Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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 graph depcits the average changes in price in every month of three metals during the year of 2014. These three metals are copper which is represented by dots and dashes, Nickel which is in a dot intersected by a line, and zinc with a line and a cross.

The major fluctuation is seen in the average price of nickle, as it is shown that it started with the highest 6% in the month of january and it started droping the price every month by almost 2%. It hits the rockbottom in the month of june with -3% then slowly esclating by the start of july. Till september the average price is stable at -1% and by october it drops to -2% then it rose by the end of the year to 1%. On the other hand, the graph illustrates the steadiness in copper. The average price of copper starts at 2% and dips to -0.1% by the month of may to june. However, the prices begin to grow in the month of july by 1% and remained same till september. By the end of the year the average price was 1.5%. Zinc's average price showed a dramtical changes during the year of 2014. It started by 1% and increased by 3% in the month of febuary, then it started decending till the month of june by -1%. It slowly started recovering and remained steady on 0.1% till september and dipped again to -1%. Zinc's average price was 2% by the end of the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three metals and report several important movements, including nickel’s high starting point and June low, copper’s relative stability, and zinc’s rise at the end of the year. However, the response lacks a clear overview that summarises the main pattern across all three series. Some details are inaccurate: nickel rises to 1% in November, not only by year-end; copper is about -0.5% in May and June, rather than -0.1%; and zinc is around -0.5% from July to September, not 0.1%. The claim that nickel drops by almost 2% every month also overstates the regularity of its decline. A concise overview and more precise selection of key comparisons would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged in a generally understandable sequence: an introduction is followed by discussion of nickel, copper and zinc. This makes it easy to identify which metal each section concerns, and linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “However” help signal contrasts. However, the opening focuses on describing the graph’s symbols rather than giving an overview, and the body reads mainly as a series of separate descriptions. Some transitions are awkward or unclear, such as “then slowly escalating by the start of July” and “It slowly started recovering.” Grouping the metals’ shared mid-year decline and year-end recovery would create clearer progression and more effective comparisons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of trend vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “stable,” “dips,” “recovering” and “remained same,” so the main movements are usually understandable. There are also attempts at more descriptive expressions, such as “rockbottom” and “dramatically changes,” but some are informal, misspelled or imprecise for an academic report. Spelling errors include “depcits,” “nickle,” “droping,” “esclating” and “febuary”; these are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Some collocations are also unnatural, for example “started droping the price” and “increased by 3%” where the intended meaning is that the figure reached 3%. Use precise verbs such as “fell,” “reached” and “recovered,” and check spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, using clauses introduced by “as,” “then” and “however,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. Some sentence patterns are controlled, such as “The average price of copper starts at 2% and dips…” However, errors in verb forms, articles and sentence construction remain noticeable. For example, “it started droping the price every month” has an awkward grammatical pattern, while “Zinc's average price showed a dramtical changes” has a singular/plural mismatch. “Till september the average price is stable” also shifts tense within a past-year report. Keep the past tense consistent and check agreement and article use when revising longer sentences.

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