Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-10

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 illustrates the percentage of the value of the copper, nickel, and zinic in 2014.

Overall, it is clear that the proportion of the metal prices decreased considerably throught the given period. Copper experienced the surged changed. This is followed by zinc,while nickel had smallest change among all three categories.

In January, the proportion of copper price accounted for 6%, before falling at -3% in June, than rose modestly at 1% towards the end of the period. Subsequently, the figure for zinc stood at 1%, before peaking up at 3% in Feburary, and than dropping at -1%, before climbing at 2% in December.

By contrast, nickel recorded 2% in january and just dropped little to 2% in december, However, a noticeable changed were obsereved in copper -1%, zinic aproximately -0.5%, and nicket at 1% respectively, which remained identical from june to september. Whereas, the shares of zinc larger than copper and nickel reported in december.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response makes an attempt to describe the graph and includes some relevant figures, such as zinc rising to about 3% in February and ending at 2% in December. However, several central details are misreported: copper begins at about 2%, not 6%, and its lowest point is around -0.5% in May and June, not -3% in June. The overview is also inaccurate: nickel shows the greatest fluctuation, while copper changes least overall; the claim that prices generally decreased does not capture the recovery in the final months. The account selects some data but does not reliably identify the main patterns or compare the series, so the task is addressed only minimally. Focus on accurate overall trends before adding figures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it attempts to group information by metal. This gives the reader some sense of organisation. However, progression is difficult to follow because comparisons shift abruptly: the final paragraph moves from nickel to changes in copper, zinc and nickel, then back to December. Connectors such as “However,” “Whereas” and “Subsequently” are sometimes used in ways that do not clearly show the relationship between ideas. Some references, including “the figure” and “which,” are also unclear. Organise the details in a consistent sequence—such as early-year movements, mid-year lows and year-end recovery—and use linking words only where the relationship is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

There is some task-related vocabulary, including “peaking,” “falling,” “climbing” and “recorded,” and the response attempts to describe changes rather than simply list figures. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning difficult to interpret. For example, “the proportion of the metal prices” and “Copper experienced the surged changed” do not express the intended trends naturally; “zinic,” “Feburary” and “obsereved” also show spelling errors. Use precise terms such as “monthly price change,” “fluctuated” and “reached a low,” and check spelling carefully. More accurate, varied language would make the comparisons clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex sentences using “before,” “while” and “whereas,” but these structures are often faulty, and simple sentence patterns dominate. Errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence boundaries occur frequently. For instance, “a noticeable changed were obsereved” has problems with both the noun form and subject–verb agreement, while “before falling at -3%, than rose” does not form a correct sequence of clauses. The sentence beginning “However, a noticeable changed…” is also difficult to parse because several clauses and figures are joined without clear punctuation. Practise building accurate sentences with one clear comparison at a time, then combine them using correctly formed subordinate clauses.

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

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