Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-28

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 illustrates the average monthly change in the prices of copper, nickel and zinc 2014.

To begin with nickel it had been recorded that in jan it was 6% it was in a downward direction till march then got stable in april again 0.3% was decresed in march and was continious depreciation till june there was significant rise from july to september that is -1% after october it was suddden hike and was same in the month of november and decemb er that is 1% change in price with compared with previous month.

Moreover, Copper was been at 2% than compare to previous and a 1% less was od Zinc during the month of january. But, Zinc had been increased in feb and opposite had seen in copper it got decreased and there was a continious depreciation till may and got stable in june after that sudden increase was seen in july then it was stable for next 3 months on the same line after that fluctuated downward and reached till 1.5% by december.

Overall, it is clear from all the perspective that Nickel price change was highest in january and by the end of the year copper had been recorded at highest % change in price compared with previous month.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three metals and report several relevant movements, including nickel’s high January figure and the metals’ later recovery. However, the account is only partly accurate and the overview is not sufficiently clear. Nickel fell from 6% to 1% by March, remained around 1% in April, then dropped to -3% in June; your description of a “significant rise from july to september” is misleading because it only recovered to about -1%. Copper ended at about 1.5%, but zinc was higher at roughly 2%, so the claim that copper had the highest year-end change is incorrect. To strengthen the response, give a concise overview of the main contrasts and check each reported trend against the graph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: an introduction, paragraphs describing nickel and the other metals, and a concluding overview. This gives the reader a basic route through the information. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, particularly in the nickel account, where several movements are compressed into one long sentence and the timing of the changes becomes unclear. Connectors such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “Overall” help signal stages, but some transitions are mechanical, and “But” does not clearly express the relationship between the points that follow. Use shorter, logically grouped sentences—for example, describe the first-half decline and later recovery separately—and make comparisons explicit to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “downward direction,” “stable,” “depreciation,” “significant rise,” and “fluctuated.” These attempts show awareness of the language needed for a graph, but control is uneven and several choices are unnatural or imprecise. For example, “a 1% less was od Zinc” and “sudden hike” do not express the comparisons clearly, while “depreciation” is not the most natural term for a monthly price change. Spelling errors such as “decresed,” “continious,” and “suddden” also reduce accuracy. Build a more reliable set of collocations such as “fell to,” “remained stable at,” and “rose by,” and check spelling before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the general meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms are frequent enough to make some passages difficult to interpret. The opening, “The given line graph illustrates … 2014,” is missing a preposition before the year. In “it had been recorded that in jan it was 6% it was in a downward direction,” clauses are joined without clear punctuation or grammatical links. Forms such as “Copper was been at 2%” and “Zinc had been increased” are also faulty; use “Copper was at 2%” and “Zinc increased.” Practise accurate past-tense descriptions and divide long sentences into complete clauses with clear punctuation.

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