Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph tracks changes in average monthly prices of copper, nickel and zinc during 2014.

Overall, the rise and fall in the prices of the three metals were in an irregular pattern. Nickel started with the higgest price in January and by the end of the year had the lowest price among the three metals, while zinc had the lowest price in the begining of the year and eventually became the most expensive at the end of 2014.

Nickel underwent a significant decline from 6% to 1% change in price in March. The price remained stable between March and April before the prices fall dramatically in June recording -3% change in price. The price changes remained stable from July to September experiencing a slight decrease in October to -2% before soaring again and reaching 1% price change in December.

Copper on the other hand saw 2% price change and fell steadily dropping to its lowest level in June at -1% before experiencing a marked increase from July to September then experiencing a slight decilne in October and November before reaching its highest point in December at 1.5% price change.

Lastly, zinc started at the lowest price change of 1% in January and saw an increasing trend in Feburary before experiencing steady decline till March and reaching it's lowest poitn in June. After June the price changes remained stable for three months before

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student provides a clear overview of the main features in the graph, noting that the three metals showed irregular patterns and contrasting their starting and ending positions. Key features are reported, such as Nickel's decline and Zinc's rise, and comparisons are made across the items. However, the response trails off abruptly at the end ('After June the price changes remained stable for three months before'), meaning the description of zinc is incomplete. Additionally, there are minor typos in some data references (e.g. stating zinc started at 1% in January when the visual context implies otherwise). Because parts of the task are left unfinished due to the incomplete final sentence, the response is appropriately placed at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response features a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, an overview paragraph, and separate body paragraphs dedicated to individual metals. Cohesive devices are generally used to guide the reader, such as 'Overall', 'Nickel on the other hand', and 'Lastly'. Paragraphing is logical, grouping information by metal type effectively. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally hindered by the abrupt cut-off at the very end of the text, leaving a dangling transition. Furthermore, logical progression within sentences is sometimes slightly disrupted by repetitive structural choices (e.g. repeatedly using 'price change' after percentage figures). These minor issues place the response solidly at Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suited to describing data trends, successfully employing terms like 'significant decline', 'remain stable', 'dramatically', 'soaring', and 'increasing trend'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with reasonable success. However, there are some spelling errors, such as 'higgest' instead of 'highest', 'begining' instead of 'beginning', 'decilne' instead of 'decline', 'Feburary' instead of 'February', and 'poitn' instead of 'point'. Additionally, word choice is occasionally repetitive, relying heavily on the phrase 'price change' rather than varying the expression. These spelling and lexical inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching higher bands, aligning it with Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating temporal clauses and relative structures effectively (e.g., 'Nickel started with the highest price in January and by the end of the year had the lowest price...'). There is good control over past tense narrative forms for data description. However, there are occasional grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('before the prices fall dramatically' instead of 'fell') and missing articles or prepositions in places. Punctuation is generally acceptable, though the abrupt ending leaves a sentence structurally incomplete. The presence of these errors alongside a satisfactory mix of structures justifies a Band 6.0.

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

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