Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 given drigram represents how specfic type of desert known as rain shadow is formed,the formation of the desert starts when the wind from sea approach the coast of a montain the wind pushed upward as its pushed upwrd the moist air start too cool down the cloud start forming and become densed as they become highky densed the rain start falling the dry air starts moving continouly over mountain toward leeward side as its falls ithe dry wind start reaching the inland areas thats how rain shahdow desert is formed the air start its route from sea and kept going thousands of meter to make dry mountains

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify the process as the formation of a rain-shadow desert and include several central stages: winds arrive from the sea, rise over the mountain, cool, form clouds, produce rain, and continue as dry air towards inland areas. However, the account is very compressed and does not clearly explain the overall contrast between the wet windward side and the dry leeward side, or how this creates the desert. The final claim that the air travels “thousands of meter” is unclear and does not accurately describe the diagram’s scale, which indicates a horizontal distance of thousands of kilometres. The response is also 42 words below the required minimum. Develop the stages and their cause-and-effect links more fully, and include a clear overview of the process.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are presented in roughly the correct order, so a reader can follow the broad movement from the sea towards inland areas. However, nearly the entire response is one long sentence, with little punctuation to separate the stages. This makes the sequence difficult to process, particularly around “as its pushed upwrd” and “as they become highky densed.” The repeated use of “as” does not always make the relationship between events clear, and there is no distinct overview or paragraphing. Use separate sentences to group the rising and cooling air, rainfall, and the movement of dry air inland. Clear sequencing expressions such as “As a result” and “Finally” would make the progression easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “coast,” “moist air,” “cloud,” “rain,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is narrow and some word choices or forms are inaccurate, such as “rain shadow” without the hyphen, “densed,” and “dry mountains.” Several spelling errors—including “drigram,” “specfic,” and “continouly”—also make the description less clear. The phrase “the wind from sea approach the coast of a montain” is awkward and imprecise. Build a more accurate set of process terms, for example “windward slope,” “precipitation,” and “rain-shadow desert,” and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response attempts to connect stages using clauses, as in “as its pushed upwrd the moist air start too cool down,” but most of the writing relies on a single run-on sentence. Errors in verb forms and agreement are frequent: “wind … approach,” “air start,” and “rain start falling” need forms such as “winds approach,” “air starts,” and “rain starts falling.” Articles and sentence boundaries are also often missing, making relationships between clauses difficult to follow. For example, “the dry air starts moving continouly over mountain toward leeward side” needs clearer article and plural choices. Practise writing short, complete sentences first, then combine selected stages with accurate subordinate clauses and punctuation.

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

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