Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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 given process chart illustrates how one type of desert popularly known as rain shadow deserts.

Overall, this process involves 7 steps, all sterps are essential, if one of the step is eliminated, the whole process will be vanished. Firstly, winds approaches the coast, then winds are pushed upwards, afterwards moist air rises and cools subsequently, clouds are formed , after that the rain falls, on the other hand, dry air continues over mountain after that, dry winds reach inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response is severely under-length, containing only 81 words compared to the required 150-word minimum. Because of this major omission, the task cannot be fully addressed. Although the student attempts to provide an overview and lists several steps from the diagram (such as 'winds approaches the coast' and 'clouds are formed'), the description lacks depth and fails to discuss the spatial relationships and geographical features shown in the diagram, such as the windward and leeward sides, the mountains, and the rain-shadow desert itself. Consequently, the development is very limited, which restricts the band score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The text suffers from poor cohesion and inadequate paragraphing. The entire response is squeezed into just two block sentences, making it difficult to follow the progression of the process. While some sequential linkers are attempted (e.g., 'Firstly', 'then', 'afterwards', 'subsequently'), they are heavily chained together within a massive run-on sentence separated only by comma splices, rather than structured logical sentences. There is also a lack of clear referencing, as seen in repetitive and mechanical transitions. This severely impedes the overall coherence of the writing.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The lexical range is very basic and repetitive. The student uses simple terminology directly copied or slightly modified from the prompt, such as 'winds', 'coast', 'moist air', and 'deserts'. There are noticeable word-form and vocabulary errors throughout the text, including 'sterps' (steps), 'vanished' (eliminated/disappear), and subject-verb agreement issues such as 'winds approaches'. The vocabulary is barely adequate to communicate the basic steps of the process, preventing the score from rising higher.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting almost entirely of poorly controlled compound and run-on sentences. There are frequent and intrusive punctuation errors, particularly comma splices (e.g., 'moist air rises and cools subsequently, clouds are formed , after that the rain falls'). Furthermore, there are basic morphological and agreement errors, such as 'one of the step' instead of 'one of the steps'. The abundance of structural and grammatical errors significantly hampers readability and demonstrates poor control over sentence boundaries.

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

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