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 monthly average change in the prices of three different metals in 2014.

Overall, the price of Nickel was the highest at the start of the month but plummeted sharply in the middle of the month and rose slightly at the end of the year. While, the price of Copper and Zinc remained average over the year.

In the starting of the year, the price of Nickel was on top around 6% but dropped by 5% in March and in June it went to -3%. Later on, the price grew steadily to 1% at the end of the year. Whereas, the price of copper was at 1% in January which went up slightly to 3% in February and slid gradually to -1% in the middle of the year. It remained stable till October and went up 3% in December.

Looking at zinc, the price was at 2% in the start but dipped slightly till June and advanced gradually around 1.5% at the end of the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that nickel begins highest, falls sharply around mid-year, and recovers towards December, and you attempt to compare all three metals. However, several figures and trends are misreported: copper rises to about 3% in February, but the graph shows it falling to about 1%; it reaches roughly 1% in December, not 3%. Zinc ends at about 2%, rather than 1.5%, and its early movement is not simply a slight dip. The overview that copper and zinc “remained average” is too vague to convey their fluctuations or shared mid-year decline. To make the summary more complete and accurate, select the key highs, lows, and recoveries and support the overview with correctly reported comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing nickel/copper and zinc. This makes the information easy to follow, and sequencing phrases such as “Later on” and “Looking at zinc” help signal movement between points. However, the comparisons are not always grouped or connected smoothly. “Whereas” begins a sentence fragment after the nickel description, and “While” is similarly awkward at the start of the overview sentence. The account also moves between metals without consistently comparing their shared mid-year falls or year-end recoveries. Use complete linking structures and organise the body around clear stages or direct comparisons to create more continuous progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of trend vocabulary, including “plummeted,” “dropped,” “slid,” “remained stable,” and “advanced,” so the reader can understand the general direction of change. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph: “remained average” does not clearly describe a trend, “In the starting of the year” is awkward, and “the price was on top” is informal. In addition, “grew steadily” suggests a continuous rise, although nickel fluctuates before recovering. Aim for precise terms such as “fluctuated,” “reached a low,” and “recovered,” and use “percentage change” consistently when reporting the figures. This would improve accuracy as well as range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “which” and time phrases such as “till October.” Most of the intended meaning remains understandable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkward. “While, the price of Copper and Zinc remained average over the year” uses a subordinate conjunction without a matching main clause, and “Whereas, the price of copper…” has the same problem. The sentence beginning “In the starting of the year” also contains an unnatural grammatical pattern, while “which went up” has an unclear reference. Build complete sentences around contrast clauses—for example, “While copper fluctuated, zinc…”—and check that pronouns clearly refer to the correct metal or figure.

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