Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-18
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 graph below illustrates the mean monthly variations in the prices of three metals during 2014.Overall, a downward trend can be observed for all three metals copper ,nickel and zinc. However, the sharp decreasing trend is seen fo nickel metal.
In the beginning of the year, price percentage of the copper metal was 2 in January.Copper underwent a decreasing trend from January to May. The percentage price dropped below zero on the May. however,they remained unchanged from May to June. A sudden recovery in the price of metal was observed for the month of July. Prices were again dropped in october after remaining steady for the months of August and September. In November price was same as on October followed by a rise in December.
The price of Nickel was the highest in January. Price dropped considerably by 10 percentage points till However, a slight recovery on price can be observed for the month of July and it remained
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The response attempts to summarise the main features of the line graph, but it contains factual misinterpretations and incomplete data reporting. For instance, the overview incorrectly claims a downward trend for all three metals, whereas copper and zinc fluctuate above and below zero, finishing the year with positive average monthly changes. Furthermore, the description of nickel contains inaccurate data interpretation (stating prices dropped by 10 percentage points). The response also trails off incomplete at the end. It addresses the task partially, struggling to maintain accurate data reporting throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response shows an attempt at logical organisation with an introductory sentence followed by body paragraphs. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, with the second body paragraph abruptly cut off mid-sentence. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes misused, such as 'however,they' without proper spacing and punctuation, and repetitive transitional phrases. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the lack of a complete concluding thought hinders the overall flow and logical progression of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic description, featuring terms like 'mean monthly variations', 'decreasing trend', and 'sudden recovery'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'price percentage of the copper metal', 'on the May' instead of 'in May', and 'price of metal was observed'. Less common vocabulary is attempted but often inaccurate, and spelling and word-form slips ('fo nickel metal', 'october') further restrict the lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is low. There are frequent errors in article usage ('in beginning of the year', 'on the May'), prepositions ('in october', 'on price'), and sentence boundaries, compounded by the text cutting off entirely at the end. Subject-verb agreement and capitalization are also inconsistent (e.g., missing spaces after periods, lowercase 'october'). These persistent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.
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