Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The line graph represents the average monthly change in the prices of three metals during 2014.

Overall, all three metal price fluctuated in whole period and overtook each other. they were remain steady at same period. Nickle and zinc both prices had reached there lowest point in June. Zinc had highest price in end who had the lowest price in starting.

In January nickel price stood at 6%, copper at 2% and zinc at 1%.Nickel price rapidly fell until march and bottomed out in June at -3%. Nickel sharply increased -3 to -1 in june to july , after July remained steady until September. Nickle price fluctuated during September to November and remained steady at 1% across November to December.

copper price fluctuated until July and over took both metals in June. copper price remained steady at 1% in June to September, after that fluctuated and reached 1.5% in December. Zinc price reached at 3% in February after that overtook both metal in march and reached its lowest point at -1 in June. Its price remained steady at -0.5 in July to September. Zinc price sharply rose and reached at 2% in December which was the highest in end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student covers all three metals and attempts to report key features and comparisons across the year 2014, fulfilling the basic requirements of Task 1. An overview is attempted at the beginning of the second paragraph, mentioning fluctuations and low points, but it lacks clarity and precision. Some data points are inaccurately reported or misinterpreted (for instance, stating that nickel sharply increased from -3 to -1 in June to July when the graph shows -3 in June and -1 in July, or describing zinc as having the highest price in the end while misreading other values). Key trends such as the overall trajectory are partially obscured by minor factual inaccuracies and a lack of a cohesive summary. Therefore, the response aligns best with Band 5.5 to 6.0, showing a generalized attempt that falls short of fully well-developed reporting.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs dedicated to specific data details. However, the progression within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed due to abrupt transitions and missing cohesive devices. Referencing and linking between sentences are sometimes faulty, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters or abruptly shifting from one metal to another without clear signposting. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow suffers from run-on descriptions and repetitive sentence structures. Overall cohesion is mechanical rather than fluid, placing this response firmly in the Band 5.5 territory.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for describing trends, such as 'fluctuated', 'fell', 'bottomed out', and 'sharply increased'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'Nickle' (misspelled), 'overtook' used loosely, and phrasing like 'had highest price in end who had the lowest price in starting'. Less common lexical items are attempted but often miscollocated or awkwardly expressed. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of lexical errors and limited precision prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is quite low. There are frequent errors with articles, capitalization, punctuation, and prepositions (e.g., 'the average monthly change in the prices', 'at same period', 'in end who had the lowest price', 'copper price fluctuated'). Subject-verb agreement and tense consistency also show persistent flaws, such as 'all three metal price fluctuated' and 'they were remain steady'. Complex structures are often faulty, and simple sentences dominate the error profile, though meaning remains partially clear despite the frequent errors.

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

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