Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-08

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 graph illustrate the average monthly change in the prices of three different metals during 2014.

Overall, the prices of all the metals experienced fluctuation during the year, where Nickel was the most expensive metal at the start of the year and the cheapest at the end of the year. In contrast, Zinc was the cheapest metal at the start of the year and the expensive one at the end of the period.

initially, the price of nickel was 6 in january before falling down continuously for 2 months, 4 in february and 1 in march. It remained stable for 1 month from march to april before falling again to 0.7 in may and -3 in june. Moreover, it rose up till -1 in july and remained stable for 2 months till september

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the graph’s subject and include some accurate figures, especially nickel’s fall from 6% in January to around 1% in March and its low of about -3% in June. However, the overview misinterprets percentage changes as metal prices: nickel is not shown as the most expensive at the start or the cheapest at the end, and zinc is not shown as the cheapest or most expensive. The response also stops after September, omitting the final months and most of the copper and zinc trends, so the main features and comparisons are not adequately covered. It is 124 words, below the required 150; the nine words copied from the prompt are excluded. Describe the percentage changes, not price rankings, and complete the summary.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable opening, an overview, and a more detailed paragraph, and the account of nickel generally follows the months in chronological order. Linking expressions such as “Overall,” “initially,” and “Moreover” help signal the stages. However, the overview’s comparisons do not match the graph, which weakens the logical progression, and the response ends abruptly in September rather than completing the year or moving on to the other metals. The single detailed paragraph also gives no clear grouping of the three series. Organise the body by contrasting the metals or by grouping their shared rises and falls, and use a concluding detail that covers the final months.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “remained stable,” “falling,” and “rose,” and the reader can generally understand the trends you describe. Some choices are imprecise or awkward for graph reporting: “most expensive” and “cheapest” refer to price levels, whereas the graph shows monthly percentage changes; “falling down” and “rose up” are also less natural collocations. “The expensive one” is unclear and does not accurately describe the data. Use precise terms such as “recorded the largest increase,” “fell to,” and “showed a smaller decline.” This would make your comparisons more accurate and your vocabulary more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more developed sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “where” and a sequence of events linked with “before.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable. Some errors are noticeable, however: “The graph illustrate” has subject–verb disagreement, and “the expensive one” is missing a superlative form in the comparison. Capitalisation is inconsistent, as “initially” begins a sentence in lowercase and month names such as “january” and “february” are not capitalised. The final sentence is also incomplete in its development, ending without punctuation. Check agreement and sentence boundaries, and proofread capital letters and punctuation while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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

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