Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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 illustrated diagram depicts the information about a desert, which is called a rain-shadow desert, the process shows us how it is formed.

Overall, it is clear that the diverse steps show us the detail process that how the huge mountains help in formation of rain. Moreover, how wind approached to the coast and how the dry winds reached to the inland areas. A huge gap of thousands of kilometers is in between coast and the inland areas is shown in the diagram.

In general, the formation of rain starts from a sea from where wind approached and the sea pushed winds into upward direction, after that the moist air raised and created the cool air which went upside crossing the mountains windward side and converted into clouds form. Furthermore, after the clouds formed rain falls.

In addition, after the rain falls from the peak of the mountain the dry air continued over mountain and started coming downwards while crossing the leeward side of the mountain. At the last step dry winds reached to the inland areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student has attempted to describe the process of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, meeting the minimum word count. However, the response falls short in several areas. While the main stages—such as winds approaching the coast, moist air rising, clouds forming, rain falling, and dry winds reaching inland—are mentioned, the description lacks precision and fails to highlight key comparisons or geographical relationships effectively. For instance, the phrase 'the sea pushed winds into upward direction' is inaccurate, as the diagram shows winds being pushed upwards by the mountains. Furthermore, the overview is rather repetitive and fails to clearly synthesise the overall process. To reach a higher band, the response needs a more accurate representation of the visual data and a clearer, more concise overview of the entire sequence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is organised into multiple paragraphs, attempting an introductory overview followed by body paragraphs detailing the stages. However, the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and poor sentence structuring. Cohesive devices are used, but they tend to be basic and sometimes misused, such as 'In general, the formation of rain starts from a sea...' followed immediately by another general statement starting with 'In addition, after the rain falls...'. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs feels disjointed, with run-on sentences that make the sequence difficult to follow smoothly. Referencing and linking between the stages of the diagram need to be managed more flexibly to achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, relying heavily on words directly lifted or slightly paraphrased from the prompt, such as 'desert', 'rain-shadow desert', 'mountain', and 'winds'. There are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'detail process that how the huge mountains help in formation of rain' and 'went upside crossing the mountains windward side and converted into clouds form'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are limited and often result in unnatural phrasing. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the overall lexical range is narrow and restricted, which restricts the score for this criterion to the lower-middle bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the grammar is frequently flawed. Many sentences are overly long, run-on clauses connected by comma splices or coordinating conjunctions, such as 'Overall, it is clear that the diverse steps show us the detail process that how the huge mountains help in formation of rain.' There are frequent errors in prepositions, verb forms, and voice, such as 'wind approached' instead of 'winds approach' and 'moist air raised' instead of 'moist air rises'. These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over complex grammatical structures.

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

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