Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-03

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 4.0)

The given line graph illustrates average price changes of Cooper nickel and zinc over the period at 2014

Overall it is clear that price changes began Full Year another noticeable feture is that its rise in January and mid in December

Looking at the details cooper nickel and zinc recorded the highest figure at 6 at January and February we saw the its fall down which stood at 4 it comparison march decrease acounteted for only 1 in june the second lowest figure which is -3 july -1 August September also similar at October a chat show the significant deference is -2 another significant figure November and December goes to 1

Turning to the remaining figures January experienced a significant rising from 6 by contrast month of june remained relatively low prices throughout the period.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

The response makes an attempt to describe the graph and includes a few relevant figures, especially nickel’s fall to about -3% in June and its later movement to around -2% in October and 1% in November and December. However, the account is incomplete and several comparisons are unclear or inaccurate: the opening description appears to attribute the January and February highs to all three metals, although these values belong to nickel, while copper and zinc follow different patterns. The overview does not clearly summarise the main trends, and the final paragraph adds little useful information. The response is also 15 words below the required minimum, limiting the detail available. To improve, give a clear overview and accurately compare the metals’ contrasting movements across the year.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response, with an introduction, an overview beginning “Overall,” and two detail paragraphs introduced by “Looking at the details” and “Turning to the remaining figures.” These signals show some awareness of paragraphing and sequencing. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the details are not grouped clearly by metal or period, and several sentences run together without clear relationships. For example, the passage from March to June and then July to November is hard to interpret, while “Turning to the remaining figures” does not make clear which series is being discussed. Use separate, focused paragraphs and connect comparisons explicitly, so readers can follow each metal’s trend without having to infer the links.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The response uses some task-relevant vocabulary, including “line graph,” “highest figure,” “fall,” and “remained relatively low,” and it attempts to describe change over time. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make the meaning unclear, such as “began Full Year,” “a chat show,” and “significant deference.” There are also spelling errors, including “feture,” “acounteted,” and “cooper,” which reduce precision. Aim for accurate, conventional language for describing data, such as “fluctuated,” “declined,” “recovered,” and “percentage change.” Check spelling and choose words that express the intended trend directly; this will make the report easier to understand and more suitable for an academic graph summary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts some longer sentence forms, including “Overall it is clear that…” and “Looking at the details…,” but control is inconsistent. Many sentences lack a clear grammatical structure or contain missing words and punctuation, as in “The given line graph illustrates average price changes of Cooper nickel and zinc over the period at 2014.” The overview sentence, “another noticeable feture is that its rise in January and mid in December,” also has unclear subject reference and faulty sentence construction. Commas and full stops are often missing, causing several ideas to run together. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use simple comparisons accurately before attempting longer structures. Careful proofreading for articles, prepositions, agreement, and punctuation would improve clarity.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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