Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-20

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 7.0)

The line graph shows the monthly percentage changes in the prices of copper, nickel and zinc during 2014, compared with the previous month.

Generally, all three metals experienced considerable fluctuation, through nickel showed the most dramatic movements. In addition, all three metals saw a decline during the middle part of the year, followed by a recovery towards December.

Nickel started the year with the sharpest increase, at approximately 6 per cent in January. However, the rise fell considerably over the following months, reaching its lowest point in June, at around -3 per cent. Afterwards, nickel showed a gradual recovery, reaching about 1 per cent by the end of the year.

Zinc, peaked in February a roughly 3 per cent, then decreased steadily. It stayed below zero from May until October, with its lowest value in June, before rising again in the final months.

Copper showed the least variation. Its changes mostly remained between -1and 2 per cent, and it was positive for much of the second half of the year.

Overall, nickel the most volatile of the three metals, while copper remained the most stable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response selects the main patterns and gives a clear overview: nickel is identified as the most volatile, copper as the most stable, and all three are described as recovering towards year-end. The key figures for nickel’s January peak and June low are accurate, as are zinc’s February peak and copper’s relatively narrow range. However, one detail is inaccurate: zinc was below zero from June through October, not from May, when it was still positive at about 1%. The account also generalises the metals’ mid-year decline without noting that copper’s fall was modest and began in May. More precise reporting of these distinctions would make an already well-focused summary more fully supported by the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The information is organised in a clear progression, moving from an overview to separate descriptions of nickel, zinc and copper, then returning to a concise comparison. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Afterwards” and “Overall” help readers follow the changes over time, and the paragraphing is appropriate. The final overview partly repeats the earlier statement that nickel was most dramatic, but this repetition is not disruptive. To make the progression even more polished, connect the individual metal descriptions more explicitly through direct comparisons—for example, contrast zinc’s recovery with nickel’s, or relate copper’s smaller movements to both. Overall, the organisation is logical and the cohesive devices are used flexibly, with only minor room to refine connections.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

There is a suitable range of trend vocabulary, including “considerable fluctuation,” “sharpest increase,” “gradual recovery,” “decline” and “least variation.” These choices communicate the main movements clearly and show some awareness of formal report style. A few expressions are less precise or natural: “the rise fell considerably” is awkward because the price change itself declined, and “Zinc, peaked” has an unnecessary pause that interrupts the phrase. “Stayed below zero” is understandable, though “recorded negative monthly changes” would be more exact. Greater precision in describing the direction and scale of changes, alongside more consistently natural collocations, would strengthen the vocabulary further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and more complex structures, including the overview sentence with “while” and the time sequence introduced by “However” and “Afterwards.” Most sentences are easy to understand, but several grammatical slips remain. In “through nickel showed,” the contrast requires “though”; “Zinc, peaked” has incorrect punctuation; and “Zinc, peaked in February a roughly 3 per cent” contains both an unnecessary comma and a faulty article construction. The final sentence also needs a verb: “Overall, nickel [was] the most volatile.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they show that control is not yet consistent. Proofreading sentence boundaries, articles and omitted verbs would improve accuracy while preserving the range already attempted.

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