Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16
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 line graph illustrates the average monthly price of three metals namely, copper,nickel and zinc over the year of 2014.
Overall,there is a significant decline in the price of nickel.While,the value of zinc rose from 3 months of the year after that shows a declining trend.In contrast,value of copper fluctuating over a period of time
In January to March,there was a difference of 5 percent in the price of nickel which shows a huge decline in the price of nickel,while zinc shows 1 percent increase in the start of the year but in march value of nickel was also started gradually declining. Copper showed decreasing the value from first 3 months
In second quarter of the year, nickel price was depreciated alot and it stayed on negative 3 percent.in contrast, The percentage of copper and zinc also stayed on negative percentage at the end of the july.
In third quarter of the year, For a month of july the value surged negative 3 to negative 1 percent and leveled off for next two months.price of other two metals remained same in 3rd quarter of the year.
In the last three months of the year,there was a small increased in copper.In contrast, the value of other two chemicals increased towards the end of the year and leveled off at 2 and 3 percent respectively.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5
The student attempts to cover the main trends in the graph, such as the overall decline in nickel and the fluctuations in copper and zinc. However, the interpretation of the data contains several significant inaccuracies and misreadings of the graph. For example, the student states that nickel showed a 'huge decline' from January to March, whereas the graph actually shows nickel starting at +6% in January and remaining positive (+4% and +1%) through March, before dropping into negative values later in the year. Furthermore, the overview is imprecise and confusingly phrased ('While,the value of zinc rose from 3 months of the year after that shows a declining trend'). The response does successfully meet the minimum word count, but the factual errors in reading the percentage changes prevent it from reaching a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response is organized into paragraphs corresponding to time periods, which shows an attempt at logical structure. However, paragraphing and sentence-level cohesion are frequently faulty. There is a lack of proper spacing after punctuation marks throughout the text (e.g., 'copper,nickel', 'Overall,there', 'months,there'). Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, such as 'While,the value...' and 'In contrast,' misapplied where no true contrast exists. The progression of ideas often becomes muddled due to poor referencing and confusing temporal transitions, leading to a disjointed reading experience that fails to guide the reader smoothly through the data.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The lexical range is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic vocabulary and incorrect terms. For instance, the student refers to metals as 'chemicals' in the final paragraph ('value of other two chemicals'). There are frequent word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'depreciated alot', 'surged negative 3 to negative 1 percent', and 'small increased'. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary (e.g., 'fluctuating', 'depreciated', 'leveled off'), inaccurate usage and misinterpretations of meaning significantly detract from the overall quality of the writing and occasionally impede clarity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent, noticeable errors in tense usage, preposition choice, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'value of copper fluctuating', 'Copper showed decreasing the value from first 3 months', 'value of nickel was also started gradually declining'). Punctuation errors are pervasive, particularly missing spaces after commas and periods. Complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to awkward constructions that can cause difficulty for the reader in understanding the intended meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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