Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-07-24

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 linear graph illustrates the information about the monthly alterations in the costs of different metals like copper, nickel and zinc.

Overall, it is vivid that nickel underwent a drastic decline rate whereas other two followed a fluctuating trend.

It can be clearly seen that in the month of January, nickel stood at 6% and it followed a declining trend till june , accounted to-3% then surged by following a zig zag trend by reaching upto 1% in the last month.

Probing further, copper showed a gradual decrease till the month of march and then remained stagnant in june. After that it undergoes a marginal rise and leveled off again though it ends up at the same level as in the starting. Moving to Zinc, it followed a great surge in first two months and declined drastically by reaching upto -1% and then again rised in the last 90 days.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response covers all three metals and provides an overview, which is a positive start. However, the analysis of the data is somewhat superficial. For instance, the description of copper is vague ('remained stagnant in june') and the reference to 'the last 90 days' for Zinc is imprecise given the graph covers monthly changes. To reach a higher band, you should focus on selecting more specific data points (e.g., the peak or trough values) and ensuring the comparisons between the metals are more explicit. The overview is present but could be more detailed regarding the overall trends.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'It can be clearly seen that', and 'Probing further'. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. The transition between the description of nickel and copper is a bit abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the progression of ideas within paragraphs is smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate for a report of this nature.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the main features of the graph, using terms like 'drastic decline', 'fluctuating trend', and 'marginal rise'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'decline rate' instead of 'rate of decline' and 'rised' (which is a spelling error; the correct form is 'rose'). The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on more precise reporting verbs and nouns would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'accounted to-3%' (should be 'accounted for -3%') and 'rised' (incorrect past tense). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around punctuation marks and capitalization (e.g., 'june', 'march'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of verb tenses and sentence mechanics.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.