Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · 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 4.0)

The map illustrates the formation of rain-shadow deserts, However to begin with winds approach coast Neverthless terminate with Dry winds reach inland areas it involves such majorly seven stages.

the formation of rain-shadow deserts their is a sea, commence with Winds approch coast slowly it will winds pushed upwards into the air and it can moist air rises and clouds was becoming cool from clouds it transforming windward side next step is Rain falls it becomes air was slowly modify to dry air continues over the mountain at the leeward side besides the sea it was very enormous mountains on the mountains was covered with greenary with plants, trees and ultimately birds, anumals, ultimately it was Dry winds reach inland areas, however the sea water revise to rain the rain adapt to inland dry to weet sand and greenary in between sea and inland their was a considerable mountain.

The mountain has two side windward side andLeeward side at the Windward side has sea with desert furthermore Leeward side has Inland.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The student attempts to describe the diagram showing the formation of rain-shadow deserts, mentioning key elements such as the sea, winds, mountains, the windward side, and the leeward side. However, the response falls short of fully satisfying the band descriptors due to severe confusion in sequencing and a lack of clear, logical progression. While some main features are touched upon, such as 'Winds approch coast' and 'Rain falls', the explanation of the process is extremely muddled and difficult to follow. The information is presented in a fragmented manner, making it hard to discern a coherent summary of the stages involved. Consequently, the response aligns best with a Band 4.0 descriptor, as the information is not adequately organised or clearly reported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

Coherence and cohesion are major weaknesses in this response. The text is divided into three very short and poorly structured paragraphs, and sentence boundaries are frequently violated through run-on sentences and comma splices, as seen in 'The map illustrates the formation of rain-shadow deserts, However to begin with winds approach coast Neverthless terminate with...' Cohesive devices are used inappropriately and mechanically (e.g., 'ultimately', 'besides', 'however'), which obscures the logical relationship between ideas rather than clarifying them. Paragraphing is ineffective, and there is no clear overall progression or referencing throughout the response. These features place the writing firmly at Band 4.0 for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is basic, highly repetitive, and restricted to simple terms directly lifted or poorly paraphrased from the prompt, such as 'sea', 'winds', 'mountain', and 'desert'. There are numerous word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'the sea water revise to rain' and 'wet sand and greenary'. Less common vocabulary is attempted with very low accuracy, and spelling errors (e.g., 'approch', 'Neverthless', 'anumals', 'weet') occur frequently. Although communication of the absolute basic topic is marginally achieved, the frequent lexical errors and limited control of word forms restrict the score to a Band 4.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is extremely weak throughout the response. There is a near-total absence of accurate complex sentence structures, and simple sentences are frequently malformed or incomplete. Frequent errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation severely distort meaning—for instance, 'from clouds it transforming windward side' and 'their is a sea, commence with Winds approch coast slowly it will winds pushed upwards'. Punctuation is largely misused, with commas incorrectly linking independent clauses. Due to the high frequency of basic grammatical errors and the lack of a reliable range of structures, this response meets the criteria for Band 4.0.

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

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