Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-28
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)
This line graph illustrates the monthly fluctuations in the prices of metals that are copper, nickel, and zinc in the calendar year (2014).
The prices of these metals kept fluctuating throughout the year. The price of zinc began to increase at starting but then fell down. The price of nickel also began to decrease and increase and the price of copper remained almost constant throughout the year.
The price of nickel deceased from January to March and remained constant till May and then there is a huge dip in June and so on.
The price of copper decreased at the starting of the year but increased a little at the end of the year.
The price of zinc increased at the starting of the year but after February it began to decrease untill October and then increased at the end of the year.
This graph shows average monthly change in prices of metals.
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 describe the main trends in the line graph, noting the fluctuations in the prices of copper, nickel, and zinc in 2014. However, the data reporting is inaccurate and contradicts the actual visual data in several places. For instance, the student states that the price of nickel decreased from January to March, whereas the graph clearly shows a drop from a peak of 6% in January to 4% in February and 1% in March, which is technically still positive percentage change rather than a decrease. Furthermore, the descriptions of copper and zinc trends are overly simplistic and misread key values, such as claiming copper decreased at the start of the year when it actually showed positive percentage changes (2%, 1%, 0.5%). The overview is very weak, lacking a clear summary of overall trends. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is organised into short paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The introduction merely rewrites the prompt, and the conclusion at the end ("This graph shows average monthly change in prices of metals") is redundant and adds no value. Cohesive devices are minimal and mechanical, relying heavily on repetitive sentence structures such as "The price of nickel...", "The price of copper...", and "The price of zinc...". Paragraphing is attempted, but individual paragraphs are underdeveloped and fail to group related information effectively. Referencing and substitution are poorly handled, leading to a choppy and disjointed reading experience.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is extremely basic, repetitive, and restricted. Phrases like "kept fluctuating throughout the year", "huge dip", and "increased a little" are overused and demonstrate a very limited lexical range. There are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as "at starting" instead of "at the start" or "initially", and "untill" with a spelling error. The student struggles to use less common vocabulary or precise economic and statistical terms suitable for an Academic Task 1 response, such as 'stabilised', 'fluctuated', or 'peaked'. Lexical limitations impede effective communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The student employs a very limited range of sentence structures, relying almost entirely on simple sentences or basic compound forms with coordinating conjunctions. Attempts at complex structures are rare and frequently flawed, such as in the opening relative clause: "prices of metals that are copper, nickel, and zinc", which is unnatural and clumsy. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles, preposition errors ("at starting" instead of "at the start"), and spelling mistakes ("untill"). While meaning is sometimes decipherable, the high frequency of basic structural errors restricts the band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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