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 line graph below illustrates the average monthly change in the prices of three metals during 2014.

Overall, the line garph illustrates that the price of Nickel experienced a heavy downfall in begining few months and almost touched the bottom but then it started slightly rose.Wheres, the price of Zinc & Copper were in the similar level at the end of the year.

In January, the Nickel has the highest percentage of change in price which was 6% however, it suddenly dropped from febraury and touched negative percentage which was -3% in June then from July it started slightly rose and reached to 1% at December.

Zinc was slightly rosed in January but after febraury it dramatically droped from 3% to -1% in June after June it slightly increased and peaked at 2% in December where as, Copper has a silimar graph pattern like Nickel, Copper also gradually dropped from january to June and started slightly rose after June at touched almost similar level to Zinc which was almost 2%. Consequently, at December Zinc has the highest percentage changed in price compared with other metals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main movements and make relevant comparisons, including nickel’s sharp fall to about -3% in June and the metals’ recovery towards year-end. The overview identifies nickel’s early decline and notes that copper and zinc finish at similar levels, while the final sentence correctly identifies zinc as highest in December. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: nickel did not “almost touch[] the bottom,” since its lowest point was around -3%, and copper’s pattern is not similar to nickel’s overall; it stayed close to zero and rose modestly after June. The account also gives limited attention to nickel’s very high January figure and zinc’s early peak. More precise selection and development of these comparisons would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the metals’ changes. The sequence from January through December is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “however,” “then,” and “Consequently” help connect points. Some connections are mechanical or unclear, particularly the long final sentence, which shifts from zinc to copper and back to zinc without a clean separation. “Whereas” is also used awkwardly to introduce the copper comparison, and the overview’s “Whereas” fragment does not form a clear contrast. Use separate sentences to group the metals’ trends and make comparisons explicit; this would improve progression and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “dropped,” “negative,” “peaked,” and “increased,” so the main trends can be understood. There is some variety in how you describe movement, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “heavy downfall,” “slightly rose,” “slightly rosed,” and “dramatically droped.” Spelling errors such as “garph,” “begining,” “febraury,” and “silimar” are noticeable, and “similar level” is imprecise when describing the metals’ year-end figures. Aim for accurate collocations and forms such as “fell sharply,” “rose slightly,” and “ended at a comparable level.” This would make the description more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a contrast with “however” and a time clause beginning “after June.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries are frequent enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “the Nickel has the highest percentage” uses an unsuitable tense and article, while “it started slightly rose” should use a gerund or infinitive after “started.” The final sentence is a run-on, joining several comparisons with commas and “where as.” Practise past-tense reporting and divide long comparisons into shorter, correctly punctuated sentences.

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

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