Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-02

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

Overall, nickel's price drastically fell over the period, while the price of the zinc experienced a gradual increase. In contrast, the price of the copper changed slightly over the period.

In the beginning of the year, nickel recorded a 6% change in the price, becoming the highest among all, and fell dramatically to 1% in the March. In May, this ratio remained relatively stable; however, it declined at -3% in the June. Afterwards, the percentage increased gradually at 1% in the end of the year.

Moreover, zinc started at 1% in the January and increased to 3% next month, slightly falling at -1% in the June and rising to 2% in the December. Meanwhile copper shared 2% in the begining and showed a slight change over the period, fell at 1% in the july and increased a bit in the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall contrast and include several relevant figures: nickel begins at 6%, falls to −3% in June, and ends at about 1%, while zinc rises to 2% in December. However, the overview is not fully accurate: zinc does not increase gradually across the year, as it also falls into negative territory before recovering. Some details are also unclear or incorrect. Copper reaches 1% in July, not merely “fell at 1%,” and its final value is about 1.5%; nickel’s recovery is not gradual, since it rises from −2% in October to 1% in November. The response covers the task, but fuller and more precise reporting of the metals’ contrasting movements would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the metals. The sequence through the year is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “In contrast,” and “Meanwhile” help signal relationships. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some flexibility in organising comparisons. However, the grouping is uneven: nickel receives a detailed account, while copper is compressed into a brief final sentence, and the zinc account is not clearly separated from the comparison. Some transitions also imply relationships that are not quite accurate, such as “increased gradually” for nickel’s year-end movement. Grouping the metals by shared trends and using clearer references would make progression more consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of task-related vocabulary, including “drastically fell,” “recorded,” “remained relatively stable,” and “increased.” These choices make the main trends understandable, and you attempt some variation rather than relying only on “went up” and “went down.” At times, however, word choice and collocation are imprecise: “the price of the zinc” and “copper shared 2%” are unnatural, while “fell at 1%” does not clearly express a change to that value. “Begining” and “july” also show spelling and capitalisation slips. Prefer precise chart language such as “stood at,” “declined to,” and “recovered to,” and check spelling and natural combinations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and more complex forms, including contrast clauses with “while” and “whereas” and a sentence joined by “however.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “fell dramatically to 1% in the March” has an unnecessary article, and “the percentage increased gradually at 1%” uses an incorrect preposition for the final value. In “Meanwhile copper shared 2% … and showed a slight change …, fell at 1%,” the verbs are not joined in a grammatically complete parallel structure. Add commas after introductory linking phrases, and use consistent past-tense clauses with accurate prepositions, such as “fell to” and “rose to.” More consistently controlled complex sentences would improve accuracy.

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