Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the monthly change in the prices of three metals including copper, nickel and zinc in 2014.

Overall, nickel accounted for the highest percentage change in price, while the figure for zinc experienced less percentage. In contrast, copper depicted the almost stable change in percentage with a slight fluctuation towards the end of the period.

Looking at the graph in more detail, the figure shared by zinc was 1% in January, rose to 3% in February, dropping continuously and dramatic fall is observed almost -1% in June and become levelled off for three months and surged at 2% towards the end of the year. The trend for copper started around 2% in January, falling steadily and remained stable from July to September almost 1% before climbing to almost 1.8% in December.

A notable result was shown by nickel approximately 6% in January, fall continuously to 1% in March, again a dramatic fall is observed stood at -3% in June and become plateaued from July to September at -1% before recovering to 1% towards the end of the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You provide a clear overview, identifying nickel as the most volatile metal and copper as comparatively stable, and you report several key turning points accurately: nickel falls from about 6% to -3%, while zinc rises early and ends higher. This covers the main features, but some comparisons and details are less fully developed. For example, the overview says zinc experienced “less percentage” without specifying that it also moved into negative territory, and the account of zinc’s decline does not clearly trace its intermediate values. Copper’s December figure is given as almost 1.8%, whereas the graph indicates about 1.5%; this is a small discrepancy. To strengthen the response, compare the metals directly at shared points and describe the overall contrast between their movements more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a summary of the main patterns, and separate detail on zinc, copper and nickel. The sequence is easy to follow, and phrases such as “Overall” and “Looking at the graph in more detail” help signal the stages of the report. However, the body paragraphs are organised by metal rather than by shared periods, so comparisons between the series are limited. Some linking within sentences is also awkward, as in “rose to 3% in February, dropping continuously and dramatic fall is observed.” Use clearer sentence boundaries and connect related changes with accurate transitions. Grouping the early rise, mid-year decline and late recovery across the metals would create stronger progression and more flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “steadily,” “plateaued,” and “recovering,” and the reader can generally understand the trends you describe. There are also attempts at more formal reporting language. Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “the figure for zinc experienced less percentage” is unclear, “the figure shared by zinc” is not idiomatic, and “dramatic fall is observed” is an awkward way to report a past trend. “Become levelled off” also does not express the change naturally. Aim for precise collocations used in graph descriptions, such as “the percentage change for zinc,” “fell sharply,” and “remained stable.” This would make the account more fluent and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, several sentences contain errors in verb form, tense consistency or sentence construction. For example, “rose to 3% in February, dropping continuously and dramatic fall is observed” combines incompatible structures, while “fall continuously to 1%” and “become plateaued” do not use the appropriate past-tense forms. The sentence about copper also needs a clearer grammatical link between “falling steadily” and “remained stable.” These issues make some sentences difficult to process, despite the clear overall message. Practise writing complete past-tense clauses, checking that each verb has a subject, and using punctuation to separate successive stages of a trend.

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.