Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-05

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 provided image demonstrates the mean monthly variance in the values of three metals Copper, Nickel and, Zinc during the year 2014.

On the horizontal plane months are shown, whereas vertical planes tells about percentage chnage in prices to prior year. Prominent changes are visible in the prices of Nickel starting from January till December. Copper and Zinc also drifted but with a minor variance throuhout the year.

Initially, Nickel commenced exceptionally well with the highest number positive 6% in January, but sddenly declined to 4% in February and continued to suffer in March with 1%. After staying at this position for 2 months, dropped to minus 3% in July and recovered afterwords and gain some value in November. It finished wit positive figure 1% at the end of the year.

Copper and Zinc, on the other hand, started positively with 2% and 1% change. Both metals observed decline till June to somewhere minus 1%, but regained their positive values and ended up where they initiated the year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main contrast: nickel fluctuates much more sharply, while copper and zinc show smaller changes, and you include a useful overview of the year. Several details, however, are inaccurate or unclear. Nickel’s fall to −3% occurs in June, not July, and it remains below zero through October before rising to 1% in November. Copper and zinc do not both decline to around −1% by June: copper is about −0.5%, while zinc is −1%. Their year-end figures also differ from their starting points: copper ends at about 1.5% and zinc at 2%. The response covers the main trends, but more precise comparisons and a clearer account of the later months would make the report more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a broad overview, and separate discussion of nickel and the other two metals. This makes the main comparison easy to follow, and transitions such as “On the other hand” help signal a shift. The progression is not always fully clear, though. In the nickel paragraph, “After staying at this position for 2 months” is ambiguous, and the sequence from the June low to the November recovery skips several months without explaining the continued negative figures. The final paragraph groups copper and zinc together even where their movements differ. To strengthen cohesion, use clearer time markers and organise comparisons around shared stages, while distinguishing the metals when their figures diverge.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “variance,” “declined,” “recovered,” and “positive figure,” and the reader can generally understand the trends you describe. Some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph: “horizontal plane” and “vertical planes” are not idiomatic, while “commenced exceptionally well” sounds evaluative rather than neutral. There are also spelling errors, including “chnage,” “throuhout,” “sddenly,” and “afterwords,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for concise, conventional reporting language such as “the horizontal axis,” “fell,” and “rose.” More precise terms for the size and direction of changes would also help you distinguish a slight fluctuation from a sharp fall.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including contrast clauses such as “Copper and Zinc, on the other hand…” and time-linked descriptions of nickel’s movement. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “vertical planes tells” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “After staying at this position for 2 months, dropped…” lacks a clear subject. The phrase “percentage chnage in prices to prior year” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between the prices and the comparison period. Work on complete clauses, agreement, and accurate prepositions in descriptions of change. Using a few well-controlled complex sentences alongside simpler ones would improve accuracy without making the report harder to follow.

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.