Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-30

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 graph illustrates the average monthly change in the prices of three metals: copper,nickel and zince during the period 2014.

Overall, three metals follow-up fluctuation trend over the period.Nickel started the highest proportion and ended with the lowest proportion whereas zinc was the opposite .

According to the graph, in 2014 nickel was stand with the highest proportion of changes in price compared with previous month . In january, nickel was 6% changes whereas copper was 2% and zinc was 1% , then nickel soar decreased and copper slightly declined whereas zinc grew into 3% .

In contrast, copper ,nickel, zinc followed a fluctuation trend . In december, nickel was the lowest proportion with 1% . Zinc had a change , zinc surge to 2% and leads the graph . Copper standed with approximately 1.5% changes .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three metals and give a relevant overview of their changing prices, including nickel’s high starting point and the metals’ differing December figures. However, the overview is partly inaccurate: nickel did not finish as the lowest, since all three metals ended at positive values and copper was highest at about 1.5%, while nickel was around 1%. The account also covers only a few points, omitting the pronounced mid-year falls and the late-year recovery. Some comparisons, such as zinc rising to 3% in February, are accurate, but the response is underdeveloped overall. It contains 127 words, below the required 150; the 10 words copied from the prompt are excluded from this count. Add the main stages and key comparisons to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview and two detail paragraphs, and it uses signposts such as “Overall” and “In contrast.” These help the reader recognise the intended sections. However, progression is limited: the final paragraph repeats that the metals fluctuated without clearly organising the data by time or trend, and the contrast introduced by “In contrast” is not fully explained. Some links between ideas are also unclear, particularly the sequence “then nickel soar decreased and copper slightly declined whereas zinc grew.” Organise the details chronologically or group the metals’ trends, and use linking phrases to show precise comparisons rather than relying on general transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “fluctuation,” “declined,” “grew,” and “surge,” and the reader can generally identify the metals and their price movements. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “highest proportion,” “follow-up fluctuation trend,” and “nickel soar decreased.” There are also spelling errors in “zince” and “january,” which reduce accuracy. Use standard language for describing a line graph: refer to percentage changes or figures, and choose verbs that precisely describe movement. For example, “rose,” “fell sharply,” and “remained stable” would make the trends clearer and avoid awkward combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a comparison with “whereas,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and errors in verb forms, sentence construction, articles and punctuation occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “nickel was stand with the highest proportion,” “nickel soar decreased,” and “Copper standed with approximately 1.5% changes.” The opening also has missing spaces after commas, while “during the period 2014” is not a well-formed time expression. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build longer sentences from a clear subject and verb, such as “Nickel fell sharply in the first half of the year.”

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