Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 graph shows the fluctuation between three different metals, namely copper, nickel and zinc, throughout 2014.

Overall, it is clear that all the different metals experience fluctuation in their prices during the year, nickel shows the greatest variations as compared to copper and zinc.

In the Jan, nickel price has its highest change of the 6%. While the copper has 2% and zinc has 1%. After Jan, the nickel fall to 4%, copper fall to 1% and zinc rise to 3%. In the March, nickel value fall again to 1%, copper fall to 0.5% and zinc also fall to 2%. The slightely fall occcur in zinc to 1.5% which other remains unchanged. In the May, little fall occur on both metal's prices, namely nickel by 1.5%, copper by -0.5 and zinc by 1%.

Furthermore in the middle of the year, nickel significant declined to -3% which copper remains the same and zinc also fall to -1%. The increase has occur in the July. The nickel reached by -1%, zinc by -0.5% and copper by 1%. Meanwhile in August and September, all the prices remains the same till the start of the 10th month of the year. The copper declined to 0.5%, Zinc to -1 and nickel to -2. By the start of November, the slight rise occur on prices of nickel reached 1% and zinc reached 1.5%. Copper ramains unchanged. In the December, nickel remains unchanged, copper rise to 1.5% and zinc rise to 2%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover the full year and report many relevant monthly figures, including nickel’s high of 6% in January and its sharp fall to -3% in June. Your overview also identifies nickel as the most variable series, which is a key feature. However, the overview is broad: it would be more informative to summarise the shared mid-year decline and the recovery towards year-end. Some details are inaccurate or unclear. For example, copper is about 0.5% in March and April, so it does not fall in March; in May, nickel falls from 1% to about 0.5%, not by 1.5%. The account also says all prices remain unchanged in August and September, although copper is around 1% and zinc around -0.5%. More accurate selection and clearer trend summaries would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by a month-by-month account, moving from January through December. Time markers such as “After Jan,” “Furthermore in the middle of the year,” and “By the start of November” help readers follow the chronology. However, the repeated monthly reporting makes the progression somewhat mechanical, and some links between ideas are unclear. For instance, “The slightely fall occcur in zinc to 1.5% which other remains unchanged” does not clearly identify which figures remain unchanged. Grouping the data into broader phases—early-year changes, the mid-year decline, and the late-year recovery—would create a more coherent comparison and reduce reliance on repeated transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “declined,” “remains unchanged,” and “reached,” and the metal names and percentage language are generally clear. There are also attempts at more precise descriptions, such as “significant declined” and “slight rise,” though some combinations are inaccurate or unnatural. Repeated use of “fall” and “rise” limits variety, while spelling errors such as “slightely,” “occurr,” and “ramains” reduce accuracy. Choose verbs that match the data and use them consistently: for example, “fell to 0.5%” describes a resulting value, whereas “fell by 0.5 percentage points” describes the size of a change. More accurate collocations and careful proofreading would improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and more complex forms, including comparisons and clauses beginning with “While” and “which.” However, many sentences contain errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, or sentence construction, and these sometimes make relationships between figures difficult to follow. Examples include “the nickel fall to 4%,” “all the prices remains the same,” and “The increase has occur in the July.” The opening fragment “While the copper has 2% and zinc has 1%” is also not securely connected to the preceding sentence. Practise consistent past-tense reporting (“fell,” “remained,” “occurred”) and build complete sentences with clear subjects and verbs. Greater control of these basic patterns would make your range of sentence forms more effective.

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