Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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 beside shows the natural process of how the formation of rain-shadow desert is formed.

overall, all the process starts with sea and ends in inlnad areas, as the sea water evapurates, form clouds and after that, its rainnig and water back to surface and went inland and that made rain-shadow desert process.

there is natural cycle of 7 steps of how one type of desert, called rain-shadow desert is formed, the cycle begine with evaporation of water from sea, next, winds pushes upward because of

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the topic and give a basic start-to-finish overview, noting that the process begins at the sea and ends inland. However, the account is only minimal and does not accurately report the main stages shown. The diagram describes winds approaching the coast, being forced upwards, cooling as moist air rises, forming clouds and producing rain on the windward side; dry air then crosses the mountain and reaches inland as dry winds. Instead, you describe sea water evaporating and water returning to the surface, which is not shown, and the response stops before explaining the later stages. The response is also 63 words below the required minimum. To improve, cover the full sequence and avoid adding processes absent from the diagram.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: an opening identifies the diagram, an overview follows, and the final sentence begins to describe the stages. The phrases “overall” and “after that” also signal some sequence. However, the ideas do not progress through the complete process, and the final sentence breaks off at “because of,” leaving the explanation unfinished. The overview repeats the idea that the process starts at the sea and ends inland rather than clearly summarising the key change from moist air and rainfall to dry air and desert conditions. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and stages, then connect each stage in order with clear links such as “as a result,” “subsequently,” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses a small set of relevant terms, including “sea,” “clouds,” “rain,” “inland areas,” and “rain-shadow desert,” so the general subject is recognisable. However, the vocabulary is limited and some choices make the process difficult to understand. “Evapurates” and “rainnig” are misspelled, while “water back to surface” is imprecise and does not describe the diagram accurately. The response also repeats “process” and “formed” without using the specific terms needed to explain the stages, such as “windward,” “leeward,” “moist air,” and “dry winds.” Build a small bank of accurate process vocabulary and check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to use connected clauses, for example, “as the sea water … form clouds and after that,” but control is weak and the range of sentence structures is very limited. Errors in agreement and verb forms occur in “the sea water … form clouds” and “winds pushes upward”; the latter should use a plural verb form. The opening also has an awkward construction, “shows the natural process of how the formation … is formed,” and the final sentence is incomplete. These problems sometimes make the sequence hard to follow. Practise writing complete, controlled sentences for each stage, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb forms, and use a full stop rather than leaving a clause unfinished.

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