Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-26

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 6.5)

The line graph illustrates the average monthly fluctuation across three different metals in 2014.

Overall, Nickel prices dropped the most among all of the three metals, whereas Zinc has the highest change in the average monthly prices during 2014. In addition, moderate fluctuations have been observed in the prices of Copper.

Looking first at the first half of the year, Nickel prices dropped from 6% to -3% till the month of June, while Zinc started year-2014 with 1% change in the price, and rise till 3% within a month, then the prices dropped to -1 % in rest of the five months. Following this, Copper falls from 2% to -1.5 during the first five months of 2014, while remains unchanged for the next one month.

Turning to the last six months of 2014, Nickel prices improved from -3% to -1% in a month, and remain consistent for the next three months. Moving forward, the prices rises till 1% in the month of November. Furthermore, Zinc prices improved a little and remain same till the month of September, then observed 1% change in price compared with previous month, and the prices rised till 2% in the last three months. Copper prices improved to 1% for the next one month, and the prices reached to 1.5% till the month of December.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main pattern of substantial movement in nickel and more moderate changes in copper, and you include figures that help the reader follow the trends. However, some comparisons and details are inaccurate or unclear. The overview says zinc had the “highest change,” although nickel shows the largest swings, from about 6% to -3%. The account of zinc also says it fell to -1% for the remaining five months, but it was around -1% only in June and October; it stayed near -0.5% through September and rose in November and December. Copper’s early decline is given as -1.5%, rather than about -0.5% in May and June. A more precise overview and careful checking of key figures would strengthen the report.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised into a clear introduction, overview, and two chronological body paragraphs. Phrases such as “Looking first at the first half of the year” and “Turning to the last six months” make the progression easy to follow, and the metals are generally discussed in a sensible order. Some linking is less effective because it creates relationships that are not fully clear: “Following this” shifts from zinc to copper without specifying the comparison, while “Furthermore” and “Moving forward” add little to the sequence. The long first-half sentence also combines several metals and trends, making details harder to track. Use shorter, more focused comparisons and clearer references to months or metals to make cohesion more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “moderate,” “improved,” and “consistent,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is also some flexibility in describing movement rather than repeating one verb throughout. However, several choices are imprecise or awkward for graph reporting: “highest change” does not clearly convey the largest variation, “prices improved” suggests a judgement rather than a rise, and “rised” is an incorrect form. Phrases such as “reached to 1.5%” and “change in the average monthly prices” are also unnatural. More precise collocations for increases, decreases, stability, and volatility would help you express comparisons accurately and naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “while” and “whereas,” and the overall meaning can usually be understood. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, and tense occur across the response. For example, “Zinc has the highest change” shifts tense, “and rise till 3%” lacks the past-tense form, and “the prices rises” has a subject–verb agreement error. “Nickel prices … remain consistent” should also use a past-tense verb to match the year being described. Some sentence structures become difficult to control when several trends are joined together. Keep the reporting consistently in the past tense, check agreement, and divide long sentences into clearer units.

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