Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-21
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 5.5)
The graph illustartes the average monthly change in the cost of three metals during 2014.
Overall, all three meatls face continue fluctuations in the year 2014 and none of the metals reached the point where it was in the start of the year.
Copper starts with 2% in the month of january and showed constant decline till june. It rose again from july than again dropped slightly in september till november and increased in the end of the year in december and reached near to 2%.
Nickle whch starts at 6% n the start of the year also showed significant fall till march at 1% and from the following month it sharply dropped in the month of june at -3%. It rose again from july remain constant for three months and again slightly dropped begore reaching at 1% in the month of december. Zinc in the january was at 1% and icreased in the next month at 3% and from the month of march it fell constantly till june. After that, it remain constant for three months and showed growth from november till december and reached at 2%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student covers all parts of the task by reporting the main features and trends of the three metals throughout 2014, and makes appropriate comparisons. An overview is provided, noting that all three metals experienced continuous fluctuations and finished below their starting points. However, there are some inaccuracies in reporting specific data points; for instance, the student states that copper started with 2% in January and showed a constant decline till June, whereas the chart shows it fell from 2% to 1% in February, 0.5% in March and April, and then -0.5% in May and June. Similarly, descriptions of nickel and zinc contain minor misreadings of the exact monthly values. Despite these minor discrepancies, the overall trends are captured adequately.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement, divided into an introduction, an overview paragraph, and a detailed body paragraph. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak as the entire body of data is condensed into a single, dense paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'After that', and 'from the following month', but referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or repetitive ('and... and... and'). Logical progression is visible as the student moves chronologically through the year, but the lack of paragraph division for individual metals or clear grouping makes navigation slightly difficult.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words and phrases such as 'fluctuations', 'constant decline', and 'significant fall'. However, there are several spelling errors ('illustartes', 'meatls', 'Nickle', 'whch', 'icreased', 'begore') and minor word choice issues (e.g., 'cost of three metals' instead of 'prices'). Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and some inaccuracies, though communication of the main trends is not impeded. Repetition of basic verbs like 'showed', 'rose', and 'dropped' is noticeable.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though many sentences are run-on structures joined by coordinating conjunctions like 'and' (e.g., 'It rose again from july than again dropped slightly in september till november and increased in the end of the year...'). There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with preposition usage ('in the start' instead of 'at the start'), capitalization ('january', 'july'), spelling of time markers, and tense consistency ('Copper starts... and showed...'). Punctuation is also weak, with run-on sentences lacking appropriate comma splices or full stops. These errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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