Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-23

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 graph illustrates the proportion of monthly change in the prices of three different metals; copper, nickel and zinc during 2014. At a glance, it can be seen that price was sharply dropped in June.

The proportion of copper metal was 2% in the first month, which dropped steadily by below 0% in March month. The figure fluctuated and reached by 1.5% in the last month. Nickle metal was seen gradual declined throughout the year. The proportion of the first month was 6%, which fell to the 1% in March, then the figure declined sharply to -3% in June. Furthermore, after the proportion the price had fluctuated, and it reached 1% in December month. Lastly, The percentage of the zinc metal was 2% in January month, it dropped marginally to 0.5% in April, after some changes in prices it rose again and reached aproximately 0.8

Overall, all of three the metals prices dropped substantially throughout the year and reached approximately same prices at the end of the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers all three metals and identifies the main trends. However, the analysis is somewhat mechanical and lacks a clear, analytical overview of the relationships between the data points. While you mention the drop in June, the description of the fluctuations is occasionally imprecise, such as stating copper dropped 'below 0%' without specifying the extent. To reach a higher band, ensure that you provide a more cohesive summary of the key features rather than just listing the data for each metal sequentially. The conclusion is a good attempt at a summary, but it could be more specific regarding the final values.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the information. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'Lastly', although some transitions feel a bit repetitive or mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using more varied linking phrases to connect the trends of the three metals. The overall structure is coherent, but the progression of ideas within the paragraphs could be smoother to better highlight the comparisons requested in the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a sufficient range of vocabulary to describe the graph, using terms like 'fluctuated', 'gradual declined', and 'marginally'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'proportion of copper metal' (instead of 'price change of copper') and 'March month' (which is redundant). There are also minor spelling errors like 'Nickle' and 'aproximately'. To improve, focus on using more precise terminology for data trends and ensure that your word choices are natural and contextually appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'price was sharply dropped' (passive voice error), 'gradual declined' (should be 'gradual decline' or 'gradually declined'), and 'all of three the metals prices' (word order). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Increasing your control over verb tenses and prepositional phrases will help improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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