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 basically states about the rain-shadow desert and how it made. Here we discuss the full process.

The cold wind blows from sea and collapse with the mountains and the wind pushed upward.The air becomes moist and cool and converts into the clouds. The cloud reaches on the mountain top and began to rain in windward side. On the other hand, the dry air continues over mountain in Leeward side. This dry wind leads to the inland areas and make the Rain-shadow desert.There is a distance of thousand of kilometers between sea and Rain-shadow desert in form of coast.

This diagram tells how the Rain-shadow desert made from the wind which began to moist and cools when it start moving upward from thousand of kilometers away. And it starts moving upward and turning into clounds then the rain falls and it affects the other side of mountain and turns into warm and forms Rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to summarise the diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, noting key stages such as moisture picked up by wind from the sea, rainfall on the windward side, and dry air creating a desert on the leeward side. However, the explanation is overly simplistic, repetitive, and lacks precise reporting of the main features, particularly regarding elevation changes and specific geographical terms shown in the visual. The writing relies heavily on vague phrasing such as 'The diagram basically states about' and 'Here we discuss the full process.' While the general progression is mentioned, key comparative aspects between the windward and leeward sides are under-developed. This performance aligns with Band 5.0, as it addresses the task only partially with limited development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text lacks clear paragraphing and logical progression. The response is broken into a short introductory preamble, a main body paragraph, and a repetitive concluding paragraph that merely restates the previous points in a circular manner. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, featuring repetitive connectors like 'and', 'then', and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronouns such as 'it' in 'And it starts moving upward and turning into clounds then the rain falls and it affects the other side'. There is no clear overall progression or sophisticated cohesion. This corresponds to a Band 5.0 rating for Coherence and Cohesion due to some organisational structure but an absence of clear overall progression and inadequate or repetitive cohesive devices.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying on everyday terms like 'wind', 'sea', 'mountain', and 'desert' without demonstrating a sufficient range for an Academic Task 1 response. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'collapse with the mountains' instead of 'collide with' or 'rise over', and 'converts into the clouds' instead of 'condenses into clouds'. Spelling errors also appear, such as 'clounds' instead of 'clouds'. Less common vocabulary is largely absent, and the language fails to describe scientific processes with precision. This falls squarely into Band 5.0, which is characterised by a limited and minimally adequate range with noticeable errors that cause some difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Most sentences are simple or poorly coordinated with conjunctions, and attempts at complex structures often result in faulty syntax and ungrammatical phrasing, such as 'The diagram basically states about the rain-shadow desert and how it made.' There are frequent errors in tense usage, voice (active versus passive, e.g., 'how it made' instead of 'how it is made'), and prepositions, such as 'reaches on the mountain top' and 'in windward side'. Punctuation is also weak, with missing spaces after periods in places (e.g., 'upward.The air'). These persistent errors frequently impede smooth communication and place the response firmly at Band 5.0.

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

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