Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-03

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 bar graph compares the percentage of monthly chnage in the rate of three metals for a single year 2014.

Overall, price of nickel faced the biggest downfall, whereas, rate of copper and zinc were fluctuated over the period and eventually rised in the last month.

In the first month, price of nickel was increased by 6% compared to copper and zinc, which was increased by 2% and 1% respectively.After a month price of nickel fall to 4% and copper price decreased by 1% before steblilized for 2 months and rate of zinc fall for three months and reacged at 1% chnage in may.In next month, value of nickel downed by 3% and remained same for almost next three months.

In june, nickel price faced the biggest down-fall and monthly changed reached -3%, before remained same for next 3 month at -1% and rate value of zinc and copper also remianed unchange from july to september.In novermber, rate of nickel and zinc surged by almost 3% and stayed almost same in nexr month, whereas, price of copper increased in last month by 1%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad pattern: nickel shows the sharpest fall, while copper and zinc finish the year higher than their mid-year lows. You also include several relevant figures, such as nickel at 6% in January and −3% in June. However, some details are inaccurate or unclear: copper falls by 1 percentage point from February to March, not simply “decreased by 1%” without a clear reference, and zinc declines from February through June rather than reaching 1% in May after falling for three months. The claim that nickel stayed at −1% for three months overlooks its −2% result in October. The overview also misses the metals’ shared mid-year downturn and the strong contrast between nickel’s early peak and later recovery. Select and report the key movements more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs describing the data in sequence. The use of time markers such as “In the first month,” “In June,” and “In November” helps the reader follow the year. However, the progression is sometimes difficult to track because several months and metals are compressed into long sentences, and the chronology is not always clear. For example, the sentence beginning “After a month” combines nickel, copper, and zinc movements without clearly separating their timelines. The final paragraph also repeats the June downturn after it has already been mentioned. Use shorter, more clearly grouped comparisons—for example, describe the first half and second half separately—and ensure each reference to a month is unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant task vocabulary, including “percentage,” “fluctuated,” “remained,” and “surged,” and the reader can generally understand the intended trends. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which reduces precision. “Biggest downfall” is not a natural description of a monthly percentage change; “steepest decline” would be more suitable. “Rate of copper and zinc were fluctuated” is awkward, while “prices fluctuated” is direct and accurate. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “chnage,” “steblilized,” “reacged,” and “novermber.” Use the vocabulary of change consistently—“rose,” “fell,” “recovered,” and “remained stable”—and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are frequent enough to make some passages difficult to read. For example, “price of nickel was increased” uses an incorrect passive form; write “the price of nickel increased.” In “rate of copper and zinc were fluctuated,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “fluctuated” should not be passive. The sentence “before remained same for next 3 month” also lacks a clear subject and requires an article and plural form. Punctuation is inconsistent, including missing spaces after full stops. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and build shorter sentences before combining comparisons with clauses such as “while” or “whereas.”

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