Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 average monthly percentage changes in the prices of copper , nickel and zinc in 2014 compared with the previous month.

Overall, the prices of all three metals were fluctuated throughout the year. Nickel experienced the most significant changes, while copper showed relativly smaller fluctulation .By the end of the year , the prices of all three metals had increased slightly.

At the begning of the year nickel recorded the highest monthly change, at approximately 6 % . However , this figure fell sharply to 4% in February and then dropped to around 1 % in March.

Meanwhile, zinc increaed from about 1% in january to 3 % in february and gradualy declining over the following months . Copper started from 2% and fell steadily to below zero by May.

In the middle of the year , all the three metals experiencesd negative changes at diffrent points. Nickel saw the sharpest fall , reaching its lowest level around june. On the other hand coper , remained stable at around 0.5% durring the first few months before falling slightly below zero.

Towards the end the end of the year , the prices began to recover . By December , zinc reached approxemately 1.5% while copper and nickel also showed a positive changes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main overall pattern: nickel changes most sharply, copper varies less, and the metals recover towards year-end. Several relevant figures support this, including nickel at about 6% in January and 4% in February, and zinc rising from roughly 1% to 3% in February. However, some key details are incomplete or inaccurate. Copper falls below zero in May, but the response says it “fell steadily” without explaining its later recovery. Nickel’s low point is around June, correctly noted, but the account omits its rebound in November and December. The overview’s claim that all three metals “had increased slightly” by year-end is vague, and zinc actually ends highest at about 2%, not 1.5%. Select and compare the main turning points more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, an overview and paragraphs describing the beginning, middle and end of the year. Time markers such as “At the beginning,” “In the middle of the year” and “Towards the end” help the reader follow the chronology. However, progression is not consistently clear because some information is repeated: copper’s early stability and subsequent fall are mentioned in more than one paragraph. Comparisons between the metals are also limited, so the account can feel like separate observations rather than a connected summary. Some linking phrases, including “On the other hand,” do not establish a clear contrast in context. Grouping the metals by shared trends and using more precise comparisons would make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-appropriate language, including “percentage changes,” “recorded the highest,” “fell sharply” and “recover,” which helps describe movement in the graph. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-form errors are noticeable, such as “relativly,” “fluctulation,” “begning,” “increaed” and “gradualy.” Some expressions are also imprecise or awkward: “prices … were fluctuated” and “showed a positive changes” do not express the intended meaning naturally. Repetition of basic verbs such as “fell” and “showed” further limits flexibility. Build a more accurate set of trend terms—such as “declined,” “rebounded” and “remained stable”—and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “Meanwhile” and a time clause beginning “By December.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur across sentence structures and verb forms. For example, “all three metals were fluctuated” uses an incorrect passive construction; write “all three metals fluctuated.” In “all the three metals experiencesd negative changes,” the verb does not agree with the plural subject and should be “experienced.” The phrase “copper and nickel also showed a positive changes” has a number-agreement error, while punctuation spacing is inconsistent. More reliable control of past-tense verbs, articles and singular/plural forms, alongside careful sentence proofreading, would improve accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.