Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-27

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 chart represents percent variation in the prices of metals copper nickel and zinc over an year. All three metals follow a similar trend, the percent decreases over the first few months, and increases towards the end of the year.

Nickel starts with 6 percent increase, highest among all three metals. It reduces over next months to a -3 percent increase in June. It rises to -1 percent where it stays for some months and goes upto 1 percent increase at the year end.

Zinc starts low with just 1 percent increase in January, and rises to 3 percent in February, after which it reduces over next months to reach minimum of -1 percent in June, where it stays more or less before rising to 2 percent increase by the end of the year

Copper price remains the most stable out of the three, it varies between -1 and 2 percent for the whole year, starting and ending the year on 2 percent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You identify the main overall pattern and select relevant comparisons: nickel begins with the strongest rise and falls sharply, while copper is comparatively stable. The account also captures the broad recovery in the final months. However, the overview overgeneralises by saying all three metals decrease in the first few months; zinc rises to 3% in February, and copper declines only gradually. There are also specific inaccuracies: copper ends at about 1.5%, not 2%, and nickel reaches 1% in November and remains there in December rather than only reaching that level at year-end. The description of copper’s range as -1% to 2% is also inaccurate. More precise reporting of these details, alongside the useful main features already included, would make the summary more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response is arranged in a clear sequence: an introduction and overview are followed by separate descriptions of nickel, zinc and copper. This makes the information easy to locate, and phrases such as “after which” and “where it stays” help show changes over time. However, the overview is not fully consistent with the later details, since it says all three metals decline initially even though zinc rises in February. Some links are also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “after” and “where,” and the final copper paragraph feels slightly detached from the preceding comparisons. To strengthen progression, group the metals by shared patterns or contrast their peaks and troughs, and use more varied, precise linking between stages.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “percent variation,” “remains the most stable,” “reduces,” and “rises,” so the main trends are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “highest among all three metals.” However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise: “-3 percent increase” describes a negative change awkwardly, and “goes upto” is informal and not well suited to a graph summary. “Over an year” is also an inaccurate phrase. Repeating “increase” and “reduces” limits flexibility. Use standard trend language such as “fell to,” “rose to,” and “fluctuated between,” and distinguish a percentage change from the price level itself.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more extended sentence forms, and most of the meaning remains clear. For example, the nickel and zinc paragraphs combine a starting point with subsequent changes, showing some ability to describe sequences. However, some sentence-boundary and punctuation errors affect control: “All three metals follow a similar trend, the percent decreases…” joins two independent clauses with a comma, and the copper sentence has the same problem. There are also omissions or awkward constructions, as in “over next months” and “where it stays more or less before rising.” The phrase “starting and ending the year on 2 percent” is grammatically understandable but does not clearly express the intended comparison. Use full stops or conjunctions to separate clauses, and check articles and sentence structure when describing time periods.

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