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 diagram illustrate how one type of desert, known as rain shadow desert. Seven steps included in the formation of rain shadow deserts.

Overall, the first step in the formation of rain shadow is wing approach coast. Moist air, clouds, rain fall, dry air, dry wind reach inland are all the steps of formation of rain. This is thousands of kilometres process of rain shadow.

There are seven steps of this procedure of formation of rain shadow desert. First of all, wind approach from sea and go upwards. then, moist air rises and cools the weather. The weather become cloudy because air convert into clouds. Now rain falls from the clouds.After the rain stops, dry air continues over mountains on the leeward slide. Dry winds then reach inland areas.It is the formation of rain shadow dessert.

At the end, wind ward side is wet because of rain fall and leeward side is dry and develop into a dessert

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address the task by outlining the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, covering the sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. An overview is attempted, noting that there are seven steps and mentioning the scale of thousands of kilometres. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and awkward phrasings in reporting the visual data, such as claiming that moist air 'cools the weather' and that air 'convert into clouds'. Furthermore, the conclusion mentions that the leeward side 'develop into a dessert' (misspelling desert), which slightly misinterprets the physical geography as the desert forms further inland rather than directly on the leeward side itself. The information is presented rather simplistically, earning a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows some basic organisation with the use of introductory and concluding elements, and attempts at sequencing terms like 'First of all' and 'then'. However, the paragraphing is poor and disjointed, with single-sentence paragraphs and multiple line breaks that disrupt the flow. Cohesive devices are repetitive and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'At the end' instead of a standard concluding phrase. There is no clear overall progression of ideas due to choppy sentence structures and abrupt shifts between describing the general process and specific geographical sides. Referencing is also occasionally weak or confusing. This aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, frequently reusing words like 'steps', 'formation', 'rain shadow', and 'desert' (which is also misspelled as 'dessert' on multiple occasions). There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'wing approach coast' (winds approach the coast) and 'air convert into clouds' (air condenses into clouds or turns into clouds). The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for conveying the basic meaning, but spelling and lexical inaccuracies cause occasional difficulty for the reader. This corresponds to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at more complex or descriptive forms often result in severe grammatical errors, such as missing subject-verb agreement ('The diagram illustrate', 'wind approach'), missing articles ('rain shadow desert', 'wind ward side'), and incorrect verb forms ('air convert into clouds'). Punctuation is also problematic in places, with spacing issues and missing periods. Frequent grammatical errors cause distraction and difficulty, restricting 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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