Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-23

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 line graph illustrates the average monthly change in prices of copper, nickel and zinc in 2014.

Overall, the nickel priced dropped significantly than copper and zinc. The zinc and copper priced initially lower than nickel, but end of the month nickel price was lower than zinc and copper.

Looking at the details, nickel started at 6% price in January before decreasing significantly to only 1% in March. In March and April its price remained relatively stable before fell sharply at -3% in June. After that, increased gradually and remained stable in July to September at -1% before finished at 1% in December.

Turning to copper and zinc, the figure for copper stood at 2% in January month before finished approximately 1.5% in December. Zinc started at 1% and it crossed copper price in February at 3% before dropped gradually to -1% in June. In addition, its percentage value rose slightly at 2% in December.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three metals and give a broad overview of their contrasting patterns, including nickel’s sharp fall and the recovery in copper and zinc towards December. Several details are accurate, such as nickel beginning at 6% and reaching -3% in June. However, the overview is unclear: nickel did not finish below both other metals; it ended at about 1%, while copper was around 1.5% and zinc 2%. Some important comparisons are also missing, including copper’s relatively small fluctuations and nickel’s lowest point compared with the other series. The response is 145 words, five words below the required minimum; the ten words copied from the prompt are excluded from the count. Develop the overview and report key comparisons more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. Phrases such as “Looking at the details” and “Turning to copper and zinc” help signal the shift between sections, and the information generally follows the months in sequence. However, progression is weakened by unclear or contradictory statements in the overview, particularly the claim that nickel ended lower than copper and zinc. Some links are also mechanical, and the final paragraph combines copper and zinc without clearly separating their different patterns. Organise the details around meaningful comparisons—for example, nickel’s larger swings versus the steadier copper line—and use clear references when describing each metal.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant task vocabulary, including “decreasing significantly,” “remained relatively stable,” “fell sharply,” and “rose slightly,” which helps describe movement in the graph. However, the range is limited and several word combinations or forms are inaccurate, such as “the nickel priced dropped,” “copper and zinc priced,” and “it crossed copper price.” These choices make some descriptions less natural or precise. Repetition of “price” and “percentage value” also limits flexibility. Use standard collocations for graph descriptions, such as “the price of nickel fell” or “the figure for zinc rose,” and choose verbs that clearly express comparisons, such as “overtook” when one line moved above another.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “before” and “before decreasing,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors are frequent enough to affect clarity. Examples include “the nickel priced dropped significantly than copper and zinc,” where the comparative structure is faulty, and “before fell sharply,” which needs a subject and a correctly formed verb. In “After that, increased gradually,” the subject is missing; “before finished” also lacks a clear grammatical subject. Articles and sentence construction are inconsistent in phrases such as “in January month.” Practise complete clauses with explicit subjects and accurate past-tense forms, while keeping comparisons grammatically parallel.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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