Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-06

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 5.0)

The picture given illustrates how single type of desert, called as rain-shadow, is created. Overall, these steps take place in different seven phase and rain is central point that formation.

In the beginning of the process, sea touches with the mountain from which winds approach to the coast and pushed upwards. Furthermore, in the third step moist air rises and cooling process form clouds. After all, rain falls at the high point of mountains and rain falls at leeward side dry air continues over mountain. further, at the seven steps dry winds reach inland areas after thaat rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the subject and give a brief overall comment that rain is central to the process, and you mention several relevant stages, including rising moist air, cloud formation, rainfall and dry winds reaching inland. However, the account is very incomplete: it does not clearly explain the full sequence or the contrast between the wet windward side and the dry leeward side, and the overview does not summarise how this creates a desert. Some details are also inaccurate or unclear, such as saying the sea “touches” the mountain and placing rainfall “at leeward side.” The response is 50 words below the required minimum, which limits the detail you can provide. Describe each stage in order and explain the final rain-shadow effect.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response chronologically, using phrases such as “In the beginning,” “in the third step” and “further.” This gives the reader some sense of a process, and the opening overview is separated from the description. However, progression is difficult to follow because stages are compressed together and some links are inaccurate or unclear. For example, the sentence beginning “After all” combines rainfall, the leeward side and dry air without showing their relationship. “Furthermore” and “further” do not clearly signal the sequence, while “at the seven steps” is confusing. Use one paragraph for the overview and another for the stages, with clear links such as “as a result,” “once the air crosses the mountain,” and “finally.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “rain falls,” “dry winds” and “inland areas,” so the topic is recognisable. The range is nevertheless limited, and several word choices or combinations are unnatural or imprecise, which sometimes makes the process hard to understand. For instance, “single type of desert” and “called as rain-shadow” are not natural ways to introduce the term, while “rain is central point that formation” does not express the intended idea clearly. “Cooling process form clouds” also uses an awkward phrase and word form. Build a small set of accurate process terms and collocations, such as “a type of desert,” “is known as,” “moisture condenses,” and “rain-shadow effect.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and linked sentences, and the present tense is generally appropriate for describing a process. However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence structure, articles, agreement and verb forms occur frequently enough to make some relationships unclear. In “how single type of desert … is created,” an article is missing; “winds approach to the coast and pushed upwards” shifts verb form and does not clearly show what is pushed; and “moist air rises and cooling process form clouds” has faulty coordination and subject–verb agreement. The long sentence beginning “After all” also lacks clear grammatical connections between its ideas. Practise accurate passive forms and short cause-and-effect sentences, then combine them only when the links remain clear.

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