Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-29

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 6.0)

The line graph illustrates the changes occured in the cost of three different metals named copper, nickel and zinc as compared to previous months in 2014.

Overall, the price of the nickel sharply decreaesd twice througout all the months, while oppositely the price of zinc rapidly increased twice of the year. However, copper gradually fluctuated during the time. In the early moths, nickel had higher cost, whereas zin had lower price.

In januray, nickel priced at 6%, which rapidly decreased to 4% and 1% in following two moths respectively, while zinc started with 1% and reached 3% in Febuarary. Price for zinc grdually decreased to 1% untill May and then sharply decreased in june to -1%, The price jumped from -1% to 1.5% in November and closed at 2% in December. Noteably, nickel followed the same trend, rapidly decreased to lowest ever -3%, but increased steadily to -1% until september, rapidly rose to 1% in November and stayed same in December.

In the first six months, copper declined gradually to -0.5 , and sharply rosed to 1% in June and maintained the same price untill September. After a steady increased of 0.5% in November, the final price closed at 1.5% in December.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You provide a relevant overview and report several key movements, including nickel’s high starting point and sharp fall, zinc’s rise at the end, and copper’s comparatively modest changes. Many figures are consistent with the graph, such as nickel falling to about -3% in June and zinc reaching 2% in December. However, the overview is not fully accurate: nickel falls sharply once to its low point, rather than “twice,” and zinc’s two rises are not clearly identified. There is also a notable copper error: it rises to 1% in July, not June. The account covers all three metals, but some comparisons and the overall pattern could be more precise and clearly prioritised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the data. The information generally progresses from the early months to later changes, and linking words such as “while,” “whereas,” and “however” help signal comparisons. This makes the report understandable as a whole. At times, though, the connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “the price of nickel sharply decreased twice” does not accurately summarise the sequence that follows, and the copper paragraph’s “After a steady increased of 0.5% in November” is difficult to connect to the preceding trend. Grouping the metals by shared turning points, and using clearer references to months and series, would strengthen progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “fluctuated,” “gradually decreased,” “sharply,” and “maintained,” and the reader can usually understand the intended trends. However, spelling errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, as in “decreaesd,” “througout,” “januray,” and “Notebaly.” Some word choices and collocations are also imprecise: “the price of the nickel” and “nickel priced at 6%” are less natural than describing the percentage change in nickel’s price. “Rapidly increased twice of the year” is unclear, while “cost” can suggest an absolute price rather than a monthly percentage change. More accurate trend vocabulary and careful proofreading would improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses linked with “while” and “whereas,” and most of the data remains understandable. Some grammatical errors, however, recur in verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. For instance, “changes occured” needs a past participle after “illustrates,” and “After a steady increased” uses an incorrect form after the article. In “the price of nickel sharply decreased twice,” the sentence structure is possible, but the claim is not supported by the graph; focus grammatical feedback on form rather than data accuracy. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with a comma splice-like run-on around the zinc figures and a missing full stop before “The price jumped.” Review past-tense forms and sentence boundaries.

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