Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-03
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 graph illustrates the prices of copper., nickel, zinc with average monthly change during 2014. Overall, the nickel displays dramatic fluctuation in percentage compared to the previous months. The copper prices witnessed gradual increase and the line representing zinc slightly rose in 2014. The nickel alignment tracks the changes held among different months.Especially in January, there was substantial increment which was about to 6%. In contrast, previous months nickel percentages faced many ups and downs specially in June about to -3%, costs went below to zero,whereas the copper metal droped from 1% in December and made a massive mark in average monthly change in prices.In May, the price share of copper went diminished below zero. Subsequently,prices accquired the rating of 2% in January. The metal which revels a huge decline was zinc during the era of 21st century, form May to Feburary the prices remain stabled but evetually at the start of January the outcomes were surprisingly incredible.The prices were at its lowest point above zera and below two.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 3.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response attempts to address the task by mentioning the three metals, but it only partially covers the data presented in the graph. While there is a brief mention of nickel fluctuating and copper and zinc showing overall trends, the reporting of specific figures is largely inaccurate, confused, and contradictory. For instance, the student states that nickel peaked at 6% in January and dropped to -3% in June, which loosely aligns with the visual data, but then makes claims that are entirely disconnected from the chart, such as stating that zinc declined during the '21st century' or misinterpreting the timeline and values. The overview is weak and fails to clearly summarise the main overall trends. Ideas are limited, under-developed, and often confused, preventing a clear understanding of the graph's contents.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5
The response suffers from significant issues with overall organisation, progression, and cohesion. The text is presented as a single dense paragraph rather than being appropriately structured into an introduction, overview, and body paragraphs. There is no clear logical progression of ideas from sentence to sentence; instead, statements about different months and metals jump around erratically, such as shifting abruptly from January to June, back to December and May, and then across to zinc. Cohesive devices are used very poorly, with faulty transitions and repetitive sentence structures that make the flow disjointed. Pronoun referencing and time markers are frequently inaccurate or confusing, making it difficult for the reader to follow which metal or time period is being discussed.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and frequently inaccurate, reflecting a basic range that struggles with precision. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary items such as 'substantial increment', 'massive mark', and 'diminished', these are often used with incorrect collocations or awkward phrasing, such as 'price share of copper went diminished' or 'outcomes were surprisingly incredible'. There are also vocabulary selection errors and confusing expressions like 'the nickel alignment tracks the changes held'. Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'droped', 'accquired', 'revels', 'stabled', and 'evetually', occur and occasionally cause strain for the reader, though communication is not completely blocked.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The grammatical range is quite limited, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside poorly controlled complex structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, including missing articles (e.g., 'prices of copper., nickel, zinc'), incorrect prepositions (e.g., 'percentage compared to', 'droped from... in December'), and flawed verb tense usage and agreement (e.g., 'the nickel displays', 'prices remain stabled'). Punctuation is also problematic, including unnecessary full stops inside noun phrases (e.g., 'copper., nickel'). These frequent errors can cause difficulty and confusion for the reader, restricting the writing to a lower band for grammatical accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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