Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16
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 illustrates the average monthly price of three metals namely,copper,nickel and zinc over the year of 2014.
Overall,there is a significant decline in the price of nickel.While,the value of zinc rose during first three months of the year after that shows a declining trend.In contrast,the value of copper fluctuated over a period of time
In January to March,there was a difference of 5 percent in the price of nickel which shows a huge decline in the price of nickel,while zinc shows 1 percent increase in the start of the year but in march value of nickel was also started gradually declining. Copper showed decreasing the value from first 3 months
In second quarter of the year, price of nickel decreased significantly. and it stayed on negative 3 percent.in contrast, The percentage of copper and zinc also stayed on negative percentage at the end of the july.
In third quarter of the year, For a month of july the value surged negative 3 to negative 1 percent and leveled off for next two months.price of other two metals remained same in 3rd quarter of the year.
In the last three months of the year,there was a small increase in copper.In contrast, the prices of other two metals increased towards the end of the year and leveled off at 2 and 3 percent respectively.
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 cover all three metals over the year 2014, providing an overview and attempting to outline trends across different quarters. However, the interpretation of the data contains several significant inaccuracies. For example, the student states that nickel experienced a 'huge decline' from January to March, whereas the graph clearly shows nickel falling from 6% to 1% in February and March, which is still a positive percentage change. Furthermore, the description of negative percentages and trends in the subsequent quarters is confused and misrepresents the graph values. The overview is also partially inaccurate regarding zinc and nickel. Because the report misinterprets several key data points and trends, it falls into Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The report is divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction and overview, followed by chronological body paragraphs. However, logical progression is hindered by confusing statements and poor referencing. Cohesive devices are either missing, inadequate, or repetitive (e.g., frequent use of 'In contrast' and 'In the... quarter'). Punctuation and spacing errors (such as missing spaces after commas, e.g., 'namely,copper,nickel') disrupt the flow. Paragraphing is attempted sufficiently to structure the response, but overall cohesion is mechanical and sometimes faulty, placing this criterion at Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing trends, such as 'decline', 'fluctuated', 'surge', and 'leveled off'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'Copper showed decreasing the value' and 'stayed on negative percentage'. Spelling errors are also present, and spacing issues after commas indicate mechanical writing flaws. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the general topic, the inaccuracies and lack of precision prevent the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including dependent clauses like 'While, the value of zinc rose...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak. There are frequent errors in verb forms, prepositions, and sentence construction (e.g., 'price of nickel was also started gradually declining', 'stayed on negative 3 percent', and missing subjects or articles). Punctuation errors are pervasive, particularly missing spaces after punctuation marks and capitalization issues. These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a limited control of grammar and punctuation.
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