Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · 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 4.5)

The image below illustrates,how one type of desert formation of the rain shadow desert.There are several step include in the formation of the rain shadow deserts.starting with the wind approach coast and end with the dry wind reach at the island areas.

firstly,wind pushed upwards to the air and air rises and being cools and letter air being form in clouds.subsequently, rain being falls after half of the procced this whole proceed known as a windward side of the rain shadow deserts.there are several step include in the windward side proceed approximately 5 at the climbiang a mountains.

furthermore,after half of the proceed there are other side called leeward side include several step allmost 2 first dry air continues over mountains dry winds reach island areas at the bottum of the inland and being formed in rain shadow desert.this all step include thousand of kilometres areas and proceeed that include allmost 7 steps.

overall,procced starts with the wind approach coast in the sea and end with the dry winds reach at the mountains being formed in rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The candidate attempts to summarise the diagram illustrating the formation of a rain-shadow desert, identifying key steps such as winds approaching the coast, air rising and cooling, clouds forming, rain falling, and dry winds reaching inland areas. However, the response falls short of fully and clearly reporting the main features due to fragmented sentences, confusing phrasing ('after half of the procced'), and a lack of clear comparison between the windward and leeward sides. While the essential stages are mentioned, the lack of well-developed descriptions and precise reporting places this response in Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text is divided into paragraphs, which shows an attempt at organisation, but the overall progression of ideas is hindered by poor punctuation, missing conjunctions, and mechanical transitions (e.g., 'firstly', 'furthermore', 'overall'). Referencing is often unclear, as seen in phrases like 'this all step include thousand of kilometres areas', making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical flow of the process. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly and repetitively, resulting in a score of 4.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, frequently relying on awkward phrasing and incorrect forms of words (e.g., 'being cools', 'procced', 'island areas' instead of inland areas, 'bottum'). There is little evidence of less common lexical items, and word choices often impede clear communication. Spelling and morphological errors are frequent throughout the response, which aligns with the descriptors for Band 4.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mostly of simple clauses joined improperly or fraught with structural errors. There are frequent and systematic errors in tense, word form, and sentence construction (e.g., 'wind pushed upwards to the air and air rises and being cools'). Punctuation is largely neglected, with run-on sentences and missing capitalization at the beginning of sentences. These frequent errors cause significant difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar at Band 4.0.

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