Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-13

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 average monthly change in prices of copper, nickel and zinc during 2014.

Overall, nickel accounted for approximately maximum price at the started of the year. But its figure then fell. While, copper showed relatively stable changes throughout the year. Whereas, zinc provided the least price as compered to the copper and nickel at the beginning and then its show different variations.

In January, nickel recoded the highest increase, at approximately 6%, while copper and zinc rose by around 2% and 1% respectively. Nickel then fell sharply around 4% in February and 1% in March. In contrast, zinc rose gradually, its almost 3% in February before gradually declining.

From May to June, the prices of all three metals decreased. Nickel experienced the most dramatically fall, dropping from 0.5% in may to -3% in June. Copper also fell to around 0.5% while zinc decreased to approximately -1%.

During July to September, nickel prices increased, its around about -1% and remained stable till the September. zinc and copper also showed the minor changes. Zinc rose gradually at approximately 1.8% in November and 2% in December. In October, nickel fell again to -2%, but by December, its around 1%. While, in December copper approximately 1.3.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student successfully identifies the overall trends and makes relevant comparisons between the three metals throughout 2014. The overview highlights key features, such as nickel starting at a high point and fluctuating significantly, while copper remains relatively stable. Main features are reported across the months, including January's peak increases and the downturns in May and June. However, some data points are slightly imprecise or awkward to phrase, such as 'accounted for approximately maximum price' and some confusion with negative percentage values (e.g., '-3% in June' treated incorrectly as a drop from 0.5%). Despite these minor issues, all parts of the prompt are addressed adequately, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The report is arranged with a clear overall structure, featuring an introduction, an overview paragraph, and chronological body paragraphs detailing the monthly changes. Cohesive devices are employed to signal transitions and contrasts, such as 'While', 'Whereas', and 'In contrast'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally become faulty or repetitive, particularly in the final paragraph where sentences like 'its around about -1%' and 'zinc and copper also showed the minor changes' disrupt the smooth flow and logical progression. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate timeframes, but sentence-level cohesion could be more robust. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common items related to data reporting such as 'fluctuations', 'gradually declining', and 'remained stable'. However, there are notable word-choice errors, imprecise expressions, and awkward collocations throughout the text, including 'least price as compered', 'most dramatically fall', and 'recoded the highest increase' (misspelling of recorded). Vocabulary control is inconsistent, and spelling or form errors occasionally surface (e.g., 'started' instead of 'start', 'its' instead of 'it was'). Because the vocabulary provides enough substance to communicate the main trends despite the inaccuracies, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures with subordinate clauses ('While, copper showed...', 'Whereas, zinc provided...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb tense, preposition usage, and sentence construction. Examples include 'its show different variations', 'its almost 3% in February', and missing verbs in the final sentence ('while, in December copper approximately 1.3'). Punctuation is also problematic, with fragmented sentences starting with conjunctions like 'While' or 'Whereas' followed by commas instead of independent clauses. These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar firmly in the Band 5.0 range.

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