Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13
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 visualisation below demonstates the progressive formation of a unique type of a desert know as rain-shadow.Which spans over thousands of kilometres along the length of a mountain.
Overall it is a linear process, comprising of seven ongoing processes commencing from the rise of winds from sea and terminating on winds reaching inland territories for the formation of rain shadow desert.
The process begins,with the winds moving along the coast of ocean.And are then forced in upward direction which leads to the rise and cooling of humid air as a result cloud formation begins and the process of condesation occurs in 4th step.Followed by the precepitation process.It is noted that these steps occur along windward side.
Moving a head,after rainfall,the air with no moisture remains and progresses over the peak on leeward side.In the final step dry wind meets inland regions thus forming the 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 response covers the main features of the rain-shadow desert formation process well, identifying key stages from winds rising from the sea to dry air reaching inland regions. However, the student's text contains significant mechanical errors such as spelling ('demonstates', 'condesation', 'precepitation'), awkward phrasing ('one type of a desert know as rain-shadow'), and a noticeable under-length issue, as the response contains only 147 words against the minimum requirement of 150 words. Despite these shortcomings, the overall overview and the progression of the steps are adequately presented. Because the task length requirement is not met, a penalty is applied to Task Achievement. Therefore, it is awarded a band score of 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs that attempt to logically sequence the stages of the diagram, beginning with an introduction, an overview, the windward side processes, and concluding with the leeward side. However, paragraphing and sentence boundaries are flawed by numerous punctuation and fragment errors, such as 'Which spans over thousands of kilometres' and 'The process begins,with the winds moving along the coast of ocean.And are then forced in upward direction'. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, and referencing is occasionally unclear. Overall arrangement is discernible, but progression is hindered by choppy sentence structures. This aligns best with the band 5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for describing a process, featuring words like 'visualisation', 'moisture', 'condensation', and 'precipitation'. However, there are numerous spelling mistakes ('demonstates', 'know' instead of 'known', 'condesation', 'precepitation', 'Moving a head'), awkward phrasing, and issues with word formation and collocation ('progressive formation of a unique type of a desert'). The range of vocabulary is rather limited and basic, and the errors occasionally cause strain for the reader. These features reflect the band 5 criteria.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as relative clauses ('Which spans over thousands of kilometres') and participial clauses. However, control of grammar and punctuation is weak, resulting in frequent errors including sentence fragments, comma splices ('The process begins,with... And are then forced...'), and incorrect prepositions or missing articles. Many complex structures are faulty and demand effort from the reader to parse. This performance fits the band 5 descriptor for grammatical range and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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