Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 4.5)

The line graph illustrates the population two countries namely India and China between 2000 and present day along with the predictions for the increase till 2050. Overall, India initially had lesser people than China, but currently it's almost standing with China and the projections show that it will exceed China's population in the future. Along with that, China firstly grew in terms of citizens, but in the upcoming years the population will likely experience a gradual decrease.

In 2000, the population difference between the two nations was around 250 billion. At that time the total population of China and India was 1000 billion and 1250 billion, respectively. Since then, both the states observed a surge in their populations. India made great progress during 2000 and present day as it is just below 1400 billion, while China didn't had such a big change, but it still has a larger population than India, having a little over 1400 billion residents. Moreover, China and India are likely to have an equal total population, approximately 1450 billion, closer to 2030. Furthermore, it's estimated that India's population will probably escalate and will settle at 1600 billion till 2050, while China's population will most likely reduce and fall to just under 1400 billion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0

The response is completely off-topic. The task instructions and the prompt clearly require a description of a diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert. However, the student has written a report about population trends in India and China. Because the response does not address the task at all, it fails to meet the requirements of the prompt. In an official IELTS examination, this would be treated as a memorised or irrelevant response, resulting in a score of 1 for Task Achievement, as no part of the actual task has been addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

Despite the content being irrelevant to the prompt, the text itself is organised into paragraphs with a clear introduction and body. There is a logical progression of ideas regarding the population data, and cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'In 2000', 'Since then', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link sentences. The paragraphing is appropriate for a report format. While the content is entirely wrong for the task, the internal structure and flow of the writing demonstrate a level of coherence that would be higher if the topic were correct.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for a report on statistical data. The student uses terms like 'projections', 'surge', 'escalate', and 'residents' correctly in the context of describing trends. There is an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, and the meaning is clear throughout. However, there are some inaccuracies, such as 'standing with China' instead of 'on par with' or 'matching'. The lexical range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, though it lacks the sophisticated control required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'China didn't had' (should be 'did not have') and 'population two countries' (missing 'of'). Additionally, the use of 'billion' for population figures is factually incorrect for the countries mentioned, though this is a content issue. Punctuation is generally acceptable. The errors present do not impede the reader's understanding of the intended message, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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