Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-15
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 line graph depicts that the average monthly change in the prices of copper, nickel and zinc as compaerd to previous months throughout the year 2014.
Overall, it is crystal clear that majority of price dropped in nickel in the mid of the year as compared to other metals. In the last of this year, the prices of all given metals almost same.
In the month of january, 6% change in the price of nickel and it was rapidly declining and reach to 1% in march. Price remained stable till april. After this month, change in price in nickel fall down and reach -3% in june. In the upcoming three months, it remained same that was -1%. In october, there was change in price of nickel by -2%. There was increase in price of this metal and reach 1% and remained stable till december.
Copper, there was change in price by 2% as compared to previous year. The price of copper steadily fall and reach -0.5%, remained same till june. There was increse in price of the metal was 1% as compared to june. It remained same till september. In the month of december, the price of copper was nearby 2%.
1% change in the price of zinc in january.. After this month, there was increase in price by 3%. It was quickly declining and reach to -1% in june. 0.5% change in price remained same till september. After it, 1% increase in price of zinc as compared to previous month.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to address the prompt by describing the monthly price changes for copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014. However, the response falls short of fully satisfying Task Achievement requirements. While an overview is attempted ('majority of price dropped in nickel...'), it is poorly phrased and lacks sufficient clarity regarding overarching trends. Furthermore, the selection of data is erratic; the student lists almost every month sequentially for each metal rather than summarising key features and making meaningful comparisons. There are also factual inaccuracies in reading the graph, such as stating that copper 'reach[ed] -0.5%' when it actually dipped to that level, but missing the comparative magnitude between the fluctuations of nickel and the others. This approach resembles raw data-dumping rather than a well-synthesised academic summary.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organised into paragraphs, each generally dedicated to a specific metal, which helps establish a basic structure. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is weak. The student relies heavily on listing consecutive months with disjointed transitions such as 'After this month' or 'In the upcoming three months'. Cohesive devices are repetitive and sometimes inaccurate. Paragraphing is attempted, but the overall progression lacks fluidity. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as starting paragraphs with bare noun phrases like 'Copper,' without proper grammatical integration into the sentence structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is largely basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'rapidly declining', 'steadily fall', and 'remained same' appear multiple times throughout the response. There are noticeable lexical and spelling errors, such as 'compaerd', 'increse', and awkward word combinations like 'majority of price dropped in nickel'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to trends (e.g., 'declining', 'stable'), but the lack of precision and frequent minor inaccuracies limit the lexical range to a Band 5 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The grammatical range is limited. The response consists mostly of simple sentences or awkwardly joined clauses, such as 'The line graph depicts that the average monthly change...' (where 'that' is incorrectly included) and 'Copper, there was change in price by 2%'. Attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty, missing verbs or prepositions (e.g., '6% change in the price of nickel and it was rapidly declining and reach to 1%'). Frequent errors in tense consistency, prepositions, and verb forms cause some difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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