Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-17

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 provided line graph illustrates information about the shifts in the cost of various metals in 2014.

Overall, what stands out from the graph is that there were downward trends in prices of nickel and copper, while the cost of zinc experienced a negligible upward trend. Furthermore, the price of nickel hit the peak in January which was then overtaken by zinc by the end of 2014.

Regarding the change in the cost of nickel, it started at 6% in January, by which it drastically dropped to -3% in the middle of the year. Following this, the price of zinc levelled off after having a three percent increase to -1%, til September. After that, it witnessed a fluctuation between -1 and 1 before having become stable at 1%.

With respect to copper, the change in the cost initiated at 2% in the first month of 2014, at the point which it fluctuated and then became constant at 1% til September. Afterwards, the shift in the price of copper climbed back to nearly 2%, despite a gradual fall before that.

By contrast, the change in the cost of zinc saw a slight growth, starting at 1% in January, which then considerably rise to 3% in the following month. Before levelling off at -0.5% til September like other metals did, the shilf in the cost of zinc saw both a gradual decline and fluctuation from February to June. Finally, it rose to 2%, despite unstable changes during the last four months.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main metals and report several important movements, including nickel’s high starting point and sharp mid-year fall, copper’s relatively small changes, and zinc’s rise at the end. However, the overview is not fully accurate: copper does not show an overall downward trend, and zinc’s increase is more than negligible. The comparison that zinc overtook nickel at year-end is also incorrect, as both finish at about 1% for nickel and 2% for zinc. Some details are confused, particularly the sentence describing nickel as “the price of zinc” and the claim that copper climbed to nearly 2%. To strengthen the response, give a precise overview and check each series’ figures and trends before comparing them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs discussing the metals. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression is weakened by inaccurate or unclear references, especially “the price of zinc” in the paragraph about nickel, and by repeated descriptions of the same period. Linking phrases such as “Following this,” “After that,” and “Finally” help signal sequence, but some are used where the relationship is not clear. The paragraph about zinc also contains a long sequence of events that is difficult to follow. Grouping the metals by shared patterns—such as the mid-year falls and year-end recovery—and using clearer references would make the organisation more coherent.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “drastically dropped,” “levelled off,” “fluctuation,” and “gradual decline.” These choices show an effort to avoid basic repetition. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the cost of various metals,” “the price … hit the peak,” and “the shift in the cost.” “Negligible upward trend” also misrepresents zinc’s movement, while “shilf” is a spelling error. These issues sometimes make the intended trend less precise. Prefer standard chart language such as “price change,” “reached a peak,” and “rose,” and check spelling and collocations when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning “while,” “which,” and “despite,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, but they do not usually prevent the reader from following the account. For example, “which then considerably rise” has an incorrect verb form, and “at the point which it fluctuated” uses an unsuitable relative construction. In “before having become stable,” the verb pattern is awkward, while the long sentence beginning “Before levelling off” makes the sequence of clauses difficult to control. Aim for simpler, well-formed trend sentences and check tense, verb agreement, and relative clauses during revision.

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