Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-02

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 4.0)

The figure presents the average monthly change in the price of copper, nickel and zinc during the year 2014. copper price is average. zinc also on the average range of price. the price of nickel is very high.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the graph’s subject and mention all three metals, which is relevant to the task. However, the response does not summarise the main features: it gives no month-by-month trends, comparisons, or accurate overview of how prices changed. The claim that nickel was “very high” is only partly informative, since nickel began highest but later fell sharply and ended near 1%; copper and zinc also did not simply remain in an “average range.” The response is largely incomplete and contains only 38 words, well below the required 150, so there is not enough reporting to address the task meaningfully. Include an overview and select key highs, lows, and shared patterns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

The response has a basic sequence: it introduces the figure and then makes brief comments about copper, zinc, and nickel. This gives the reader a minimal sense of the topic, but there is no developed progression from an overview to supporting details, and the three short statements are not connected into a coherent summary. The repeated sentence openings (“copper price,” “zinc also,” “the price of nickel”) also make the organisation feel list-like. To improve, group related information—for example, describe the metals’ early movements and their shared mid-year decline—using clear links such as “whereas,” “by contrast,” and “overall.”

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use a small set of relevant terms, including “average monthly change,” “price,” and the names of the metals, so the topic is recognisable. However, the vocabulary is very limited and some phrases are vague or unnatural for describing a graph. “Copper price is average” does not clearly communicate whether its monthly change rose, fell, or stayed stable, while “on the average range of price” is not a natural collocation. “Very high” is also imprecise without a comparison or a figure. Use more specific trend language, such as “declined,” “recovered,” “fluctuated,” and “reached a peak,” and describe changes as percentages.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response uses simple sentence patterns that are generally understandable, such as “The figure presents…” and “The price of nickel is very high.” However, the range is narrow, with no complex sentences or structures for comparing trends. There are also errors in sentence-level control: “copper price is average” lacks an article or possessive determiner, and the sentence beginning “zinc also” is not properly capitalised. The repeated short statements do not show how events relate across time. Practise accurate comparative structures, for example, “While nickel fell sharply in June, copper and zinc also moved into negative territory,” and check articles, capitalisation, and punctuation.

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