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 depicts the average monthly change in prices of three metals, namely; copper,zinc and nickel in 2014 with a relevant comparison to previous months.Starting from January,Nickel presented the highest percentage price as compared to copper followed by zinc that started out with the least percentage.The prices dropped majorly for for zinc till march, similarly a minor decline was seen for copper too but the trend for zinc shiwed as rise till february followed by a decrease till May where it dropped significantly till June.The prices did increase June onwards however remained consistent till September where they dropped in October before shwoing a rise towards November and December.Overall the prices dropped significantly for Zinc,but rose a litlle for Nickel and Copper.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You identify the three metals and make some relevant comparisons, including that nickel begins at the highest level and that all three series change over the year. However, the account is incomplete and several descriptions do not match the graph: zinc rises from January to February, rather than dropping until March, and its decline to June is gradual rather than a significant fall. The statement that zinc’s prices dropped overall is also misleading, since its monthly change ends higher than it begins. The overview is unclear, and copper and nickel receive little accurate month-by-month coverage. The response is also 29 words below the required minimum. Include a concise overview and select the main peaks, troughs and shared movements to develop the summary.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
There is a basic attempt to organise the information chronologically, beginning with January and moving through later months, and words such as “similarly,” “however” and “Overall” signal relationships between ideas. Nevertheless, the response is presented as one long paragraph, so the overview and supporting details are not clearly separated. The progression also becomes difficult to follow in the sentence about zinc: it first says prices dropped until March, then says they rose to February and fell to May. Some linking is therefore confusing rather than helpful. Use a short introduction and overview, followed by a paragraph grouping the metals or their shared trends, and make each time reference unambiguous.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “percentage,” “decline,” “consistent” and “rise,” and the reader can generally understand that you are describing changes over time. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or awkward for a graph summary. “Presented the highest percentage price” is not a natural way to describe the largest monthly change, while “dropped majorly” and “rose a little” are vague. There are also noticeable spelling and spacing errors, such as “shiwed,” “shwoing,” “litlle,” and missing spaces after commas. Aim for precise trend language such as “fell sharply,” “remained stable” and “recovered,” and proofread spelling and punctuation spacing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response attempts some longer sentence forms, for example using “where” and “however” to connect changes, and most of the intended meaning remains understandable. Control is uneven, though: the opening has a faulty construction in “namely; copper,zinc and nickel,” and the long sentence beginning “The prices did increase June onwards” contains several clauses that are difficult to parse. The phrase “did increase June onwards” also lacks a preposition, and punctuation is inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and an unnecessary semicolon. Use a wider mix of shorter, complete sentences and carefully controlled complex sentences. Check prepositions in time expressions, clause boundaries, and comma use before submitting.
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