Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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 below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert,

First of all the wind approached through the sea and slowly pished up like steam winds and became clouds shapes after that its raining. after rain dry airs continues over mountains leeward side this time air left a deffirent kind of smell wich is more attractive whenever after rain people smell it. final the wind reach inland side area rain shadow on the dessert.

this process shows how air taking step for for the natural process and and easily changing weather in the hot temperatures.

many people believes that process became of the wind because that the real main step to take all the steam below the mountain and creating numerous cloud which is resons of the rain.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

You identify the general topic and mention several relevant stages, including wind approaching from the sea, rain falling, and dry air continuing over the mountains towards inland areas. However, the process is only minimally summarised: there is no clear overview of the full sequence, and key details such as moist air rising and cooling, cloud formation on the windward side, and the rain-shadow desert on the leeward side are not accurately explained. The claim about a different, attractive smell after rain and the reference to hot temperatures are not shown in the diagram. The response also falls short of the required 150 words; 15 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count. To improve, describe the stages objectively and include a concise overview of how the mountains create a dry inland area.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to put events in sequence, using phrases such as “First of all,” “after that,” and “final,” and the response is divided into paragraphs. These features give the reader some sense of progression. However, the sequence is difficult to follow because several stages are compressed into one long sentence, and the later paragraphs introduce unrelated comments about people’s reactions and beliefs. Connections between ideas are often unclear, as in “after rain dry airs continues over mountains leeward side this time.” Use one paragraph to outline the process in order, with clear sentence boundaries and accurate linking expressions such as “as a result” and “subsequently.” Avoid adding a separate, unsupported explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some vocabulary relevant to the diagram, including “wind,” “clouds,” “rain,” “mountains,” “leeward side,” and “inland.” This shows an attempt to use topic-specific language rather than relying entirely on general terms. However, word choice and spelling are often inaccurate or imprecise, which makes parts of the process hard to understand: “pished up,” “clouds shapes,” “dry airs,” and “dessert” do not communicate the intended ideas clearly. “Smell” and “attractive” are also inappropriate for describing the diagram. Build a small bank of accurate process vocabulary and check spelling; use terms such as “rises,” “moist air,” “precipitation,” and “rain-shadow desert” consistently.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect events in longer sentences, for example, “after rain dry airs continues over mountains leeward side,” and includes some simple sequencing clauses. However, sentence structures are not controlled well enough to express the stages clearly. Verb forms and agreement are inconsistent (“the wind approached,” “dry airs continues,” “many people believes”), and articles and sentence boundaries are frequently missing or misplaced. The opening is also an incomplete sentence, while repeated conjunctions in “and and” make the final paragraph harder to read. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use consistent present simple forms for a process: “Moist air rises, cools and forms clouds.”

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

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