Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-22
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 informaton is provided in the form of a line chart which shows the changes in the price for copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014
the price of the nickel was the highest amang the all in the january with 6% with droped to 1% by march after that it stable for two monthes then agan drop to -3% in the month of june after same small upes and downs it finely got to 1% in the month of december socind metal in the lest is zink which was at 1% in the start of the year by the february to went to 3% then it showed a big constent crash till june with -1% after that it showed a stable trend till ouctuber and in the last of the year it was recoded to reach at 2%
the last matal in the lest is the copper wich was at 2% in the start of the year wich showed a down side trend till march thaen it recaved a little and in theof the year it was recoded at afound 1.5% in turmes of groth
overall all of the matels had shown a fall till the month of june after that they all got stabilised in the last of the year
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to cover all three metals (copper, nickel, and zinc) across the year 2014, fulfilling the basic requirements of Task 1. However, the response suffers from significant generalisation, vague approximations, and inaccuracies when reporting specific data points. For instance, stating that nickel dropped to -3% in June is accurate, but other trends are described with vague phrasing like 'some small upes and downs' or 'a big constent crash till june' rather than precise data reporting. The overview attempts to capture the general trend (falling until June, then stabilising), which is acceptable, but the overall lack of precise data points and a clear, well-structured selection of main features limits the response to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The text is organised into paragraphs, including an introduction, body details, and an overview. However, cohesion is extremely faulty and mechanical. The response lacks basic punctuation, running on as a continuous string of clauses connected loosely by commas or conjunctions, such as 'then it stable for two monthes then agan drop to -3% in the month of june after same small upes and downs'. This absence of sentence boundaries and appropriate cohesive devices makes the text very difficult to follow and read smoothly. Paragraphing is present visually, but the internal logical progression within paragraphs is severely undermined by poor punctuation and referencing, aligning with a Band 4.0 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
The student uses a very basic and repetitive vocabulary throughout the response, relying heavily on simple words and phrases like 'change', 'price', 'start of the year', and 'drop'. There are numerous spelling errors and misspellings, such as 'informaton', 'amang', 'monthes', 'agan', 'socind', 'lest', 'zink', 'constent', 'ouctuber', 'recoded', 'matal', 'wich', 'thaen', 'recaved', 'afound', 'turmes', 'groth', and 'stabilised'. While the general topic is understandable, these persistent lexical and spelling errors impede communication and demonstrate a limited, inadequate range for an academic task, corresponding to a Band 4.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
Grammatical control is extremely weak. The response lacks almost all standard punctuation, resulting in run-on sentences and massive comma splices (e.g., 'the price of the nickel was the highest amang the all in the january with 6% with droped to 1% by march after that it stable for two monthes...'). There is a very limited range of grammatical structures, and simple sentences are frequently faulty, missing verbs or prepositions (e.g., 'then it stable'). Errors occur in almost every sentence and frequently impede comprehension, placing the performance firmly at Band 4.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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