Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-24

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)

Task-1

The diagram illustrates about the process of rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, there are seven major of process of rain-shadow deserts, where it starts from sea and after thousands of miles it is formed in an inland.

Firstly, from the sea the winds approach coasts to the upwards direction, afterthat the moist is formed and it cools down, where there's a clouds form followed by rain falls.

Later, from windward side to leeward side the dry air continued over mountains, afterwards the dry winds reach to the areas of inland, where rain shadow desert is formed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the task achievement. Because the text is only 95 words long, the description of the process is underdeveloped and lacks the necessary detail to fully explain the formation of a rain-shadow desert. While the student identifies the general flow from the sea to the inland, the explanation lacks depth regarding the specific stages shown in the diagram. To improve, the student must expand on the physical processes, such as the cooling of air as it rises and the specific difference between the windward and leeward sides of the mountain range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organized into short paragraphs, which helps with readability. However, the logical progression is hindered by the brevity of the content. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Later', and 'afterwards', but they are sometimes used mechanically or with awkward phrasing, such as 'afterthat the moist is formed'. The connection between the sentences is somewhat disjointed, and the overall flow does not effectively guide the reader through the scientific process described in the diagram. More sophisticated linking phrases would improve the cohesion of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. There are several instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'major of process' instead of 'major stages' and 'the moist is formed' instead of 'moisture'. The student relies on basic terminology and struggles to use more precise, academic language appropriate for describing a scientific process. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more specific vocabulary related to geography and meteorology, such as 'precipitation', 'condensation', 'prevailing winds', and 'topography'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'The diagram illustrates about the process' (the verb 'illustrate' does not take 'about'), 'there are seven major of process', and 'dry air continued over mountains' (tense inconsistency). The sentence structures are generally simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence forms. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, the student needs to focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and the development of more complex sentence structures to convey information more accurately.

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

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