Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17
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 given line graph presents the average monthly chagings in the costs of three metals: Copper, Nickel and Zinc in the year 2014.
Overall, Nickle initially had the higest price among all that declined drastically in the next few years before rising in the last months. However, Zinc started off with the lowest price and kept fluctuating over the period. Copper showed initial decline and remaind relatively stable afterwards.
Nickle, in the month of January had the highest price that is 6% overall that decreased dramatically till March. Although it remained the same till April, it touched its nadir of -3% in July. It surged in the month of June and remained stable till September at -1% before falling to -2%. Eventually it rose significantly to 1% in November and remained the same till December.
Zinc started off with 1% in January, touched its peak of 3% in February before drammatically declining to minus one percent till July. It increased slightly after that and remained relatively stable till September at around -0.5 %. It lowered again before rising drastically to 2% in December. On the other hand, Copper was at 2% in Junuary. It kept on declining till March. remained relatively stable till July and jumped at 1% where it remained stable before surging at less 2% in Dece,b
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 the main features of the line graph showing the average monthly percentage change for copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014. However, the response contains several inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, the overview incorrectly describes nickel and zinc in terms of absolute prices rather than percentage changes over the months, stating that nickel 'had the highest price... that declined drastically in the next few years' (when the data only shows one year, 2014) and misinterpreting the direction of trends in the body paragraphs (e.g., stating nickel 'surged in the month of June' when the graph shows it dropped to -3%). These data misreadings limit the task achievement to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into paragraphs, attempting an overview followed by detailed body paragraphs for individual metals. However, the logical progression is flawed due to confusing transitions and misinterpretations of the visual data. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inappropriately, such as the sudden shift into describing zinc and copper in the final paragraph where the text trails off abruptly ('surging at less 2% in Dece,b'). Paragraphing is present, but referencing and linking across sentences often cause confusion. This performance fits the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary to discuss trends and fluctuations, employing words such as 'fluctuating', 'declining', 'surged', and 'stable'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'chagings' instead of changes, 'Nickle' and 'Junuary' as persistent spelling mistakes, and awkward phrasing like 'touched its nadir'. The vocabulary is sometimes repetitive or imprecise regarding statistical data. These issues place the lexical resource at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'Although it remained the same till April, it touched its nadir of -3% in July.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in tense usage, prepositions, and sentence fragments or incomplete conclusions, as seen at the end of the text ('surging at less 2% in Dece,b'). Punctuation and structural errors are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader, aligning with Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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