Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-02

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 following graph illustrates the common monthly shift in the prices of three metals during 2014.

Overall, all the three metals are fluctuating through out the year nickel being the most popular whereas, the copper is observed to be at the lowest. The x-axis shows the months mean while the y-axis indicates the percentages.

In more detail, Nickel is on the top list with 6% in the initial month of the year. On the contrast, zinc and copper has a slight difference of 1% in the same month. Nickel shows a sudden delcine of 2% in the month of february dropping from 6% to 4% respectively. Zinc shows a spike of 2% in the next month where as, a moderate decrease is noticed in copper.All the three metals has a further drop in the month of march. Furthermore, the copper and nickel remained constant in April whereas, a slight downfall is shown in zinc. All the three metals had a steady difference in percentages in the month of May. On the other hand, a dramatic change is observed in the next 30 days between all the three metals where a rapid drop is noticed in nickel specifically. Further fluctuation is witnessed among the three metals and they remained at plateau for consecutive two months. Furthermore, a dive is shown in the month of october where nickel holds -2%, zinc is -1% and copper is between 0-1%. Moreover, zinc and nickel percentage grows reaching 1% high in nickel and half a percentage high in zinc whereas, copper remained steady. The month of december shows nickel to be stable and a gradual boom is observed in zinc and copper, all the three percentages remained within 0-2.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student attempts to summarise the overall trends and mentions all three metals across various months, some of the descriptions are inaccurate or poorly supported by the visual data. For instance, the statement that nickel shows a 'sudden delcine of 2% in the month of february dropping from 6% to 4%' misinterprets the graph where nickel actually moves from 6% to 4%. Furthermore, some trends are under-developed or described in a confusing manner, such as the claim that 'all the three metals has a further drop in the month of march', whereas zinc and copper actually rose. The overview provided in the second paragraph is also vague, describing the metals as 'popular' rather than focusing on economic or pricing trends. To reach a higher level, the student must ensure that data points are reported accurately and that key features, such as overall peaks and troughs, are clearly and correctly highlighted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response maintains a coherent overall arrangement and follows a chronological sequence through the year, which helps the reader follow the general narrative. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. The student relies on repetitive transition words like 'Furthermore' and 'Moreover' to link sentences, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as abrupt shifts between subjects without adequate signposting. Paragraphing is also under-utilised, as the body of the text is compressed into a single, dense block of sentences rather than being broken down into logical groupings of months or trends. To improve, the student should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices, avoid repetitive connectors, and structure the response into distinct, readable paragraphs that clearly separate the overview from detailed body descriptions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but the range is limited and contains noticeable errors in word choice and collocations. For example, describing the metals as 'the most popular' is inappropriate for commodity pricing data. There are also spelling errors ('delcine' instead of 'decline') and awkward phrasing such as 'common monthly shift' or 'remain at plateau'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'dramatic change', 'rapid drop', and 'gradual boom', but these are occasionally misapplied. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to use a more precise range of vocabulary related to data analysis and trends, eliminate basic spelling mistakes, and ensure that words are collocated correctly in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic subject-verb patterns. When the student attempts more complex structures, errors frequently occur. There are notable issues with subject-verb agreement and plurals, such as 'all the three metals has' and 'zinc and copper has a slight difference', as well as punctuation and preposition errors within grammatical patterns. Although these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to cause some difficulty for the reader. To progress to a higher band, the student must incorporate a greater variety of complex sentence forms with accurate control, paying closer attention to grammatical agreement, verb forms, and the correct use of singular and plural nouns.

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

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