Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-12

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 given graph shows information about change in the prices of copper, nickel and zinc during 2014.

In general, it can be clearly seen that the price of nickel change in the highest amount in the initial year and zinc had the lowest price.

Looking at the graph in more detail, price of nickel experienced 6% of change in January and it continuously decreased over the year. In the last month it experienced 1% change. Price of copper was 2% in initial year and this trend follows fluctuation. In November, the price experienced 0.5% and gradually increased by 1%.

Moving to the next metal, zinc experienced the lowest price at 1%. The price was increased by 2% and it decreased continuously. In October, its price was about -1% and then increased from -1% to 2%. It is experienced that nickel has highest change in its price in January and zind has highest change in its price in last month.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three metals and include several relevant figures, such as nickel’s 6% rise in January and its 1% change in December. However, the overview is unclear and partly inaccurate: nickel did not decrease continuously, since it rose from about -1% in October to 1% in November, while copper also fluctuated rather than following a single trend. The claim that zinc had the “lowest price” is not a clear summary of the monthly percentage changes, and its highest change was not in December; nickel and zinc both reached their highest values in January. Several important features, especially the metals’ mid-year falls and late-year recoveries, are only briefly or inaccurately described. Select the main trends and compare them more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a general statement and separate paragraphs describing the metals. This gives the reader an overall route through the information, and phrases such as “Looking at the graph in more detail” and “Moving to the next metal” signal transitions. However, progression within the descriptions is sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the copper account jumps from its January figure to November and then to an increase, without clearly identifying the December endpoint. The final sentence repeats earlier claims rather than drawing the comparisons together, and “It is experienced that” does not connect ideas naturally. Organise the details in clear time periods or compare the metals’ shared rises and falls, using references that make each trend easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “change,” “decreased,” “increased” and “fluctuation,” and the metal names and percentage figures are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or awkward for describing a line graph. “Lowest price” does not accurately describe the lowest monthly percentage change, while “experienced 6% of change” and “this trend follows fluctuation” are unnatural collocations. The spelling “zind” also weakens accuracy, and repeated use of “price” and “change” makes the account less precise. Use graph-specific terms consistently, such as “monthly price change,” “rose,” “fell” and “recovered,” and choose wording that distinguishes a percentage change from the actual price level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and most of the intended meaning can be understood. However, some errors in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “the price of nickel change” should use a past-tense verb, and “the price was increased by 2%” uses an unsuitable passive construction for a trend that rose. In “It is experienced that nickel has highest change,” the tense and article use are problematic, and the sentence structure is awkward. There are also missing articles in phrases such as “price of copper” and “in initial year.” Practise describing completed data consistently in the past tense, and check subject–verb agreement and articles when revising.

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