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 diagram illustrate the steps which are responsible for the formation of rain shadow deserts.

Overall, it is crystal clear that in the rain desert formation process there are total 7 steps move above the mountains. each step is different from another and spread across thousands of kilometers from sea to inland.

In the first step moist wind approaches to the sea coast due to mountain wind pushed upwards while rising it cools due to high altitude. Then in fourth step clouds are formed from cool air at windward side of the mountains. Then reaching at certain level rain fall on the mountains.

After above process only dry air remains which start moving continues above the mountain and reaches below the Leeward side of mountains at the end it moves on inland where rain shadow desert form. This process occur in a wider area and take specific time to form rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the diagram illustrating the formation of a rain-shadow desert, noting the progression from moist wind off the sea to the dry air on the leeward side. However, the response lacks a clear overview and contains factual inaccuracies in reporting the steps, such as mentioning "total 7 steps" and misinterpreting the specific stages. Furthermore, comparisons are absent, and some parts of the process are under-developed or unclear, such as the vague reference to "reaching at certain level rain fall on the mountains." Consequently, the response achieves a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text has an identifiable structure but suffers from poor paragraphing and a lack of clear overall progression. The response is divided into brief, disconnected blocks rather than logical paragraphs. Cohesive devices are either missing or used repetitively and mechanically, as seen in the frequent, abrupt transitions like "Then in fourth step" and "After above process." Furthermore, referencing is weak, with ambiguous pronouns and disjointed sequencing that makes following the step-by-step geographical process difficult for the reader. This performance aligns with Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, frequently recycling words from the prompt such as "desert," "mountain," and "step." There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as "wind pushed upwards while rising it cools" and "rain shadow desert form" instead of forms. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for conveying the basic mechanics of the diagram, though spelling is generally acceptable. These limitations place the lexical performance squarely at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student relies on a limited range of sentence structures, and attempts at complex or longer sentences often result in faulty punctuation and run-on errors, such as in the opening sentence and "After above process only dry air remains which start moving continues above the mountain." Frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ("from sea to inland"), tense inconsistencies, and subject-verb agreement issues ("this process occur"), cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

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

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