Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-25
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 illustrates the mean monthly change in the market value of three metals which are copper, nickel and zinc throughout the peroid of one year in 2014.
Overall it is evident from the data, the nickel market value fluctuated considerably during whole year with the highest value in January and the lowest price in June.However, other two metal relatively showed steady change in their monthly marked price.
Starting up with nickle, as we can see in January the highest change of 6 % in market value with the decrease in coming months upto june where it's market value hit to the lowest of -3 % then we seen a rise in monthly value to 1 % in the month of November.
Coming up next is copper , it had highest monthly percentage change in January of 2 % which later on follow the same trend just like nickle and recorded lowest value in june just below 0 % . Lastly, zinc recorded highest change in market value in February of 3 % while it's market dropped to -1 % in the month of June and October.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The student successfully addresses the main features of the graph by reporting the monthly percentage changes for copper, nickel, and zinc throughout 2014. An overview is provided, noting that nickel fluctuated considerably while the other two metals showed relatively steady changes. However, there are a few inaccuracies in data reporting; for example, the student states that copper recorded its lowest value in June 'just below 0 %', whereas the transcription and graph show copper dipping to -0.5 % in May and June. Additionally, the overview and body paragraphs focus mainly on highs and lows rather than providing a fully comprehensive comparison across all months. Despite these minor data discrepancies, the response covers all parts of the task and presents a clear summary, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical progression, moving from an introductory sentence and overall trend to detailed descriptions of each metal in separate sections. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'Overall it is evident', 'Starting up with nickle', and 'Coming up next is copper'. However, paragraphing is somewhat weak, as the entire body of the text is lumped together or separated by poor paragraph breaks that do not conform to standard academic essay structure. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally mechanical or repetitive (e.g., 'Coming up next is copper'). These features place the response firmly in Band 6, where cohesion and paragraphing show noticeable faults.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'fluctuated considerably', 'percentage change', and 'market value'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'peroid' instead of 'period', 'nickle' and 'nickle' instead of 'nickel', 'other two metal' (missing plural 'metals'), and 'marked price' instead of 'market price'. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary but lacks precise control over spelling and collocation, which is characteristic of Band 5, though the vocabulary remains minimally adequate to convey the general meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The graph illustrates the mean monthly change... throughout the peroid of one year in 2014' and 'as we can see in January the highest change of 6 % in market value with the decrease in coming months upto june'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, including missing subjects or verbs (e.g., 'then we seen a rise' instead of 'then we saw a rise' or 'there was a rise'), punctuation errors (missing commas before conjunctions), and capitalization mistakes. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of errors prevents the text from achieving a Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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