovering,” “remained stable,” and “climbed,” which is appropriate for describing a line graph. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word combinations are noticeable, for example “minths,” “minimaly,” “considerablly,” and “a substantaill declined.” Some choices also obscure the intended meaning: “proportion in price change” is not a natural description of the graph, and “grew” is less precise than a verb describing a percentage change. These issues make parts of the report harder to read, although the general topic remains understandable. Check spelling carefully and favour accurate, conventional collocations for describing rises, falls, and percentage changes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “before” and “while,” and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, errors in verb forms and sentence construction are frequent enough to cause difficulty in places. For example, “nickel was remained 6%” incorrectly combines “was” with “remained,” while “before increased to 1%” needs a correctly formed verb after “before.” The sentence beginning “In january” also joins several clauses with commas, making the relationships between the figures unclear. The final sentence is incomplete. Practise forming accurate past-tense descriptions and use full stops to separate comparisons; also check articles, punctuation, and sentence completeness when proofreading.

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