Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14

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 flowchart elaborates how rain shadow desert is formed pass thorught the various steps.

Firstly,There are a process of how the rain shadow deserts are formed. There is a sea at the one side and other side is desert which is divide with the help of Mountains with cover tousands of kilometeres area. From the sea surface winds approach coast and winds pushed upwards. after that, moist air are rose and cooled down. By using, this cooled moist clouds are formed. After these process rain fallls and move leeward side and it converted into dry air over mountain and dry winds reach inland areas which creates rain shadow desert.

To conclude this, the process formation of rain shadow deserts take more time to become and at the same time it is easy to understand the process as well beacuse of given informations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which negatively impacts the score. While the student identifies the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation, the description is somewhat superficial. The response lacks a clear overview of the process, and the explanation of the transition from moist air to dry air is slightly disjointed. To improve, the student should ensure all parts of the diagram are described with greater clarity and detail, and ensure the length requirement is met to avoid a penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organized into three short paragraphs, but the logical flow is hampered by awkward phrasing and limited use of cohesive devices. While some linking words like 'Firstly' and 'To conclude' are used, they are not always employed effectively to guide the reader through the process. The relationship between the sentences is often mechanical, and the concluding paragraph adds little value to the summary, as it focuses on the ease of understanding the diagram rather than synthesizing the information presented.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive, often relying on basic terms. There are several instances of inaccurate word choice and collocation, such as 'pass thorught' (pass through) and 'moist air are rose' (moist air rises). The student struggles to use precise terminology related to geographical processes, such as 'leeward' or 'windward,' which are essential for this task. Spelling errors, such as 'tousands' and 'beacuse,' further detract from the overall quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammatical range is quite limited, consisting mostly of simple sentences with frequent errors. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'moist air are rose' and 'process... take more time.' Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after commas and incorrect capitalization, such as 'Firstly,There'. These errors are frequent and occasionally make the meaning difficult to follow. To improve, the student needs to focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips.

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

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