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 given picture provides the information on the formation of rain-shadow desert, a type of desert.

As it is presented in the picture, the wind first approaches the coast and is pushed upwards to the sky, forming clouds. which eventually leads to rain and dry winds reaching the land.

As we observed, the wind from the sea approaches the coast and is pushed upwards the mountain , resulting in the cloud , causing rain to fall onto the mountain.

The dry air continuously approach the mountain, reaching the inland areas, travelling from thousands of kilometres, resulting in rain-shadow desert, which is a type of desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the topic and report several central stages: wind approaches the coast, rises over the mountain, clouds form, rain falls, and dry air moves inland. However, the account is very brief and only minimally covers the process. It omits the important cooling of moist air as it rises, the distinction between the windward and leeward sides, and the final arrival of dry winds in the inland rain-shadow desert. The overview is also limited: the opening merely introduces the picture rather than summarising how rain on one side leaves dry conditions beyond the mountains. The response is 45 words below the required minimum, which restricts the detail available. Add a clear overview and explain the stages in sequence, using the diagram’s labels accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows the broad direction of the process, moving from winds approaching the coast to rain and then dry air reaching inland areas. This gives the reader a basic sense of sequence. However, the three short paragraphs repeat much of the same information, particularly the wind approaching the coast and being pushed upwards, rather than developing each stage progressively. The link between rain on the mountain and the formation of a desert inland is not clearly explained. Cohesive devices are limited, and the sentence beginning “As we observed” is followed by a fragment after “clouds.” Organise the response into an introduction, a concise overview, and a chronological description, using clear links such as “as a result” and “on the leeward side.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “formation,” “approaches,” “pushed upwards,” “dry air,” and “inland areas,” so the main subject remains understandable. There is also some useful variation in describing movement, such as “reaching” and “travelling.” However, the vocabulary is repetitive and some combinations are imprecise: “pushed upwards to the sky” and “the cloud” do not describe the diagram as naturally as “forced up the mountain” and “clouds form.” “Travelling from thousands of kilometres” misuses the scale label, which indicates distance across the diagram rather than the air’s travel distance. Use the specific terms “moist air,” “cools,” “windward,” and “leeward” to report the process more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with participle clauses, for example, “resulting in the cloud, causing rain to fall.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but control is uneven. The sentence “As it is presented in the picture, the wind first approaches the coast and is pushed upwards to the sky, forming clouds. which eventually leads to rain…” contains a sentence fragment after the full stop, and “which” does not clearly refer to a grammatical subject. There are also agreement and verb-form problems in “The dry air continuously approach” and “resulting in rain-shadow desert.” Commas and spacing around punctuation are inconsistent. Practise joining dependent clauses correctly and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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