Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-10

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 illustrate changes in price percentage of copper , nickel and zink over the period from January to December 2014.

Overall, it is clear that the nickel and copper recorded dramaticlly decrease following by a rise during the second half of the year . Meanwhile , there was a significant growth by the zink followed by dropped and increase deurng the last months.

At the beginning of the period , the nickel achieved the highest figure at 6% followed by significant plunnged to minus three at June . In contrast , the copper and zink recorded respectively 2% , 1% at the the beginning followed by decrease for copper and rise for zink to achieve 3% at February followed by fall steadily despite some minor fluctuation .

By the end the year , the zink growth again and remaned stable between July and September to achieve 2% at the end . Whereas , there was significant increase for both products nickel and copper despite some minor fluctuation and recored very close figure 1%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three metals and the period, and include an overview that recognises nickel’s sharp fall and later recovery, as well as zinc’s late rise. However, some key comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. Nickel and copper did not both show a dramatic decrease followed by a rise in the second half: copper’s changes were relatively small, and it ended at about 1.5%, while nickel finished near 1%. The claim that both recorded a significant increase by year-end is therefore misleading. You also say zinc remained stable from July to September, although it was around −0.5% across those months, and its early peak was in February. Select the main trends more precisely and support them with accurate comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the beginning and end of the year. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the body is sometimes difficult to follow because several trends are compressed into long sentences, and the time sequence is not consistently clear. For example, the second paragraph moves from January to June, then back to February before describing a general fall. Linking words such as “In contrast,” “Whereas,” and “despite” are attempted, but some do not clearly express the relationship between the figures. Organise the details in chronological order and use simpler, more precise links between comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of trend vocabulary, including “plunged,” “fluctuation,” “significant growth,” and “achieve,” which shows awareness of the language needed for a graph report. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word combinations are frequent enough to make parts of the account harder to understand: “zink,” “dramaticlly,” “plunnged,” and “remaned” are examples. Some choices also do not fit the data or the intended meaning; “achieved the highest figure” and “significant increase” are less precise than direct descriptions of the values. Build accuracy with common graph-report collocations, and check spelling and word forms carefully. A more controlled, precise vocabulary would make your comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use some complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “followed by,” “despite,” and “whereas,” but these are often faulty or incomplete. For instance, “the nickel achieved the highest figure at 6% followed by significant plunnged” does not form a grammatical sequence, and “there was a significant growth by the zink followed by dropped” has incorrect clause construction. There are also recurring problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “The line graph illustrate” and “By the end the year.” These errors sometimes make relationships between events difficult to interpret. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, then check agreement, articles, and punctuation; use complex clauses only when their structure is secure.

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