Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-14

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 6.5)

The graph illustrates the change in prices of three metals ( copper, nickel , zinc ) throughout 2014.

Overall, all three metals see ups and downs in prices throughout the year. Prices for the metals were the highest average at the start of the year around january/february and the lowest recorded prices were in june.

Nickel prices have seen the most drastic changes out of all the metal. It costed 6% more in January then the previous month. The price difference started dropping down after january and finally dropped at its lowest at -3% in june. The prices kept getting lowered by 1% in july, august and september with october seeing a 2% decrease than the previous month. Subsequently the prices started to go up by 1% from november.

Copper prices also saw the highest increase in Januay at 2% which slowly dropped down to 0.5% in april. After that, the prices started going down by 0.5% in may and june then again the prices start going back up by 1% from july to september. October and november had less price increase at only 0.5% finally ending on december with 1.5% increase in price.

Lastly, unlike the other two metals zinc had the highest price increase during february at 3% which again started dropping finally seeing its lowest at june which 1% decrease in prices. Then the prices of zinc kept decreasing by 0.5% from july to september and 1% on october. Finally the prices started increasing again in november by 1.5% and 2% on december.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover all three metals and give a clear overview of their broad fluctuations, identifying nickel as the most volatile and June as a low point. Many figures are accurately reported, including nickel’s 6% rise in January and 3% fall in June, and zinc’s 3% rise in February. However, the overview is not fully precise: the metals do not all reach their highest monthly changes in January or February, since copper peaks in December and zinc’s lowest point is in October, not June. Some details are also unclear, such as “prices kept getting lowered by 1%” for nickel, which could mean either a monthly change of -1% or a further fall in the price. Select the key peaks and troughs more carefully and distinguish monthly percentage changes from overall price levels.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised effectively: an introduction is followed by an overview and separate paragraphs for nickel, copper and zinc. This gives the reader a clear route through the information, and sequencing expressions such as “After that,” “Subsequently” and “Finally” help show changes over time. The progression within each metal’s paragraph is generally logical. Some linking is repetitive, however, particularly the repeated use of “started” and “finally,” and the overview’s broad statements are not always clearly connected to the detailed figures that follow. Use a wider range of concise comparisons between metals, and make references such as “the lowest recorded prices” more specific so the reader knows whether you mean the monthly change or the price itself.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a relevant range of trend vocabulary, including “drastic changes,” “dropped,” “increase” and “decrease,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are some imprecise or unnatural choices that limit precision: “the highest average” does not clearly describe a monthly percentage change, while “costed 6% more” and “prices kept getting lowered” are awkward in this context. Spelling slips such as “januay” and “january” also reduce accuracy. Aim for consistent, chart-appropriate terms such as “rose by,” “fell to,” “monthly change” and “percentage increase.” This will help you describe the data precisely without suggesting that the figures show absolute metal prices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more extended sentence forms, and most of the information remains understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, especially with verb forms and sentence construction. For example, “It costed 6% more in January then the previous month” would be more accurately formed as “It rose by 6% in January compared with the previous month”; “the prices start going back up” also shifts tense unexpectedly within a past-time report. There are occasional missing or misplaced articles and punctuation issues, including the comma-separated metal list in the opening sentence. Keep the past tense consistent, check subject–verb forms, and use punctuation to separate longer sequences of monthly changes.

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