Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 digaram illustrates the step-by-step process to formed a one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the formation of rain-shadow deserts followed a linear process. To commence with winds approcah coast, pushed upward to the mountain peak and ended by drried winds reached inlands areas, formating rain-shadow desert.

In the beginnig, the sea level winds approcah coast, following the air pushed upwards to the mountains. In the third step the moist air rises and starting to cools down, after reaching significant level of hight the cooled air converts to a clouds form. The clouds carries a large amount of water, due to the heavy weight of clouds in the fifth stage it falls a rain.

After that, in the leeward side the dried air continues to fell downward over the mountain. Finally, at last step the dried winds reached inland areas and the process of forming rain-shadow desert complete.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully covers the main features of the rain-shadow desert formation diagram. You provide an overview and trace the sequential steps from the sea-level winds approaching the coast, rising over the mountain, cooling into clouds, producing rain, and finally descending as dry winds onto the leeward side into inland areas. Although the summary is somewhat brief and relies heavily on a step-by-step narration rather than deeper comparative analysis, it clearly addresses all parts of the visual prompt. You have successfully met the minimum word requirement. To achieve a higher band, consider grouping the steps into broader functional stages, such as the uplift and condensation phase followed by the rain-shadow descent phase, rather than numbering every single micro-step.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

Your text displays a logical overall arrangement, moving chronologically through the diagram stages. You make use of various cohesive phrases to sequence the information, such as 'Overall', 'To commence with', 'In the beginnig', and 'After that'. However, paragraphing is somewhat fragmented, with several very short paragraphs that disrupt the flow of the text. Furthermore, referencing and cohesive links are occasionally mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Finally, at last step'. To improve coherence, you should combine the shorter sentences into well-developed paragraphs that group related geographical phenomena together, ensuring a smoother and more natural progression of ideas throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to describe the physical processes shown in the diagram. You attempt some less common technical vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'leeward side', 'moist air', and 'inland areas'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'digaram' instead of diagram, 'approcah' instead of approach, 'drried' instead of dried, 'formating' instead of forming, and 'hight' instead of height. These errors, alongside awkward word choices like 'falls a rain', indicate limited precision and control over word forms. To improve, you need to proofread your work carefully to eliminate basic spelling slips and incorporate more precise scientific collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is a weak area. There are frequent basic errors in verb forms and sentence construction, such as 'process to formed a one type' (incorrect infinitive and article usage), 'winds approcah coast, pushed upward' (tense and voice inconsistency), and 'cooled air converts to a clouds form' (unnecessary article). Many sentences lack main verbs or rely on dangling modifiers, such as 'ended by drried winds reached inlands areas'. While your meaning can generally be understood despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents the response from achieving a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tenses will greatly benefit your score.

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

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