Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-06

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)

This given chart presents a formation of rain-shadow deserts step by step.

On the first hand, winds move from the sea costs towards the mountain filled with water(evaporation). Furthermore, heavy winds pushes them to upwards side where they get most and become cool, laterly they formed as a cloud holding sea water and move from the winderwand. Moreover, next step is raining all the excessive water run of out limit and move forward to the another side of the mountain which known as shadow desert as all the rain happend only at one side but on the other side remain the dry. Lastly, empty clouds turns thr direction from wet side to dry by heavy winds and reached to the inland. This is the all process which takes place in the formation of rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement score. While the student attempts to describe the process, the explanation is underdeveloped and lacks the necessary detail to fully cover the stages shown in the diagram. The summary is quite brief, and the description of the 'rain-shadow' effect is somewhat confusing due to imprecise terminology. To improve, the student should provide a more comprehensive overview of each stage, ensuring that the relationship between the wind, moisture, and the mountain barrier is clearly articulated. The failure to reach the minimum length prevents the response from achieving a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response uses some cohesive devices such as 'On the first hand', 'Furthermore', 'Moreover', and 'Lastly'. However, the use of these devices is often mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'On the first hand' (which should be 'On the one hand') and 'laterly' (which is not the correct adverb). The paragraphing is also insufficient, as the entire body of the response is contained within a single, dense paragraph. The logical progression is present but hindered by awkward phrasing and a lack of clear sentence boundaries, making the flow of information feel somewhat disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and contains several inaccuracies that impede clarity. Examples include 'sea costs' (coasts), 'winderwand' (windward), and 'run of out limit'. The student struggles to use precise scientific or descriptive terminology appropriate for a process description. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequent errors in word choice and spelling demonstrate a lack of control over the necessary lexical range. To improve, the student should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to geography and processes, and pay closer attention to correct spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that affect the readability of the text. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('clouds turns'), incorrect verb tenses ('rain happend'), and awkward sentence structures ('winds pushes them to upwards side'). There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and the existing sentences are often poorly constructed. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly regarding the use of commas and parentheses. To reach a higher band, the student needs to focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that tenses are used consistently throughout the description.

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

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