Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-27
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 demostrates the average monthly change in the prices of three metals copper, nickel and zinc during the period.
Overall, Nickel experienced greatest fluctuations. Nickel had the highest proportion for around 6% in january and had a gradual declined in june and surged to 1% in november as compared to prevoius months. Moreover, copper grow steadily during the whol period approximately 1.5% in january and slightly take off nickel in december around 2%.
Furthermore, zinc had the slightest proportion around 1% in starting month and remain stable during the period and over taking both the metals by 2% respectively. By comparing, all the three metals had a gradual increased and decreased in 2014.
To conclude, nickel become the highest proprtion owing to zinc and copper. But, all the three metals had a declined during the period.
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 response attempts to summarise the main features of the graph regarding the monthly percentage changes in the prices of copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014. However, there are several misinterpretations of the data, such as claiming that nickel had the highest proportion for around 6% in January (the chart shows percentage change, not proportion) and asserting that nickel had a declined in June when the chart shows -3%. Furthermore, the summary is under the required word count, containing 138 words against the 150-word minimum. This lack of full development and failure to meet the length requirement limits the score for this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The text is organised into four paragraphs, including a brief introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the logical progression is flawed due to confusing phrasing and inaccurate data references (e.g., 'the highest proportion' used repeatedly instead of percentage change or price movement). Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'By comparing'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the overall logical flow suffers from imprecise comparisons and unclear referencing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'fluctuations', 'gradual', 'declined', and 'surged'. However, there is a persistent misuse of vocabulary, notably using 'proportion' instead of 'percentage change' or 'rate'. There are also lexical errors such as 'demostrates' (demonstrates), 'prevoius' (previous), 'grow' (grew), and 'over taking' (overtaking). The range is adequate for basic description, but inaccuracies in word choice and spelling hinder precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are numerous grammatical errors, including tense inconsistencies (e.g., 'nickel had a gradual declined', 'copper grow steadily'), spelling errors ('demostrates', 'prevoius'), and awkward clause structures ('owing to zinc and copper'). Punctuation is generally basic. While the meaning is usually retrievable, the frequency of errors prevents the response from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.