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)

The diagram illustrates the how one type of desert,known as arain-shadow, describe in seven steps winds approch coast at till dry winds reach inland areas.

Overall, the diagram shows all the steps, the formation of rain-shadow deserts. They have describe in seven steps.

The winds approch the coast. The second step winds pushed upwards, the next step moist air rises and cool on windward side, the next action is clouds form. The next actionis rain falls on the top edge of the mountain, when the rain is failling on the mountain, the rain water dryover continous over the mountain from leeward side. The last step, dry winds reach the inland area it means land where differend products are grown.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the process as having seven steps and include its main sequence, from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland. However, the account is brief and does not clearly explain the overall cause-and-effect pattern: moist air rises, cools and produces rain on the windward side, leaving dry air to cross the mountains and create a rain-shadow desert inland. The statement that inland land is where “different products are grown” is not shown in the diagram, and “rain water dryover” misrepresents the movement of dry air. The response is also 31 words below the required minimum. Develop the stages more fully and keep every detail grounded in the visual.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows the diagram’s general order, and the opening and overview show an attempt to introduce the process before describing its stages. However, most of the body is presented as one long sequence joined repeatedly by “the next step” or “the next action,” so the progression feels mechanical rather than clearly organised. The overview also repeats that there are seven steps without summarising the key transformation from moist coastal air to dry inland conditions. Use separate paragraphs for the overview and the detailed stages, and connect related events with clearer cause-and-effect links, such as rainfall on the windward side followed by dry air moving over the leeward side.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use several relevant terms from the diagram, including “coast,” “windward side,” “clouds,” “rain falls,” and “leeward side,” which gives the response a basic vocabulary for describing the process. However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms make the meaning unclear: “rain-shadow” is incomplete as a description of the desert, “rain water dryover” does not express the movement of air, and “products are grown” adds an unsupported idea. Spelling errors such as “approch,” “failling,” and “differend” are also noticeable. Build a more precise process vocabulary and check spelling and collocations before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both a general opening and a sequence of process descriptions, but the response relies mainly on short, simple clauses and does not show a controlled range of sentence structures. Frequent errors sometimes obscure meaning. For example, “the how one type of desert … describe” has an incorrect construction and verb form, while “They have describe in seven steps” lacks the correct auxiliary and participle. In “moist air rises and cool,” the verb form is incomplete, and several clauses run together without clear punctuation. Practise accurate present-simple descriptions of processes, including subject–verb agreement and complete clauses, then combine stages using clear subordinate links such as “as” or “which causes.”

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