Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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)

In the given diagram we can see how the formation of rain shadow desert.

There are 7 steps for the formation ofrain shadow desert as shown in diagram.The first step is wind approach coast and the second step is wind pushed upwards and third step is moist air rises and cools.The fourth step is clouds formation and the fifth step is ratn fall and the sixth step is dry air countinues over mountain.The last step is dry winds reach areas.

First of all,in the base there is sand of thousand of kilometres and on the left side there is sea.When the wind approach the coast and it pushes upwards and moist air rises and cools than it forms rain.The dry air continues over mountain so, dry wind reachs on in

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify the process as having seven stages and mention several relevant events, including wind moving inland, air rising and cooling, rainfall, and dry air crossing the mountain. However, the account is incomplete and does not clearly summarise the main pattern: moist air from the sea rises on the windward side, loses moisture as rain, and then descends as dry wind on the leeward side, creating an inland desert. The final sentence is cut off, and the desert itself is not clearly described. The statement about “sand of thousand of kilometres” misreads the scale arrow, which indicates distance rather than sand. The response is also 20 words below the required minimum. Develop the overview and explain the stages more accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic sequence, using “first,” “second,” and “last” to show the order of the process. This gives the reader some sense of progression, and the second paragraph attempts to describe the diagram spatially. However, most of the stages are crowded into one long sentence, while the later explanation repeats earlier details rather than extending them. The transition from the numbered list to “First of all” is not clearly managed, and the final phrase, “reachs on in,” leaves the account unfinished. Use separate, logically grouped sentences or paragraphs for the overview and the process, and connect each stage clearly to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “coast,” “moist air,” “clouds,” and “dry air,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or misspelled expressions make parts difficult to understand: “ratn fall,” “countinues,” and “reachs” are examples. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “dry winds reach areas,” which omits the important idea that they reach inland areas, and “sand of thousand of kilometres,” which does not describe the scale correctly. Aim for accurate process terms and natural collocations, such as “rain falls,” “winds continue inland,” and “a distance of thousands of kilometres.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts both a sequence of clauses and a longer explanation, but sentence structures are mostly simple or joined with repeated “and.” Errors in verb forms and sentence construction are frequent: “wind approach coast” needs an article and agreement, while “when the wind approach … and it pushes upwards” shifts awkwardly between forms. The clause “moist air rises and cools than it forms rain” does not clearly express the intended relationship, and the final sentence is incomplete. Punctuation and spacing also need attention, particularly around commas and sentence boundaries. Practise writing complete sentences with consistent present-tense verbs, for example: “As the moist air rises, it cools and forms clouds.”

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