Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The graph provides information on the average monthly change in the prices of three metals such as Copper, Nickel and Zinc during the year 2014.

Overall, Nickel had the highest percentage in the year 2014 and ended with the lowest, Zinc also significantly fluctuated but recovered and as for Copper it relatively experienced less dramatic dips over the year as compared to rest. the main trends in the graph clearly show that all three metals plummeted in the month of June, before leveling off in between the months of June till September. All metals managed to increase back again in the month of November following a fall in the previous month.

Looking closely, Nickel started with 6% change in price in January before plummeting to 0.7 point in May, and soon taking a sharp decline in June at -3%.This pattern is similarly seen in Copper as well, which started at 2% in January, after which it gradually declined in the range of -1 to 1% over February till June. On the other hand, Zinc rose from 1% to 3% in February, however it also took a steady decline over the course of February till May to 1%, after which it fell at -1% in the month of June. All the metals showcase a drastic declining pattern in the month of June, however Nickel fell the lowest percentage.

There is a relatively consistent percentage record over the months of July till September for all metals. Nickel surged from -3% to -1 and Copper climbed from -1.8% to 1%, while Zinc fell significantly, it gained stability a month earlier then rest at -1% after the fall.

Lastly, all metals had a slight dip in the month of October with Nickel at -2%, Copper at 0.7%, and Zinc at -1% before sharply rising at 1.8% in November. The rest of the metals rose as well, however Zinc had the highest percentage at the end of the year and Copper right below it at 1.9%. Nickel however leveled off after reaching 1% in November.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the three metals and provide an overview of their broad patterns, including nickel’s sharp fall, the June downturn, and the recovery towards year-end. These are relevant features, and you make some useful comparisons, such as noting that nickel reached the lowest point in June. However, several details are inaccurate or unclear: copper was around -0.5% in June, not -1.8%, and it rose to about 1% from July to September; in October it was about 0.5%, not 0.7%. The claim that all metals “plummeted” in June also overstates copper’s modest decline. Your overview says nickel “ended with the lowest,” although zinc finished highest and nickel and copper both ended near 1.5%. More precise selection and reporting of the key figures would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the earlier and later months. Time-based sequencing helps the reader follow the graph, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Lastly” signal shifts between points. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, with repeated references to “the month of” and “all metals,” and some connections are difficult to follow. For example, the sentence about zinc gaining stability “a month earlier then rest” is unclear, while the overview’s claim that nickel ended lowest conflicts with the final paragraph. Grouping the metals by shared phases and using clearer references would make the progression more consistent and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for describing trends, including “declined,” “recovered,” “fluctuated,” “surged,” and “leveled off.” These choices generally communicate the graph’s movements, and some less common terms add variety. At times, however, word choice or collocation is imprecise: “highest percentage” is unclear when you mean the greatest monthly change, and “percentage record” is not a natural description of the figures. “Plummeted” and “drastic declining pattern” also exaggerate relatively small movements for copper. Repeated phrases such as “in the month of” and “over the course of” limit flexibility. Aim for precise trend language and distinguish a price level from a percentage change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “before,” “which,” and “however” to compare trends. Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors reduce control. The overview begins a new sentence with lowercase “the,” and “Zinc also significantly fluctuated but recovered and as for Copper…” joins ideas awkwardly. There is missing spacing after the full stop in “-3%.This,” and the sentence beginning “while Zinc fell significantly” has an unclear clause structure. Comparisons such as “earlier then rest” also need a correctly formed comparative construction. Review sentence boundaries, capitalization, and clause linking, while retaining the range of sentence forms you are attempting.

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