Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12
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 diagram illustrates the step of formation of the desert named rain-shadow .
Overall, there are various steps involved in the process of making a desert. From the sea level to only sand water and wind plays a vital role in between. The water from the coastal area travels thousands of kilometer to form a barren land.
To begin with the first place from where all the process starts(sea area). Firstly, the winds approaches the coastal area and the heavy wind pushes upwards the mountains. The moist air rises up and the temperature decreases with the increasing height. Clouds are formed form the air and at the peak rain starts to fall down .
Furthermore, the water from the rain falls starts to convert into dry air. The flow of air is towards leeward side. At the end the dry wind reached the inland area which is known as Rain- shadow desert.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student makes an attempt to describe the process shown in the diagram, identifying key stages such as moist air rising, clouds forming, rain falling, and dry air reaching the leeward side to form a rain-shadow desert. However, the response lacks a proper overview, which is essential for Academic Task 1. The summary is rather brief and misses some important comparative details between the windward and leeward sides, such as the contrast in precipitation levels and vegetation. Furthermore, the description contains vague phrasing like 'sand water and wind plays a vital role' and 'thousands of kilometer'. Because the information is partially covered but lacks depth and a clear overall summary, this performance aligns best with Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response attempts a basic organizational structure with an introductory sentence and subsequent paragraphs introduced by transitional phrases like 'To begin with' and 'Furthermore'. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and abrupt transitions. For instance, the transition from the sea level to the windward mountain ascent lacks smooth connecting tissue. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within paragraphs sometimes feel disjointed, such as 'At the end the dry wind reached the inland area which is known as Rain- shadow desert.' Referencing and cohesive devices are used mechanically and sometimes inaccurately, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 5.0 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations. Examples include 'step of formation', 'sand water', and 'rain starts to fall down starts to convert into dry air'. While the student attempts some less common terms related to the topic, such as 'coastal area', 'temperature', and 'leeward side', these are offset by restrictive word choices and non-standard expressions. Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'kilometer' instead of 'kilometers' and spacing issues around punctuation, further limit the lexical range. Overall, the vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('winds approaches', 'wind plays', 'wind reached') and missing articles ('from the sea area'). Prepositional usage is also frequently flawed, as seen in 'from the sea level to only sand water' and 'at the first place'. While the meaning is generally understandable despite these frequent errors, the high density of inaccurate complex structures prevents the writing from reaching Band 6.0, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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