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 diagram shows the formation of rain-shadow deserts.Firsty,Winds approach coast at the Coast then converted into Winds pushed upwards.The Windpushed upwards converted into many clouds.The Moist air rises and cools formed many Clouds.Many clouds form rain falls.The rain falls convert dry air continues over Leeward side mountain.The Leeward side mountain converts into Inland.The inland forms many precipitates.And after the formation of rain-shadow deserts On the inland is formed.This is the process of formation of Rain-shadow deserts present.There are may mountians present a Windward side and Leeward side.Over all the conclusion is that this is the ielts diagram which shows that how a formaion of rain-shadow deserts present.These are the following steps of the rian shadow deserts."

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student attempts to describe the process of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, mentioning winds, clouds, rain, and mountains. However, the response fails to meet the minimum word count of 150 words, stopping at only 116 words. Furthermore, the description is repetitive, mechanical, and confused in places, stating for instance that 'The inland forms many precipitates' and misinterpreting parts of the sequence. While some main features are touched upon, the lack of thorough development and the severe length penalty prevent this response from achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The text lacks clear overall progression and paragraphing. The response is presented as a single short block of text with awkward transitions such as 'Firsty,' and repetitive sentence structures ('The Windpushed upwards converted into many clouds. The Moist air rises and cools formed many Clouds'). Referencing and cohesive devices are inadequate and mechanical, resulting in a disjointed flow that heavily strains the reader's comprehension.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

Vocabulary is very basic, repetitive, and heavily reliant on direct copying of labels from the prompt (e.g., 'Winds approach coast', 'Leeward side mountain'). There are noticeable word-formation and collocation errors, such as 'precipitates' used incorrectly as a noun for forms of precipitation, and spelling mistakes like 'Firsty' and 'mountians'. The lexical range is minimally adequate at best for conveying basic ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting almost entirely of simple, repetitive subject-verb-object structures that are frequently faulty. There are persistent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, and punctuation, such as missing spaces after commas ('Firsty,Winds') and incorrect active/passive transformations ('converted into Winds pushed upwards'). Complex structures are absent, and grammatical errors frequently cause confusion.

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

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