Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-12

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 6.0)

The given line graph illustrates the average monthly price change of three metals,copper,nickel and zinc in a year 2014.The graph shows the percentage increase and decrease during the entire period.

Overall, nickel has plummeted in january but shows downward tragedy in the month of december While in the start of year both zinc and copper have minimum percentage but at the end of year the percentage price is maximum as compared to nikel.Zinc has reached at the peak as compared to nickel and copper.

Firstly, nickel rose at 6% ,as the time passed it decline steadily till march,however till end of the year many changes took place and dropped to 1% in december.

Secondly,in january copper start from 2% ,then over the year many fluctuations occured during an entire year. From june to september percentage remains stable,then slightly decreased till november and at the end it was still lower than january.

Thirdly, in case of zinc started from 1%, then rose steadily till 3% in february,then drop steadily till june,after that it remain constant till september,slighlty decreased in october,moreover it surged till november and at the end of december reached highest percentage as compared to other two metals.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all three metals and include an overview, with relevant comparisons such as nickel’s high starting point and zinc’s late-year rise. However, some key trends are misreported or unclear. Nickel did not plummet in January: it began at about 6% and then fell, reaching its lowest point in June before recovering to around 1% in December. Copper ended at about 1.5%, below its January figure, while zinc finished at about 2%, the highest of the three. The claim that both copper and zinc began the year at a minimum is also inaccurate. To strengthen the response, make the overview more precise and select a few accurate turning points to support it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for nickel, copper and zinc. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly” and “Thirdly” help readers follow the descriptions, and the metals are discussed in a consistent order. This gives the report a coherent structure. However, the overview is difficult to follow because it combines several comparisons in one sentence, and some links between events are unclear—for example, “however till end of the year many changes took place.” The repeated “then” and “after that” also make parts of the report feel mechanical. Use clearer time-based transitions and connect each paragraph’s details to the main trends identified in the overview.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing movement, including “rose,” “decline steadily,” “fluctuations,” “remains stable” and “surged.” These choices help communicate changes across the year, and the meaning is generally understandable. Some less suitable or inaccurate expressions reduce precision: “downward tragedy” is not an appropriate description of a trend, while “reached at the peak” and “percentage price” are awkward collocations. There are also spelling errors, including “slighlty” and “nikel.” Aim for standard graph language and check spelling carefully; precise terms such as “fell,” “recovered” and “percentage change” will make the account clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses linked with “while,” “however” and “after that.” The main meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain across the response. For example, “in case of zinc started” lacks a clear subject, and “From June to September percentage remains stable” has an inconsistent verb form and needs an article before “percentage.” There are also errors in articles, agreement and punctuation, as in “in january copper start from 2%” and the run-together opening phrase “metals,copper,nickel.” Use complete clauses, maintain past tense when describing 2014, and check sentence boundaries and commas.

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

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