Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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 given line graph gives the information about average monthly change in the price of three metals in 2014.

Overall, metals which compared are copper, nickel and zinc. The change of price shown in percentage. Nickel has massive change of price in 2014 compared to other two metals.It had highest price in January with 6 percent increase from December 2013 and zinc had lowest price on January.

But, after January 2014 nickel's price goes down till june with -3 percent change from May and later increase with only -1 percent change in July. Till September there is no change in rate of nickel and in October it again goes down with -2 percent change in price. In November it boosted with +1 change in rate which was 3 percent of increase from October and remain same in December 2014. But oerverall, it was becane lowest price amongst all in one year.

Whereas, copper and zinc shown significant changes in there prices .The copper price is gone decreasing till June bu later it inclined and become 2nd highest costly metal.Also the zinc wich was at lowest price amingst three metals it had hughest rate in year end

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three metals and give a relevant overall point: nickel shows the greatest fluctuation, while copper and zinc change less. You also report several key movements, including nickel’s January peak, its June low, and its recovery late in the year. However, some comparisons and details are inaccurate or unclear. Nickel does not remain unchanged through September; it stays at about −1% from July to September. The claim that zinc had the lowest price in January is also misleading: its monthly change was positive, though lower than copper’s and nickel’s. The ending comparison is incomplete, and the overview does not clearly summarise the shared mid-year decline and late-year recovery. Select the main trends more accurately and explain them with clear comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, moving from an introduction and overview to details about nickel and then copper and zinc. This gives the reader some sense of organisation, and connectors such as “Whereas” and “But” show attempts to link ideas. However, progression is uneven: most of the detailed account concerns nickel, while copper and zinc are compressed into a final, unfinished comparison. Some links are inaccurate or awkward, such as “Till September there is no change,” which obscures the period being described. Paragraphing and clearer grouping by trend would help: describe the metals’ shared decline around June, then compare their recoveries and year-end figures. Use referencing and transitions to make each comparison explicit rather than relying on abrupt shifts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “percentage,” “increase,” “decreasing,” and “inclined,” and you attempt more descriptive wording such as “massive change” and “boosted.” However, the range is limited and several choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph. “Highest price” and “lowest price” confuse the price level with the monthly percentage change, while “2nd highest costly metal” is difficult to interpret. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “oerverall,” “becane,” “wich,” and “hughest,” which reduce clarity. Build a more precise set of trend expressions—such as “monthly change,” “fell to,” “recovered,” and “remained stable”—and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “whereas” and “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in tense and verb forms appear in phrases such as “the price is gone decreasing,” “it inclined,” and “it was becane lowest.” Agreement and sentence construction are also problematic in “copper and zinc shown significant changes” and “Till September there is no change in rate of nickel.” Missing or misplaced articles and punctuation further affect readability, for example in “in October it again goes down” and the run-together sentence after “metals.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Practise consistent past-tense reporting, complete sentence structures, and accurate subject–verb agreement; then proofread punctuation and articles.

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