Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-08

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 process diagram illustrates the formation of rain shadow desert cover thousands of kilometers desert is formed.

Overall, the process consist of several steps and it is a linear process stsrting with the winds approach coast and ending with Dry winds reach inland areas.

Firslty, there are 7 steps involved in process diagram the first step in sea wind is started and the winds approach cost is pushed forward after second steps winds is pushed upwards and here Moist air is added and cools and the wind ward sid. Furthermore, fourth step clouds farm is gathered and when they reached at the top of the mountains.However, Rain fall is started following dry air continues over mountain to leeward side. and the sea and cost cover thousands of kilometer covered area of the rain shadow desert. Consequentally, the last steps Dry winds reach inland areas is ended in inland the processa eding with rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the diagram as a process and give a broad overview that it has several stages, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas. You also mention key events such as air rising and cooling, cloud formation, rainfall, and dry air crossing the mountain. However, the explanation is only partially clear: the sequence and cause-and-effect links are sometimes muddled, and the role of the windward and leeward sides is not explained accurately or fully. The statement that the sea and coast cover the desert’s distance is also unclear; the diagram’s scale indicates thousands of kilometres, rather than describing those areas as covering that distance. A clearer account of how moisture is lost before dry air reaches the inland desert would make the main features more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is an attempt to organise the response into an opening, an overview, and a description of the stages. The use of sequence markers such as “Overall,” “Firslty,” “Furthermore,” and “Consequentally” also shows an effort to guide the reader through the process. However, progression is difficult to follow because several stages are combined in long, loosely connected sentences, and some links are inaccurate or incomplete. For example, “when they reached at the top of the mountains.However” interrupts the flow, while the final sentence repeats the ending without clearly connecting it to the desert’s formation. Use one paragraph for the overview and another for the stages, then describe each stage in order with clear links such as “as a result” and “after crossing the mountain.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “rain fall,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” so the topic is recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, spelling, and collocation problems make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “rain shadow desert cover thousands of kilometers desert is formed,” “winds approach cost,” and “clouds farm is gathered.” Some terms are also used imprecisely, such as “Moist air is added” rather than describing air rising and cooling. Aim to use the diagram’s labels accurately and choose verbs that express each process clearly. Proofreading spelling and avoiding repeated, vague wording would improve precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a sequence joined with “and” and a clause beginning “when.” However, control is weak: errors are frequent, and several sentences are difficult to interpret. For instance, “the process consist of several steps” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the first step in sea wind is started” has an unclear grammatical structure. Verb forms and sentence boundaries are also problematic in “Rain fall is started following dry air continues over mountain,” and punctuation is missing around transitions such as “mountains.However.” Practise writing one complete sentence for each stage, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb forms, and use full stops to separate ideas.

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