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 line graph illustrates the percentage change in prices of three metals (copper, nickle and zinc) over the period of one year (2014).

Overall, nickle,as compared to other metals, experienced a dramatic decline in its price. Zinc and copper showed a minimal increase in its price in one year.

Initially, the price of nickle was highest among all other metals at 6% in Januray, which dipped to only 1% in March. The price dramatically plummeted to -3% in June, the lowest among all metals. The price fluctuated and rose to 1% in Novemeber and it remained staedty there until the end of the year.

In comparison, Zinc grew from 1% in January to 2% in Feburary before it declined steadily to -1% in June. After several fluctuations, it showed a steady growth as it grew from -1% in October to 2% in December.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main contrast: nickel began at the highest point, fell sharply to a low in June, and recovered by November, while zinc ended the year higher than it began. However, the overview is incomplete because it says copper and zinc both showed a minimal increase without describing copper’s monthly pattern or distinguishing the metals’ different movements. Some details are inaccurate: nickel remained at about 1% in both November and December, but zinc rose from around -1% in October to 1.5% in November and 2% in December. The response also contains fewer than the required 150 words. Include copper’s trend and a fuller comparison of the metals to report the key features more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a brief overview, and separate paragraphs describing nickel and zinc. This makes the main information easy to follow, and phrases such as “Overall” and “In comparison” help signal the structure. However, copper is not given its own description, so the coverage feels incomplete, and the comparison between all three series is limited. Some linking is also mechanical, with repeated use of “The price” and “it” making references less precise. For stronger progression, group the metals by shared patterns or contrast their movements directly, and use clear references such as “the nickel figure” or “copper’s monthly change.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use several suitable terms for describing a line graph, including “percentage change,” “dramatic decline,” “fluctuated,” “plummeted,” and “steady growth.” These choices communicate the broad movements, although some wording is imprecise or repetitive: “grew” is less suitable for a percentage change than “rose,” and “showed a minimal increase in its price” is vague when describing the year’s pattern. There are also noticeable spelling errors in “nickle,” “Januray,” “Novemeber,” “staedty,” and “Feburary.” Improve accuracy by checking common month names and the metal name, and choose precise trend language that distinguishes a price increase from a change in the rate of increase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including the comparison clause “as compared to other metals” and the time clause “before it declined steadily to -1% in June.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors reduce accuracy. For example, “Zinc and copper showed a minimal increase in its price” has a plural subject with a singular pronoun; use “their prices.” In “nickle,as compared,” spacing after the comma is missing, and the overview sentence would be clearer with more controlled sentence structure. Check agreement and punctuation, and vary sentence patterns while keeping each comparison grammatically complete.

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