Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

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 diagram illustrates the different steps which made a desert to a rain shadow desert.

Overall, how the rain falls and a desert become the rain shadow desert is clearly shown from the picture.

The winds above the sea approach the coast which then pushed upward on a mountain. Moist air aises and got cool on the mountains which then went up and turned as clouds . These clouds then become the reason of rain fall on mountains. Then the dry air coninuesily went over the mountain which reached to the inland areas.

Meanwhile, Air travels thousands of kilometers from the Sea over the mountains and reached to the inland areas where the rain shadow deserts formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the main sequence: winds approach the coast, rise over the mountains, produce clouds and rain, and continue inland as dry air. This is relevant and broadly matches the diagram. However, the account is only partial: it does not clearly explain that the air loses moisture on the windward side, then descends or continues dry on the leeward side, creating the rain-shadow desert inland. The overview is also vague—“how the rain falls and a desert become” does not clearly summarise the process’s defining cause and outcome. The response is 117 words, below the required 150, which limits the detail available. Add a clearer overview and explain the windward-to-leeward contrast and the desert’s formation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, with an introduction, an overview, and a description of the stages. The sequence is generally understandable, and words such as “which then” and “Meanwhile” attempt to connect ideas. However, progression is not consistently clear: the final paragraph repeats the movement of air inland rather than adding a distinct stage, and “Meanwhile” suggests a parallel process that the diagram does not show. Several links are awkward or unclear, particularly “which then went up and turned as clouds.” Organise the body in the diagram’s order and use precise links such as “as a result,” “after this,” and “on the leeward side.” Avoid repeating the same movement in a separate paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “clouds,” “rain fall,” “dry air,” and “inland areas,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or imprecise. “A desert to a rain shadow desert” does not describe the process clearly, while “clouds then become the reason of rain fall” is an awkward way to express precipitation. There are also spelling errors such as “aises” and “coninuesily,” which reduce control. Use the diagram’s key terms consistently—“windward side,” “leeward side,” “precipitation,” and “rain-shadow desert”—and choose verbs that describe each stage precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and linked sentences, for example, “The winds above the sea approach the coast which then pushed upward on a mountain.” However, control is inconsistent, and several sentences contain errors that make relationships between stages difficult to follow. Tense shifts from “approach” to “pushed,” “aises,” and “got cool”; the subject of “which then pushed upward” is also unclear. The sentence about moist air and clouds joins several actions without clear grammatical structure, and punctuation is inconsistent, including the space before the full stop in “clouds .” Use present simple consistently for a process, keep each stage’s subject explicit, and divide long chains into shorter, accurate sentences.

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

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