Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-20
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 variation in the economies of three metals for 2014.
Overall, nickel declined their value while nickel fluctuated throughout the given periods. The zinc remained their value stable.
The Nickel drop the value significantly from 6% market share to -3% in six months from January to June. From onward the value rose slightly to -1% in July. In December the value increased to 1%.
Copper fluctuated the their price with start from 2% in January and end with same value in December. Moreover, the nickel inclined with just by 2% from 1% to 3% in January. In February the Nickel price declined to -1% in July. Despite this the the Nickel value rose to 2% in last month of the year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to reach the minimum word count of 150 words, stopping at 127 words, which leads to a direct penalty under Task Achievement. Furthermore, the content contains significant confusion regarding the data. The student states that 'nickel declined their value while nickel fluctuated' and confuses the metals in the body paragraphs, mixing up copper and zinc with nickel. While there is an attempt to report some trends, such as nickel dropping from 6% to -3%, the overall selection and reporting of main features is hampered by inaccuracies and severe under-length.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response attempts a basic structure with an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is undermined by repetitive and confused referencing, such as repeating 'nickel' inappropriately across different sections. Paragraphing is used, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs is faulty due to poor referencing and abrupt transitions like 'From onward' and 'Despite this the the Nickel value'.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying heavily on words like 'value', 'price', 'increased', and 'declined'. There are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'declined their value', 'fluctuated the their price', and 'market share' instead of percentage change. Less common lexical items are attempted but used inaccurately, constraining the range significantly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is quite low. There are frequent errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'The zinc remained their value stable', 'The Nickel drop the value', and 'with start from 2%'. Furthermore, typographical and duplication errors like 'fluctuated the their price' and 'the the Nickel value' detract from the clarity of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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