Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-03
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 average percentage change in the prices of copper, nickel and zinc monthly in 2014.
Overall, Nickel was the most demanding mineral at the beginning which was eventually surpassed by both copper and zinc. Furthermore, zinc witnessed an incline in prices; whereas others has a decline in prices over the time period.
A detail analysis of the graph shows that the percentage change in prices of nickel has slumped from 6% to 1% during January to march and then it had a slight decline to 0.5% till may. before it slumped again to -3% in June; furthermore it had a moderate increase to -1% in July then it remained constant till September and slight decline to -2% in October before it rose up to 1% in November and remain constant till December.
On the other hand, percentage change in prices of copper had a moderate decline from 2% to -0.5% during January to May and then it had a significant increase to 1% till July and it remained constant till September; before it had negligible decline to 0.8% in October and it rebounded to 1.8% in December.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response provides a clear overview of the main trends, identifying the general movement of the three metals. However, the task is not fully addressed as the description of zinc is entirely missing from the body paragraphs, despite being mentioned in the introduction. The analysis of copper and nickel is generally accurate, but the omission of one of the three key data points significantly limits the coverage of the task. To improve, ensure that every category mentioned in the prompt is described with at least one key feature or comparison in the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the data. Cohesive devices such as 'furthermore', 'on the other hand', and 'at the beginning' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of information is sometimes mechanical, and the lack of a concluding summary for the third metal (zinc) disrupts the overall flow. The referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the overview and the body paragraphs could be smoother to improve the logical flow of the report.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, using terms like 'slumped', 'moderate increase', 'negligible decline', and 'rebounded' to describe trends. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'most demanding mineral', which is not appropriate in this context; 'most volatile' or 'highest price change' would be more accurate. Additionally, there are minor issues with capitalization (e.g., 'march', 'may') and phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main points but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('others has a decline') and inconsistent tense usage. Punctuation is also problematic, with several instances of semicolons used incorrectly or sentences being run-on. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall control of the language. More attention to proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and punctuation rules would improve the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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