Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-09

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 5.0)

The graph demonstrates the average monthly change in the costs of three metals such as copper, nickel and zinc during 2014.

Overall, it shows that from the month of January price of nickel dropped drastically till march and then it almost remained constant until May however it again declined significantly in June. But all of a sudden it had its first jump in July and then ended up at 1 percent change.

Copper was only metal among these whose percentage of change was almost invariable. First it decreased, increased and at last again increased. While the rate of change of value of Zinc started from 1 percent and leaped a little bit to 3 percent but then it decreased and somehow managed to lift a bit and then remained constant for three months. At last it faced a little drop and then elevated to 2 percent in last two months.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response covers the three metals and attempts to describe the trends. However, it fails to provide a clear overview of the main features, which is a requirement for Band 6 and above. The description is overly focused on chronological narration rather than identifying significant trends or making meaningful comparisons between the metals. For example, the description of copper as 'invariable' is vague and lacks the specific data points required to support such a claim. Furthermore, the report lacks a clear summary of the overall patterns, such as the volatility of nickel compared to the relative stability of copper, which would have strengthened the response significantly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices like 'Overall', 'However', and 'While', they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that does not clearly link the ideas. The transition between sentences is often abrupt, particularly in the second paragraph where the narrative jumps between months without clear signposting. The referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'Copper was only metal among these', which lacks the necessary article. The overall structure is mechanical rather than fluid.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'leaped a little bit', 'somehow managed to lift a bit', and 'faced a little drop' are informal and lack the precision required for an Academic Task 1 report. There are also issues with word choice, such as 'invariable' to describe a fluctuating trend and 'elevated' used in a context that is not entirely natural. To reach a higher band, you should use more precise terminology related to data trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'remained stable', or 'experienced a marginal increase'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'Copper was only metal among these' is missing an article, and 'price of nickel dropped' should be 'the price of nickel'. There are also issues with tense consistency and preposition usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to articles, subject-verb agreement, and sentence punctuation is needed.

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

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