Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 diagram illustrate the structure how a wind go up and how rain come in deserts,and how a blast of wind get by sea and how rain is come.

Winds approach coast air come and go to up when air start his journey(step 1). Wind start pushing to go up(step 2). When blast of wind go up they become into moist air rises and cools(step 3).Then coulds form into her real shape for rian(step 4). After all this process finally rain is come(step 5). When the rain is stop dry air is continues over mountain, when dry air continues over mountain its means rain is stop (step 6). In the last step dry wind come down in inland areas (step 7).

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response attempts to describe the formation of rain-shadow deserts based on the provided diagram, but it suffers from a significant limitation. First, the text is severely under-length at 121 words, failing to reach the 150-word minimum requirement. This directly impacts the completeness of the response. Furthermore, the content fails to provide a clear, comprehensive overview of the entire process from the sea through the mountains to the inland desert, omitting key geographical labels like 'windward side', 'leeward side', and the scale of thousands of kilometres. Instead, it relies on fragmented, repetitive descriptions of individual steps without synthesizing the overall information effectively. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a Band 4.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The text is organized into two paragraphs, but the logical flow and progression are weak. The introduction is extremely convoluted and repetitive ('The diagram illustrate the structure how a wind go up and how rain come in deserts,and how a blast of wind get by sea and how rain is come'). Cohesive devices are either missing or used inaccurately and mechanically (e.g., 'After all this process finally rain is come', 'In the last step'). Paragraphing is poorly handled, as the second paragraph crams the sequential steps together without clear transitions or referencing. Overall, the arrangement lacks clear overall progression and cohesion, fitting the Band 4.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic, highly repetitive, and frequently inappropriate for an academic task. Words like 'wind', 'rain', 'go up', and 'come' are repeated constantly throughout the text. There are significant word choice and collocation errors, such as 'blast of wind get by sea', 'coulds form into her real shape for rian', and 'its means rain is stop'. Less common lexical items are entirely absent, and spelling errors ('coulds', 'rian') appear. The lexical range is limited and strains the reader's understanding at times, aligning closely with a Band 4.0 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The writer attempts some complex structures, but they are almost invariably faulty and ungrammatical (e.g., 'The diagram illustrate the structure how a wind go up...'). There are frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and tense consistency ('air come and go to up', 'when air start his journey', 'dry air is continues'). Punctuation is also misused or neglected. Simple sentences are poorly constructed, and error frequency is very high, impeding communication in several places. This corresponds to a Band 4.0.

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

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