Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 give diagram presents the process of formation of rain shadow desert from one type of desert

Overall it is clearly visible that there are total seven step wich takes place while the formation of rain shadow deserts.

the diagram depects that in first process from sea surface winds approach to coast and pushed upward were moist air rises and get cool. in mountains there it a place called windside were clouds are found in fourth step . the size of mountains are thousands of kilometeres

Moving towards rest of information in fifth step rain fall strated at peak of mountains . Dry air continues over mountain toward leap side. In last step dry air reaches in land area to form rain shadow desert . leeward side side process is less comlex than windward side. basicly the moiste wind which are coverted to the clouds create rain shadow desert with dry wind .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the formation of a rain-shadow desert, noting key features such as winds approaching from the sea, moist air rising over mountains, and dry air creating a desert on the leeward side. However, the student's execution falls short of fully presenting an overview and reporting all main features accurately. For instance, the mention that 'there are total seven step wich takes place' is inaccurate, as the stages are not clearly enumerated or effectively tracked in the diagram. Furthermore, descriptions like 'the size of mountains are thousands of kilometeres' misinterpret the visual data. The response covers the general topic and attempts comparisons between the windward and leeward sides, but key details are under-developed, placing it at a Band 5.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows some basic organisation with an attempt at an introduction and conclusion, utilizing transitional markers like 'Moving towards rest of information' and 'In last step'. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression and logical sequencing. Paragraphing is weak, with erratic line breaks and a failure to group related ideas cohesively. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'the size of mountains are thousands of kilometeres' breaking the narrative flow abruptly. Cohesive devices are either inadequate or mechanically applied. These shortcomings in structure and flow align the response with a Band 5.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is limited and repetitive, with basic terms such as 'sea', 'winds', 'mountains', and 'clouds'. There are notable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'give' instead of 'given', 'wich' instead of 'which', 'depects' instead of 'depicts', 'windside' instead of 'windward side', 'strated' instead of 'started', 'leap side' instead of 'leeward side', and 'moiste' instead of 'moist'. These errors and the narrow lexical range mean the student can only convey basic meanings, which fits the Band 4.0 descriptor for Lexical Resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The text contains a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences with frequent errors that cause difficulty for the reader. Examples of grammatical and punctuation errors include subject-verb agreement issues ('the size of mountains are'), incorrect tense usage ('rain fall strated'), and awkward phrasing ('the moiste wind which are coverted to the clouds create rain shadow desert with dry wind'). Complex sentence attempts are frequently faulty and punctuation is largely neglected. These persistent errors across most sentences constrain the grammar score to a Band 4.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.