Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-12

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 given bar chart elucidates information about average monthly change in prices of copper , nickel and zinc (2014) . The chart compares different categories and presents the data in number or percentages .

Overall , it can that there are noticeable among the categories shown in the chart . In addition , some categories show some fluctucation increment as well as decrement wheares for some cases they remain stable .

According to the chart , the first main activities copper January 2% , Feb 1% , March 0.5% , April 0.5% , May -0.5 % , June -0.5 % , July 1% , August 1% , September 1% , October -0.5% , November -0.5 % , December 1.5 % change in price compared with previous month . The following by second activities Nickle January 6% , February 4% , March 1% , April 1% , may 0.5% , June -3% , July -1% , august -1% , September -1% , October --2% , November 1% ,December 1% .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies the chart’s subject and reports a number of copper and nickel figures, including nickel’s sharp fall in June and copper’s recovery later in the year. However, it does not adequately summarise the full visual: zinc is omitted entirely, and there is no clear overview of the main patterns or comparison between the three metals. Some copper figures are also inaccurate: October and November are given as negative, whereas both are approximately +0.5%. The opening overview is incomplete (“it can that there are noticeable…”), so the reader is not told which metal fluctuated most or how the trends broadly changed. To improve, give a concise overview, cover all three series, and select a few accurate comparisons rather than listing many monthly values.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response into an introduction, an overview and a data paragraph, and the sequence of copper and nickel figures follows the months. However, progression is limited: the overview is unfinished, and the final paragraph stops after nickel without a concluding comparison or any discussion of zinc. Linking phrases such as “In addition” and “The following by second activities” do not clearly connect the ideas, while the long strings of figures make the information difficult to follow. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the overview and key comparisons, and group related trends—for example, the metals’ declines around June and their later recovery. Clearer sentence boundaries and reference to each metal would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some task-related vocabulary, including “average monthly change,” “categories,” “fluctuation,” and “price,” and it attempts to describe increases and decreases. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “first main activities,” “fluctucation increment,” and “the following by second activities.” “Bar chart” is also an inaccurate label for the line graph. Spelling errors, including “Nickle” and “wheares,” further reduce precision. Aim for standard graph language and accurate collocations: describe a line, figure or trend as rising, falling, remaining stable or fluctuating. This would make the account clearer and more appropriate to an academic report.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts a few sentence forms, including an introductory sentence and an overview beginning “Overall,” but grammatical control is inconsistent. The overview contains a missing verb or phrase (“it can that there are noticeable”), and the data paragraph is largely a sequence of fragments rather than complete sentences. There are also problems with articles, punctuation and spacing, as in “The given bar chart” and the repeated spaces before commas and full stops. The long lists would be clearer if expressed in complete sentences with a subject and verb, such as “Copper fell to around -0.5% in May and June, before rising in July.” Practise accurate simple sentences first, then add a small number of well-controlled comparisons.

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