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 provided line graph describes how much change in price of copper,nickel and zinc metals in 2014.

From an overall perspective it is evident that end of year zinc has highest price of metals while, nickel has lowest price in 2014.

To commence with, in January 6% changes in price of nickels which was the highest, after 4 month it has sudden dropped by -3%, then in December it has significant rose by 1% and reach lowest among these metals. Secondly, zinc in January had only changed 1% in price which was the lowest. after that it price sudeen drop by -1% in June, next in December it had significant rose by 2% and reached highest. Following this in January 1% change in price of copper, then it had uniform droped by almost 0% change in June. then July to September it had slight rose by 1%. then in December copper significant rose by nearly 2%

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the three metals and include several relevant monthly figures, such as nickel’s high January change and the metals’ declines around June. However, the overview is not accurate: zinc does not finish the year with the highest change; its December figure is about 2%, compared with copper at about 1.5%, while nickel is about 1%. More importantly, the overview describes these as “price” levels rather than monthly percentage changes. Some details are also misreported: nickel falls to about -3% in June, not after four months, and its November rise is to about 1%, not December. Copper’s June value is around -0.5%, and its December rise is about 1.5%, not nearly 2%. Select and compare the main trends more accurately, including the sharp mid-year falls and late-year recovery.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, an overview, and a body that discusses nickel, zinc, and copper. Linking phrases such as “To commence with,” “Secondly,” and “Following this” help signal movement between points, so the reader can generally follow the account. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, and the body moves from one metal to another without a clear grouping of shared trends or direct comparisons. Some references are also unclear, particularly “after 4 month” and “then it had uniform dropped,” which make the timeline harder to follow. Organise the details into clearer stages—for example, early-year movements and the mid-year decline/recovery—and use precise time references and comparisons to create smoother progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “line graph,” “significant,” “dropped,” and “slight,” and you attempt to describe changes rather than simply list figures. However, the range and control are limited by repeated or inaccurate expressions such as “change in price,” “significant rose,” and “uniform droped.” Several spelling and word-form errors, including “nickels,” “sudeen,” and “droped,” are noticeable and reduce precision. Also, “highest price” and “lowest price” do not accurately describe a graph showing monthly percentage changes. Build a more precise set of trend verbs and nouns, and use collocations such as “rose sharply,” “fell to,” and “monthly price change.” Check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response is usually understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. Errors occur in verb forms and agreement, as in “it has significant rose” and “it had uniform droped,” and in sentence construction, for example “in January 6% changes in price of nickels.” Articles and punctuation are also inconsistent: “the end of year” needs a clearer article structure, and several sentences begin with lowercase “after” or “then” after a full stop. The limited range of reliably controlled structures makes some relationships between events difficult to interpret. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and complete sentence patterns, such as “Nickel fell to -3% in June before recovering to 1% in November.”

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.