Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-14
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 compares the percentage of monthly change in cost of metals, namely Copper, Nickel and Zinc in 2014.
Overall, the change in the price of nickel was highest by the beginning of the year, while it was lowest for zinc. It is worth noting that the relative fluctuations in the cost of nickel and copper dropped considerbly, while zinc reported a steady increase by the end of the given period.
Turning to details, nickel showed 6% rise in cost by January, which decreased dramatically to 3% by the mid-year at the end of June. It recovered and climbed to to 1% increase by the end of December. Zinc reported 1% growth in cost in the month of January 2014 as compared to the
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to summarise the main features of the graph comparing the average monthly change in prices for copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014. An overview is provided, highlighting key trends such as the fluctuations in nickel and the steady behavior of zinc. However, the response stops abruptly mid-sentence at the end of the text. Because the response contains only 125 words, it fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words. This under-length issue heavily restricts the development of ideas and prevents a fully rounded overview and comparison of all data points, leading to a band score of 5.0 for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a clear structure initially, opening with an introductory statement followed by an overall summary paragraph ("Overall, the change in the price...") and an attempt at a detail paragraph ("Turning to details..."). Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as transition phrases like "Overall" and "Turning to details". Paragraphing is initiated properly. However, because the text cuts off abruptly mid-sentence, the logical progression is incomplete and cannot be fully evaluated. Nevertheless, the organisational framework established in the opening sentences warrants a band score of 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, with appropriate topic-specific terms like "percentage of monthly change", "cost of metals", and "fluctuations". The student attempts some less common vocabulary items and descriptive verbs, such as "considerbly" (misspelled), "dramatically", and "recovered". There are occasional spelling errors, including "considerbly" instead of "considerably", and a minor preposition repetition ("climbed to to"). Despite these vocabulary errors and the truncation of the text, the lexical range is sufficient to convey basic meaning, supporting a band score of 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as the introductory complex sentence ("The line graph compares...") and subordinate clauses introduced by "while". Grammatical control is generally fair in the completed clauses, though there is a duplication error ("climbed to to") and an incomplete sentence structure at the very end of the text where the response cuts off. Punctuation is mostly accurate up to the point of cessation. The grammatical control shown in the completed portions supports a band score of 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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