Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-22

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 line graph illustrates the average monthly transitions in the rates of three elements in 2014.

Overall, prices of Nickel remained volatile in the given period, and the percentage Zinc fluctuated marginally. Throughout the period, Copper prices experienced a pleateu.

There was a sharp dip in the price of Nickel in the first half of the year, which fell from 6% to -3%, then prices rose to 1% after experiencing the slight change in the price. Nickel ended the given period with cheapest metal of the year. Zinc started from 1% change in January, and there remained stablitiy in its value during first half of the year. In the later part of the year, there was a sharp increase in its trend, ended up being the most expensive metal of the year.

Copper was the only metal, which stayed between 2% to -0.5% throughout the year, in the mid of the year, copper was the cheapest metal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify several important features, including nickel’s steep fall from about 6% to −3% and copper’s comparatively narrow range. The overview also recognises that nickel was more volatile, but the account is incomplete and some comparisons confuse monthly percentage change with the metals’ actual prices. For example, saying nickel ended as the “cheapest metal” and zinc became the “most expensive” is not supported by a graph of monthly price changes. Zinc did rise to around 1.5–2% at the end, but this describes its rate of change, not its price level. The claim that copper experienced a “pleateu” also misses its small fluctuations. To strengthen the response, summarise the shared mid-year decline and late-year recovery, and compare the metals’ monthly changes accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing nickel and zinc before copper. This gives the reader a generally coherent route through the information, and sequencing phrases such as “in the first half” and “in the later part of the year” help locate trends. However, the overview is brief and does not clearly establish the main pattern across all three metals. Some links are awkward or unclear, particularly “then prices rose to 1% after experiencing the slight change,” and the final copper point feels added rather than integrated into a comparison. Organise the body around the metals’ contrasting patterns or the shared mid-year fall and subsequent recovery, using clearer references to months and avoiding repeated “given period” phrasing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of trend vocabulary, including “volatile,” “sharp dip,” “fluctuated,” and “increase,” which helps describe movement in the graph. Some less common choices are attempted, but several are inaccurate or unnatural: “average monthly transitions,” “the percentage Zinc,” and “experienced a pleateu.” There are also spelling errors such as “stablitiy,” and “cheapest” and “most expensive” do not accurately describe percentage changes. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise, even though the general trends remain understandable. Use standard graph language consistently, such as “monthly percentage change,” “remained relatively stable,” and “recovered,” and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning “which fell from 6% to −3%” and “after experiencing…”. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. For instance, “then prices rose to 1% after experiencing the slight change in the price” has an unclear subject and an imprecise clause, while “Zinc started from 1% change in January, and there remained stablitiy” does not form a natural grammatical pattern. The sentence “Nickel ended the given period with cheapest metal” also lacks the article and a suitable construction. Practise complete comparisons and consistent past-tense reporting, for example, “Nickel fell to −3% in June before recovering to 1% by November.”

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