Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-12

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 processing diagram describe the rain-shadow in a desert was construct and how the other desert know about this.

Overall, the diagram discuss the phenomina of rain and how its travel through air over thousands of kilometers and tell rain was happen in some place surrounding here.

At the begnining, wind approch the sea water and then lifts water upwords at this period of time moist risist the air that contain a water and make the drops cool. In the next step cloud were made and then rain fall start. These are the steps that covert sea water into the tiny drops of rain.

Moreover, the rain start falling through the mountains and contract with the air surrounding near by the desert and the make the hot air become cold.

This air cotain little tiny drops and mov towards hotter region. When heavy air enter the desert fell some cool air and the know rain-shadow were happen.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the general subject and include several relevant stages, such as wind approaching the sea, air rising and cooling, clouds forming, and rain falling. However, the account only minimally explains the process and contains important inaccuracies. The diagram shows moist air being forced up over the windward side of the mountains, with rain falling there; the air then continues over the mountain as dry wind and reaches inland areas, creating the rain-shadow desert. Instead, you say rain falls “through the mountains” and describe hot air becoming cold and “heavy air” entering the desert, which are not shown. The overview is also unclear and does not state the key contrast between the wet windward side and dry inland leeward side. Focus on accurately reporting the full sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from an introduction and overview to stages introduced by “At the beginning” and “In the next step,” followed by “Moreover.” This gives the reader some sense of sequence. However, progression is uneven: the final paragraph introduces claims about air near the desert without clearly connecting them to the earlier stages, and the process’s final outcome is difficult to follow. Some linking is mechanical or imprecise, while references such as “this period of time” and “this air” do not clearly identify what they refer to. Organise the description in the diagram’s order, using clear stage-to-stage links, and give each paragraph a distinct purpose: overview, then the process from coastal winds to the inland desert.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “moist,” “cloud,” “rain,” “mountains,” and “rain-shadow,” and use some sequencing expressions. However, the range is basic and repetitive, and frequent spelling and word-choice problems make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “phenomina,” “approch,” “risist,” and “cotain”; phrases such as “the processing diagram” and “the rain-shadow in a desert was construct” are also not natural ways to describe the visual. Some expressions, including “tiny drops” and “hotter region,” are vague or do not match the diagram’s labels. Build a small set of accurate process terms—such as “windward,” “leeward,” “precipitation,” and “dry air”—and check spelling and collocations before finishing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect events in longer sentences, for example with “and then” and “that,” but the range of sentence structures is limited and errors are frequent enough to obscure meaning. Verb forms and agreement are often inaccurate: “the diagram describe,” “cloud were made,” and “rain fall start” do not form correct clauses. Articles and sentence construction are also problematic, as in “the make the hot air become cold.” The opening sentence, “The processing diagram describe … was construct,” is difficult to interpret because its clause structure and tense are not controlled. Practise writing clear present-simple process sentences, such as “Moist air rises over the mountains and cools,” then check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and articles in each sentence.

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

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