Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-28

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 6.0)

The provided graph illustrates the monthly average cost fluctuations of 3 types of metal in 2014.

Overall, NIckel can be seen with the most changes throughout the year, while zinc kept on decreasing constanly for almost all the time. Copper was by far the most stable on. The prices are compared in percentage with the previous years.

Looking firslty at nickel, It was dominating in january with 6% increase in cost. However, it saw a dramatical decline till june where it reached an all time low price of -3%. After that it grew slightly and kept constant at -1% till september, whereas it dropped marginally but saw an increase reaching 1% by the end of the year. Zinc was thrice as low as compared to nickel sitting at 1% at the start of the year. It saw an increase in price but kept on declining constantly after that and hit its lowest in june at -1%. Furthermore, it had a slight increase and kept constant at 0.5% but dropped to -1% in october. After that it had an upsurge reaching 2% by december.

Lastly, the copper had the most consistent price changes out of all 3 metals, while it started at 2% and kept on falling to almost -0.5% in june. It grew and kept constant till september with 1% and than got a small decrease in october. However, it increase significantly to almost 1.5% in december.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student covers all three metals presented in the graph and attempts to highlight their main trends and overall fluctuations throughout 2014. An overview is provided at the beginning, noting that nickel experienced the most changes, zinc steadily decreased for most of the period, and copper was the most stable. However, there are several inaccurate readings of the graph's data. For instance, the student states that zinc 'kept on decreasing constantly for almost all the time', whereas the graph shows zinc increasing significantly in February and March, and rising again towards the end of the year. Similarly, the description of copper's trends contains inaccuracies regarding its starting point and trajectory. While the task is addressed and key features are selected, the factual inaccuracies in reporting the data prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged into four clear paragraphs, featuring an introduction, an overall summary, and individual body paragraphs for the metals. Progression is generally logical, starting with general observations before delving into specific details. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'Lastly', although some transitions are a bit mechanical or imprecise (e.g., 'than got a small decrease'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the information, but referencing is occasionally unclear, which slightly detracts from the overall flow and logical progression of the analysis.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'fluctuations', 'dramatical decline' (though unidiomatic), 'upsurge', and 'consistent'. However, there are notable lexical and collocational errors throughout the text, such as 'NIckel can be seen with the most changes' instead of 'experienced the most volatility', 'dramatical' instead of 'dramatic', and referencing 'previous years' instead of the 'previous month' as indicated in the prompt. Spelling is generally acceptable, but word choice inaccuracies limit the score to a 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and comparative forms. However, grammatical control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization (e.g., 'NIckel', 'january'), and verb tense consistency. There are also awkward phrasing choices and run-on structures, such as 'After that it grew slightly and kept constant at -1% till september, whereas it dropped marginally...' where 'whereas' is used incorrectly for sequential time. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to restrict the score to a 5.5.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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