Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line chart illustrates the changes in the average monthly prices of copper, nickel and zinc in the year 2014.

Overall, Nickel was the most precious metal at the start of the period, but at the end of 2014 it was overtook by zinc which initially was the cheapest of all. Copper had slight fluctuations in its price and it experienced a relatively small decline in its price in december.

Nickel begin with at 6% in january and reached its lowest point of -3% in the month of june. After that, it started to recover and stood at 1% in november and plateaued at this point in december which was the lowest of all.

On the other hand, there was a 1% increase in the price of zinc in january. After that copper experienced a one percent decline in its price in june with a little fluctuation till october and in november december it reached a two percent increase in its price.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the three metals and gives an overview, noting nickel’s high starting point and copper’s comparatively small movements. However, several key details are inaccurate or unclear, which limits how fully the graph is reported. Nickel did not finish below all the other metals: it ended at about 1%, equal to copper and below zinc at 2%. The overview also says zinc overtook nickel, but does not clearly explain the metals’ overall pattern. Most importantly, the final paragraph shifts from zinc to copper and then uses “it” ambiguously, so zinc’s changes are not properly summarised. Include the main movements for all three series and check each comparison against the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. Sequencing words such as “Overall,” “After that,” and “On the other hand” help signal progression. However, the organisation of the data is not consistently clear. The final paragraph begins with zinc, switches to copper, and then returns to a statement about November and December without making the subject explicit. This makes it difficult to follow which metal is being described. The overview also combines several points without clearly distinguishing the metals’ end-of-year positions. Grouping each metal’s trend in a clear sequence, and using explicit references such as “zinc” rather than “it,” would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “reached its lowest point,” “recover,” “plateaued,” and “fluctuations.” These choices show some flexibility and are generally understandable. A few word choices or collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however. “Most precious metal” is not a suitable way to describe the highest percentage change; “highest monthly increase” would be clearer. “Overtook by zinc” is also incorrectly formed, and “a two percent increase” may suggest a rise rather than the chart’s monthly change. The repeated use of “price” and “increase” also limits precision. Use terms such as “monthly change,” “fell,” and “rose” carefully to distinguish a price level from its percentage movement.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause in “Overall, Nickel was the most precious metal at the start of the period, but…” and a time clause beginning “After that.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “it was overtook by zinc” has an incorrect passive verb form, while “Nickel begin with at 6%” has an incorrect tense and an unnecessary preposition. The sentence about zinc and copper also has unclear pronoun reference, and “in november december” lacks a clear grammatical link between the months. Check past-tense forms, sentence boundaries, and the grammatical structure of time expressions to make these descriptions more accurate.

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