Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-21

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 line graph demonstrates the mean monthly change in cost of three metals: copper, nickel and zinc throughout the year 2014.

In january, nickel was the expensive metal, but in the following years, it gradually declined in price and observed a sharp dip in june. However, it climbed again over the rest of the year, even so there were some fluctuations. Compared to Nickel, the other two metals prices were less at the start of the year, but towards the year end, metals cost rose up and remain slight costlier than nickel.

Although nickel costs higher at 60% in january, it kept declining over the subsequent months and faced a considerable decrease in january at -30%, even so it increased again up to 10% in november and remain consistent till the year end. Whereas, there was significant price change for zinc over the year, but only marginal change in price at the end compared to the price in january. it started at 10% in january and finished at 20% in december.

It is clear that there was no substantial price change for copper over the given perriod. It started at 20% and in the end price d

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response identifies the three metals and attempts to describe their movements, but the account is substantially weakened by inaccurate figures and an incomplete ending. For example, nickel is reported as reaching “60%” in January and “-30%” in June, whereas the graph shows approximately 6% and -3%. The statement that nickel rose to 10% in November also misreads the scale: it is about 1%. Some broad trends are recognised, including nickel’s sharp mid-year fall and copper’s relatively modest movement, but the overview that prices rose toward year-end is too general and does not clearly compare the metals’ contrasting patterns. The final sentence is cut off, leaving copper’s year-end movement unreported. Prioritise accurate scale reading and a complete overview of the main highs, lows and recoveries.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation: the response begins with an introduction, then discusses nickel and zinc before turning to copper. Linking expressions such as “Compared to,” “Although,” and “Whereas” show an effort to connect comparisons. However, progression is difficult to follow because nickel is described repeatedly across paragraphs, while the metals are not consistently grouped or compared. “In the following years” is confusing in a report about one year, and “However” and “even so” are sometimes combined in ways that make relationships unclear. The final sentence stops at “price d,” disrupting the ending and leaving the discussion unfinished. A clearer structure would give a concise overview first, then compare the early-year and later-year patterns in organised paragraphs, using references that make each metal’s trend easy to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “gradually declined,” “sharp dip,” “fluctuations,” “considerable decrease,” and “marginal change.” These choices help convey movement and comparison, and the meaning is generally recoverable. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural for describing a percentage change: “the expensive metal” suggests absolute price rather than the largest monthly increase, while “metals cost rose up” and “slight costlier” are awkward collocations. “Observed a sharp dip” also gives the metal an unnatural human action. Spelling and capitalisation slips, including “january” and “perriod,” reduce accuracy. Use precise terms such as “recorded the largest increase,” “prices rose,” and “remained slightly higher,” and check spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Although” and “Whereas,” and uses past-tense forms to describe the year. However, control is inconsistent, with errors in agreement and verb forms such as “it increased again … and remain consistent” and “metals cost rose up and remain.” Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention: “it started” follows a full stop without a capital, and the final sentence is incomplete. Some long sentences join several ideas with commas and “even so,” making the grammatical relationships hard to follow. These problems sometimes obscure the intended meaning, particularly in the nickel description. Build accuracy by checking subject–verb agreement and keeping each sentence focused; practise complex comparisons, but ensure each clause has a complete and correctly formed verb.

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