Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-01

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 line graph shows the changes in prices of three metals:Copper, Nickel and Zinc in 2014.

Overall, there is a decreasing trends of all the metals throughout the year with some fluctuations except Zinc which increased slightly, while price difference of Copper was relatively stabled compared to other metals.

Nickel started with the highest difference at 6% and decreased dramatically by june and subsequently rose steadily and reached at 1%. Unlikely Zinc which reaached 1% at the end after minute fluctuations. On the other hand, Cooper was the only metal that remained stable over the year, started with exact 2% difference and during first five months of the year it decreased slightly and then rose a little for next month and then almost remaind unchanged till the end. Moreover the price difference of Copper and Zinc was almost same that was approximatley -1%, while nickel reached at -3% which was the lowest level in the year

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the three metals and include relevant comparisons, such as nickel beginning at 6% and reaching the year’s lowest point of about −3%, while copper changes less sharply. However, the overview is not fully accurate: all three metals do not show an overall decrease, since zinc and copper finish above zero and zinc rises notably in the final months. The claim that copper “remained stable over the year” also overlooks its fall below zero and later recovery. Some details are unclear or inaccurate, including saying nickel “reached at 1%” without specifying when, and describing zinc’s fluctuations as minute. A clearer overview of the contrasting patterns and more precise reporting of key turning points would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, an overview, and a paragraph describing the metals. It also uses linking expressions such as “Overall,” “On the other hand,” and “Moreover” to signal relationships. However, progression within the main paragraph is difficult to follow because several trends are compressed into long sentences, and the discussion shifts between metals without a consistent sequence. For example, the sentence beginning “Nickel started…” moves to zinc and then copper, while the final comparison is not clearly connected to the earlier account. Some references, such as “that” in “almost same that was approximately −1%,” are unclear. Organising the details by metal or by shared stages would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “fluctuations,” “decreased dramatically,” “rose steadily,” and “lowest level,” which helps describe movement in the graph. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, making parts of the account awkward: “price difference” is repeated where “monthly price change” would be clearer, and “minute fluctuations” does not naturally describe small variations. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “reaached,” “Cooper,” “remaind,” and “approximatley.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the general message, but they reduce precision and polish. Use a wider set of accurate trend verbs and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrast with “while” and a sequence linked by “and then.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to process. Examples include “there is a decreasing trends,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “price difference … was relatively stabled,” which has an incorrect grammatical form. Several clauses lack clear structure, as in “started with exact 2% difference and during first five months…”; articles and sentence boundaries are also often missing. The final sentence runs on and lacks clear punctuation. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then combine them accurately using subordinate clauses and consistent past-tense forms.

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