Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 provided line data illustrates average montly variation in prices of copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014, in terms of percentage.

Overall, the proportion of nickel experience dramatic downfall in following months, while the figures of zinc jumped up for the shorther period of months, after that it falls gradually. In contrary, copper's figures show fluctuation tren over given period of time.

According to the data of zinc, in January the price recorded 6%, which is the highest number amoung rest metals. It dropped down sharply and accounted 1% iin May. In july, the prices again fell down and follow negative trend reporting, -3 %. From June to September

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, stopping abruptly at 109 words and leaving sentences incomplete, such as 'From June to September'. Furthermore, the student misinterprets the data significantly, attributing nickel's starting figure to zinc ('in January the price recorded 6%, which is the highest number amoung rest metals', whereas 6% was actually nickel's figure). Although an overview is attempted, the severe under-length nature of the response and data inaccuracies severely limit task fulfilment, placing it firmly at Band 4.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to structure the response, including an introductory sentence and an overall overview paragraph ('Overall, the proportion of nickel...'). However, the progression breaks down entirely due to the incomplete ending ('From June to September'). Cohesive devices are weak and awkwardly used, such as 'In contrary' instead of 'In contrast' or 'Conversely'. Paragraphing is disrupted by the abrupt cut-off of the text mid-sentence, preventing any effective flow or logical sequencing in the later sections.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, featuring noticeable spelling and word choice errors such as 'montly' instead of 'monthly', 'experience' instead of 'experienced', 'shorther' instead of 'shorter', and 'amoung' instead of 'among'. The student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary like 'downfall', 'fluctuation', and 'percentage', but control is weak, and inaccuracies in collocation and word form prevent higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, mostly consisting of simple or faulty complex sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense confusion ('the price recorded 6%' instead of 'was recorded') and prepositional errors ('accounted 1% iin May'). The abrupt ending with a prepositional phrase fragment further demonstrates a lack of control over sentence construction and completeness.

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

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