Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

The graph is showing the average monthly change in prices of three metals during 2014.

There are 3 metals copper, nickel, and zinc.

Firstly Nickle, the highest percentage is 6 in January and it decreses simultaneously to 4 in february, in march it is at 1 and it remains same in april. After april, it goes slightly down to 0.5 percent in may and it decreases suddenly to -3 in june. Then it rise again to -1 in july and remain same till september. After september it goes down again to -2 in october and goes up to 1 in november and remain same in december.

Second is Copper, it starts from 2 in January and decreases after january to till june. Now going in details, the percentage is 1 in february, 0.5 in march and remain same in april, -0.5 in may and same in june. After june it increases a little bit from -0.5 to 1 and remain same till september but unfortunately it go again down to 0.5 in october and november and goes up again in november to 1 and remain same in december.

Third is Zinc, it starts from 1 in january and rises up at in february but it goes down from 3 to 2 in march and 1.5 in april and contineus decreasing till june at -1. After june it slightly rise to -0.5 and remain same in august and september, in october in goes slightly down to -1 and increases in november at 1.5 and in december it is at 2.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify all three metals and report many month-by-month movements, including nickel’s sharp fall to −3% in June and zinc’s recovery to 2% in December. However, the response mainly lists figures rather than selecting the most important features, and it lacks a clear overview of the overall pattern. Some details are inaccurate or contradictory: copper is said to rise to 1% after June and stay there through September, but the account then says it falls in October and November and rises again “in November”; the chart shows 0.5% in October and November, then 1.5% in December. Zinc’s February value is omitted, and its June value is reported as −1% only after an unclear phrase. A concise overview and more reliable comparisons are needed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic sequence, moving from nickel to copper and then zinc, and the repeated month-by-month order helps readers follow each metal. Paragraph breaks also separate the three descriptions. However, there is little overall progression from an overview to selected comparisons, and the repeated “Firstly,” “After,” and “Then” make the account feel mechanical. Some links are unclear: “After June it increases” does not immediately identify the metal, while the copper account repeats November and gives conflicting movements. Organise the report into an introduction, a brief overview, and two comparison-focused detail paragraphs, using clear references such as “the figure for copper” and avoiding repeated transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic trend vocabulary to communicate the main movements, including “decreases,” “remains same,” “increases,” and “slightly down.” The terms “percentage” and “metals” are relevant to the chart. However, the range is limited and repetitive, with “goes” and “down” used frequently, and several choices are imprecise or awkward, such as “decreases simultaneously” and “rises up.” Spelling errors such as “Nickle,” “decreses,” and “contineus” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Build a more varied set of precise reporting verbs and phrases, for example “fell sharply,” “recovered,” and “remained stable,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both short statements and longer sentences with time clauses, such as “After June it increases…” and “After September it goes down again…”. The basic sequence is generally understandable. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “it rise again,” “remain same,” “it go again down,” and “it starts from 1 … and rises up at in February.” The copper sentence also becomes difficult to follow because it repeats November and joins several movements without clear punctuation. Practise accurate past-tense reporting (“rose,” “remained,” “fell”) and use shorter, complete sentences when describing several changes.

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