Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-14

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 illustrates the avarage monthly shifts in the costs of three metals,copper,nickel and zinc in percentage during the year 2014.As seen,nickel has been leading in the first two months ,but both are showing shifting trends all through the season.

Nickel prices experienced a dip in July of about negative four but at the end of the year that is in the last two month had a constant rate of 1%.On the other side copper has shown a steady decline to the fifth month followed by a rise and closed the with more than one and a half percentage increase.

As for zinc there is a significant increase of 2% from January to february,and then a constant drop between and may and a further drop in June.At the closing of the year it is at 2% that precedes constant levels between the months of July,August and september.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the three metals and gives some relevant comparisons, including nickel’s high early figures and the metals’ later movements. However, coverage is very limited and several key details are inaccurate or unclear. Nickel’s lowest point was in June, at about −3%, not July at “negative four”; copper did not close above 1.5%, but at roughly 1.5%; and zinc’s year-end value was about 2%, while the claim that it then had constant levels in July–September reverses the chronology. There is no clear overview of the main pattern across the year, and the account omits important comparisons, such as the sharp mid-year falls and November recovery. The response is also three words below the required minimum. A concise overview and accurate selection of major trends would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall sequence: an introduction, followed by comments on nickel and copper, then zinc. Linking phrases such as “On the other side” and “As for zinc” help signal shifts between metals, so the information is not wholly disorganised. However, the progression within the descriptions is sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the zinc sentence moves from the year-end figure back to July–September, and “that precedes constant levels” makes the time relationship unclear. The opening overview is also vague rather than establishing the main pattern. Organise the body chronologically or describe each metal consistently from January to December, and use clearer references and transitions to make comparisons easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of vocabulary for describing a graph, including “dip,” “steady decline,” “significant increase,” and “constant.” These choices show some awareness of trend language, although several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for this task. “Costs” is less suitable than “prices,” and “shifting trends all through the season” is vague; “fluctuated throughout the year” would be clearer. “Closed the with” appears to be an unsuccessful word choice or typing error, while “constant drop” is not a natural collocation for a decline. There are also spelling and spacing slips, including “avarage” and “february.” Use precise terms such as “monthly percentage change,” “fell,” and “recovered,” and proofread spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “but,” “followed by,” and “as.” Meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors reduce clarity. The opening sentence runs several clauses together without spaces after commas, and “closed the with more than one and a half percentage increase” has a faulty construction. In “the last two month had a constant rate,” the plural noun and verb form do not agree, and “between and may” disrupts the sentence structure. The zinc sentence also uses an unclear relative clause in “that precedes constant levels.” Use complete, well-punctuated sentences, check singular and plural agreement, and make time relationships explicit. More accurate control of these structures would improve readability.

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