Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-09

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 4.5)

The bar graph illustrates the average monthly change in prices of copper,nickel and zinc during 2014.

Overall, In 2014, the prices of three metals gradully decresed while nickel had sharply down in june but the zinc prices increased in february.

In january, the nickel had highest 6% changed in prices and sharply decresed at 1% in march and steadily same in april then gradually down at -3% in june. After that, in next three months prices increased at -1 % from july to september then again decreased in october at -2 % and sharply up at 1 % in december.

In starting of year, zinc had 1 % then increased in february at 3%. From february to june, the prices changed at 3% to -1%. From july to october, at -1 and october to december sharply increased at -1 to 2%. The copper had lowest

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the three metals and report several relevant movements, including nickel’s high January figure and sharp fall to a negative value in June, as well as zinc’s rise in February. However, the overview is inaccurate: the prices did not all gradually decrease, and the key pattern of recovery toward year-end is not clearly summarised. Some details are also incomplete or incorrect; for example, nickel rises from -3% in June to -1% in July and then remains around that level through September, rather than increasing across those months. The copper discussion ends unfinished (“The copper had lowest”), leaving one series largely unreported. The response contains 136 words, below the required 150; the 10 words copied from the prompt are excluded from this count. Develop a balanced overview and cover all three lines.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing individual metals. Time markers such as “In january,” “After that,” and “From july to october” help the reader follow the chronology. However, progression is weakened by unclear or incomplete links, especially “From july to october, at -1 and october to december sharply increased,” which does not make the periods and values easy to interpret. The copper point is left as a fragment at the end, so the response does not feel complete. Organise the body around clear phases or compare the metals over the same periods, and use complete sentences with explicit references to the relevant metal and month.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “increased,” “decreased,” “sharply,” and “gradually,” and the reader can generally recognise that you are describing price movements. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning difficult to follow. Phrases such as “had highest 6% changed in prices,” “had sharply down,” and “prices changed at 3% to -1%” are not natural ways to describe the graph. Spelling errors such as “gradully,” “decresed,” and “june” also reduce accuracy. Practise standard trend language, for example “reached a peak,” “fell to,” “remained stable,” and “rose from … to …,” and check spelling before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to describe changes across time and use some longer sentence patterns, including “After that, in next three months prices increased…” However, sentence structures are limited and errors occur frequently, sometimes obscuring the intended comparison. Examples include “the prices of three metals gradually decreased,” where the article is missing, and “the nickel had highest 6% changed,” where the noun phrase and verb form are not controlled. The sentence beginning “From july to october…” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “The copper had lowest” is incomplete. Use simple, complete sentences as a foundation, with accurate past-tense verbs and articles; then add controlled comparisons such as “while” or “whereas.”

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

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