Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-04

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 given graph provides the information about the periodical monthly change of prices of three metals in the year 2014 .

Overall, the different metals given goes through different price variations in percentage in differnt months .

Starting with the metal Nickel , it had a good start in january with 6 percent which gradually sanked into -3% by the month of june and then rasied in july to -1% then remained static upto september and then dropeed again and finally reached 1% incresed range by the end of the year. Similarly zinc also had different cost ranges in different months starting with 1% and then seeing a slight dip by mid-year and then gradually incresing by december

However, the metal copper did not show any huge variations compared to january only a slight drop is observed. It started with 2% and then decreased slowly till june and then climed slowly and reaches almost 2% at the end. It is observed that all the metal showed a downfall in the middle of the year and then slip back gradually.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main broad pattern: nickel begins with the strongest rise, all three metals weaken around mid-year, and prices recover towards December. You also give some relevant figures, such as nickel at 6% in January and −3% in June, and copper at 2% initially. However, several trends are only partly reported. Zinc’s rise to 3% in February and its recovery to 2% in December are not clearly described, while copper’s final value is about 1.5%, not “almost 2%.” The overview is also vague, and the claim that all metals “slip back gradually” overlooks their differing late-year movements. Select the most important peaks, troughs and contrasts, and report them more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable sequence: an introduction, a broad overview, and descriptions of nickel, zinc and copper, with linking phrases such as “Similarly” and “However.” This gives the reader a coherent overall arrangement. However, the overview is very general, and the body moves between metals without consistently highlighting the most useful comparisons. The zinc description is especially brief, so its key movements are not developed as fully as nickel’s. Some linking is also mechanical, and the final sentence repeats the mid-year decline and recovery rather than adding a clear concluding comparison. Organise the body around shared stages—early-year changes, mid-year falls and late-year recovery—and use explicit comparisons to make the progression clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing trends, including “variations,” “decreased,” “remained static” and “reached.” These choices make the general meaning understandable. However, the range and precision are limited, and several word-choice or spelling errors reduce control: “periodical monthly change,” “sanked,” “dropeed,” “incresed” and “climed.” “Good start” is also informal and imprecise for an academic report, while “cost ranges” does not accurately describe percentage changes. Aim for standard trend language and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “peaked,” “fell sharply,” “fluctuated” and “recovered” would help you distinguish the metals’ different movements.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sequence of events joined with “and then,” and the reader can generally follow the intended trends. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences, and errors in agreement, tense and sentence construction are frequent enough to affect clarity. For example, “the different metals given goes through” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “then climed slowly and reaches” shifts tense within the same description. The opening also has awkward article and punctuation use, including a space before the full stop. Break long trend descriptions into shorter sentences, keep past-tense verbs consistent, and check singular/plural agreement and sentence boundaries.

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