Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-03

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 illustrates the change in the prices of copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014.

Overall, nickel experienced a massive fall with fluctuation throughout the period, while copper showed a slight fall. Whereas, zinc was the only metal that showed a upward trend.

Nickel had the highest percentage with 6% in january, before falling to 1% in march. The figure remained stable until next month. After that, it gradually fell to 0.5% in may, before a drastic fall to -3% in following month. The figure showed a slight upward trend in july and then remained unchanged until september with -1%. However, the trend again fell to -2 in october, before a marginal rise to 1% and remained stable until last month. Following by copper, accounted for 2% in the first month then showed a fluctuation trend throughout the year, reaching 1.5% in the last month.

Regarding to zinc, it recorded 1% in the first month, before rising to 3% in the next month. Followed by that, the trend declined by 4%, reaching -1 in june, before a slight increase to -0.5% in july and maintained the same trend untill september, subsequently fell to -1 in october berore rising to 2% in the last month.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response covers all three metals presented in the graph, attempting to give a summary of their price movements throughout 2014. However, the overview contains notable inaccuracies; for example, the statement that nickel experienced a 'massive fall with fluctuation' while copper showed a 'slight fall' misrepresents the actual data where copper ended the year higher, and zinc was not the only metal showing an upward trend overall. Furthermore, some data points are misread or poorly described, such as the claim that zinc 'declined by 4%' down to -1 in June. The details provided are often limited and lack clear support or comparison between the series, leading to an uneven treatment of the visual information. To reach a higher level, the overview needs to accurately capture the main overall trends without factual contradictions, and data points should be reported with greater precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure dividing the introduction, overview, and body paragraphs for each metal. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and faulty. For instance, transitional phrases like 'Whereas, zinc was the only metal...' and 'Followed by that' are used incorrectly or awkwardly. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the dangling clause 'Following by copper, accounted for...' where the subject is missing. While paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate ideas, the logical progression between sentences within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward cohesive devices. To improve, you should use logical connectors more naturally and ensure that every sentence has a clear subject referencing the correct data series.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items related to trends such as 'fluctuation', 'drastic fall', and 'marginal rise'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'showed a upward trend' (should be 'an upward trend'), 'highest percentage with 6%' (percentages are not the unit on the y-axis), and 'fluctuation trend'. There are also minor spelling and punctuation slips, such as 'january' (uncapitalized) and 'berore'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the response to a moderate band. To achieve a higher score, you need to use less common vocabulary with greater precision and maintain control over word forms and prepositions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting multi-clause sentences with temporal markers like 'before falling to 1% in march'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include missing articles ('in january', 'in march'), incorrect preposition use ('with -1%', 'in the following month' vs 'in following month'), and incomplete clauses ('Following by copper, accounted for...'). Complex structures are often slightly faulty or strained. Although these errors rarely impede overall communication, they persist throughout the text. To improve your grammatical range and accuracy, focus on subject-verb agreement, proper article usage with months and percentages, and ensuring every sentence is grammatically complete.

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

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