Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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)

This diagram show the formation of rain-shadow desert in steps.

Step 1; This formation start form sea the wind blow start form sea and increas the wind and after that in Step 2 ; winds pushed upwards from the surface of the sea after this process in Step 3; Moist air rises and in cools form in the next step .Step 4 ; chsnge in to the form of clouds. After the form of clouds windward side and rain falls start in the step 5 .

Step 6; The rain fall stop and dry air continues over the mountain and leeward side .Step 7; Dry winds reach at the inland areas after all the process in land rain-shadow desert .

These process start form the surface of the sea and coast and his peek point is mountains height and rain fall start and low point is dry wind reach inland areas and this rain shadow desert this is the way of thousands of kilometres.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The student attempts to describe the seven steps involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert as shown in the diagram. While the main sequence from sea to inland is touched upon, the response suffers from severe limitations in task fulfillment. The text relies heavily on mechanical listing (e.g., 'Step 1', 'Step 2') rather than a cohesive report, and the final paragraph attempts an overview but is largely incomprehensible due to severe structural breakdowns. Key spatial relationships, such as the windward and leeward sides of the mountains, are mentioned awkwardly rather than integrated into a clear summary of geographical features. Consequently, the response falls short of fully presenting a clear, well-supported overview of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The organizational structure is extremely weak. Instead of a natural paragraph structure with fluid transitions, the student breaks the text up using abrupt, repetitive labels like 'Step 1;', 'Step 2 ;', and 'Step 4 ;'. There is a complete lack of standard cohesive devices to link the stages of the diagram smoothly. The progression of ideas is disjointed, and the final paragraph fails to tie the information together logically, resulting in a confusing arrangement of information that lacks overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is extremely basic, repetitive, and plagued by severe word-choice errors and non-standard forms (e.g., 'increas', 'chsnge in to', 'peek point'). The student borrows terms directly from the diagram such as 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'rain-shadow desert', but fails to use them within well-constructed phrases or sentences. Lexical control is minimal, and the frequent errors in spelling and word formation significantly impede communication throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is very poor. The response consists almost entirely of fragmentary clauses, run-on sentences, and severe structural errors (e.g., 'This diagram show the formation of rain-shadow desert in steps.', 'This formation start form sea the wind blow start form sea and increas the wind'). There is a near-total absence of accurate complex structures, and basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are frequently violated. Errors are so pervasive that they constantly strain the reader's understanding.

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