Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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 illustrates the step by step process of how rain shadow desert is formed due to atomospheric conditions.

Overall, the formation of rain-shadow deserts includes seven steps beginning with wind moving first from sea towards the mountains where clouds forms

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the topic and give a broad overview that the process has seven steps and begins with wind moving from the sea towards the mountains. However, the response stops before describing the key stages shown: moist air rises and cools, clouds form, rain falls on the windward side, and dry air crosses the mountains to create a rain-shadow desert inland. As a result, the main features are not adequately summarised, and the overview is incomplete. The response also falls well short of the required 150 words, leaving most of the diagram unreported. To improve, describe the full sequence and make clear how rainfall on one side contrasts with dry conditions on the other.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic, sensible structure: an introductory sentence is followed by an overview beginning with “Overall”. This gives the reader an initial sense of the subject and the process sequence. However, the overview ends abruptly after “where clouds forms”, and there is no developed paragraph explaining the stages or their relationship. Consequently, progression is very limited and the reader cannot follow the process from the sea to the inland desert. Use separate paragraphs for the introduction/overview and the detailed sequence, then connect stages with clear markers such as “as a result”, “subsequently” and “finally”. The existing organisation is a useful starting point, but it needs fuller development.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “rain-shadow deserts”, “wind”, “sea”, “mountains” and “clouds”, so the subject is recognisable. The phrase “step by step process” also signals the type of information being described. However, the vocabulary range is very narrow because the response is so brief, and there are noticeable spelling and word-form problems: “atomospheric” should be “atmospheric”, while “rain shadow desert” is better expressed as “rain-shadow desert”. More precise process terms from the diagram, such as “moist air”, “precipitation”, “windward side” and “leeward side”, would help explain the mechanism accurately. Aim to use these terms in complete descriptions rather than listing labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes a simple opening sentence and an attempt at a more complex overview using “beginning with”. This shows some ability to combine ideas, and the general meaning is understandable. However, the second sentence is incomplete: “Overall, the formation … includes seven steps beginning with wind moving first from sea towards the mountains where clouds forms” has no completed main clause after the introductory overview, and it ends without punctuation. There is also a subject–verb agreement error in “clouds forms”; the plural subject requires “clouds form”. The sentence structure is therefore not yet controlled consistently. Write complete sentences for each stage, checking agreement, articles and punctuation as you revise.

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