Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-15

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 below illustrates the average monthly change in the rates of three metals during 2014.

The decrease in percentage can be clearly seen in both Copper and Nickel from the start of the year. While the Zinc prices improved after the very first month, but it faced downfall afterwards.

Nickel prices has dropped the most comparetively to other metals through out the year, lowest in the month of June. However, after the first half of the month, the price improved a little bit and gets steady for the few months. Moreover, Zinc prices dropped the most in the middle of the year, then it increased almost half a percent and gets steady. In addition, October has been the best month for both Nickel and Zinc, as a good hike can be seen in the prices.

Copper has followed a

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response identifies some relevant broad movements, including nickel’s sharp fall to its low point in June and the metals’ recovery later in the year. However, coverage is minimal and several comparisons are inaccurate or unclear. Zinc did not rise after January and then decline throughout: it peaked in February, fell to negative changes in June, and recovered in November and December. October was not the best month for nickel and zinc; both were still negative then, while their positive changes returned in November. The overview also omits copper’s comparatively modest fluctuations. The final sentence, “Copper has followed a”, is unfinished, leaving an important series unreported. The response is 10 words below the required minimum, and the limited, partly misread account leaves the task only minimally addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is an attempt to organise the response into an introduction, a broad overview and further comments on individual metals. Linking expressions such as “However” and “Moreover” show an effort to connect points. Nevertheless, the progression is difficult to follow because the overview and details are mixed, and some references are unclear: “after the first half of the month” does not fit a description of yearly data. The claim about October also interrupts the account of nickel and zinc without clearly explaining their movements. Most importantly, the response ends with the incomplete sentence “Copper has followed a”, so the final point is not connected or completed. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and key details, and group comparisons by period or trend.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses a basic but relevant range of terms, including “average monthly change”, “dropped”, “steady” and “hike”, so the general subject is usually understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive and some choices are imprecise or unnatural for describing a graph. “Rates” is less suitable than “prices” here, while “faced downfall” and “good hike” are informal or awkward collocations. “Improved” can also suggest an overall benefit rather than simply an increase in price change. There are noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “comparetively” and “through out”. Aim for precise trend language such as “declined”, “recovered”, “remained stable” and “rose”, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some complex sentence forms, for example the contrast beginning “While the Zinc prices improved…”, but control is inconsistent. That sentence incorrectly combines “While” with “but”; use one linking structure, such as “Although zinc prices rose after January, they subsequently fell.” There are also agreement and verb-form errors in “Nickel prices has dropped” and “gets steady”; these should be “Nickel prices have dropped” and “became/remained steady”. The phrase “lowest in the month of June” is an incomplete construction, and the final sentence is unfinished. These errors, alongside a limited range of reliably controlled structures, sometimes make relationships between events difficult to understand. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and complete sentences.

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