Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Student answer (Band 4.0)
The diagram depicts the formation of rain-shadow desert.
Overall, it can be seen that the process by which rain-shadow desert is formed is a multistep linear process, which consists of seven steps, starts with the winds approach coast and ends up with dry winds reach inland areas.
The first step is winds approach coast comes form the ocean then pushed upwards by the mountain in second step. In the third step moist air rises and cools along the windward side and it forms as clouds in the fourth step. Step number five is rainfall which arise after the clouds goes at the top of the mountain.
The sixth step is dry air continues over mountain when the rain falls downwards the mountain. After it comes to the leeward side, the dry winds reach inland areas at the seventh step. Finally, then formed as a rain-shadow desert due to a lack of rain.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 1.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 1.0
The response is completely off-topic. The prompt required candidates to summarise the plans of a college cafe before and after its redesign, comparing the two layouts. Instead, the student wrote about the formation of a rain-shadow desert, which belongs to an entirely different Academic Task 1 prompt. Consequently, the writer has failed to address any part of the actual task prompt, resulting in a very low band score for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
Despite being off-topic, the text itself exhibits a basic logical progression through the use of sequential phrases such as 'Overall', 'The first step', 'In the third step', and 'Finally'. Paragraphing is attempted, though some paragraphs are single sentences. Cohesive devices are used, but referencing is sometimes mechanical and repetitive. However, the overall organisation is adequate for a basic narrative structure, allowing the text to be followed easily despite the content error.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used is restricted and repetitive, specifically tailored to describing a natural cycle rather than architectural plans. Phrases like 'multistep linear process', 'moist air rises', and 'rain-shadow desert' demonstrate some topic-specific vocabulary for the wrong subject, but general academic flexibility is lacking. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies, such as 'winds approach coast comes form the ocean', which restrict the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The writing contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but it is marred by frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'winds approach coast comes form the ocean' (missing relative pronoun/tense error), 'rainfall which arise' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'then formed as a rain-shadow desert' (missing subject). These frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader, though the meaning of the incorrect process is still generally understandable.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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