Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 image shows the formation of rain shadow deserts in seven steps,how the wind approaches from the sea carring water vapours, it rains on the mountain top, dry winds reach the inland areas and form rain shadow.

From the sea coast fast winds reach to mountains after collision, air is forced upwards due to which moist air rises at a height and cool down, when air reaches to a certain height, moist air becomes dense and form cloud, due to fast air blowing clouds keep on rising at stage 5 where there is a mountain peak, there clouds start showering the rain, after that dry air forms which continue over the mountain and get on other side of the sea, windward side is the sea side while the side opposite of it is called leeward side, in leeward side dry air descends and reaches to inland areas, There that air forms rain shadows

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the seven-step process of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram. While the main stages—such as winds approaching from the sea, air being pushed upwards, cooling and cloud formation, precipitation on the windward side, and dry air descending on the leeward side to create inland deserts—are touched upon, the response lacks a clear, overarching overview. Furthermore, some details are slightly inaccurate or confusingly expressed, such as stating that dry air 'get on other side of the sea' rather than over the mountains. The sequence is followed overall, but the lack of paragraphing and underdeveloped synthesis of the visual information limits the score to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The entire response is written as a single, dense paragraph without any breaks, which severely hampers the overall organization and logical flow. While there is a chronological progression attempted from the sea to the inland areas, the transition between sentences relies heavily on comma splices and run-on structures (e.g., '...carring water vapours, it rains on the mountain top, dry winds reach...'). Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, leading to a mechanical and repetitive reading experience. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly regarding spatial relationships. This level of cohesion and paragraphing corresponds directly to a Band 4.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, featuring frequent reliance on everyday terms like 'fast winds', 'certain height', and 'mountain top'. There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'carring' (carrying), 'cool down' (cooled down), and 'get on other side' (move to the other side). While the student attempts to use some less common subject-specific terms like 'moist air', 'windward side', and 'leeward side', the lexical control is weak overall, resulting in a Band 5.0 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical structure of the response is characterized by frequent run-on sentences and comma splices, where multiple independent clauses are joined improperly without conjunctions or correct punctuation (e.g., 'From the sea coast fast winds reach to mountains after collision, air is forced upwards due to which moist air rises...'). There is a very limited range of accurate complex structures, and frequent errors in verb tense consistency, prepositions, and clause formation cause difficulty for the reader. Although meaning can generally be pieced together, the density of grammatical faults places this response firmly at Band 4.0.

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

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