Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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 image clearly demonstrates the all cruical steps of how rain shadow desert is formed.

The overall process is consists of 7 main stages which begins with the very 1st step which is a stream of heavy winds coming from a sea level which then moves upward the moment it hits mountains rise the wind then mixes up with the already cold and moist air present at the upper hill area which eventually turns into the clouds .These clouds then cause the rain falls at the top of the mountain.The next stage is converge stage where the dry air continues to move downside and reaches at the bottom level of the mountain which is the final stageof rain shadow desert .The overall wind movements are quite massive as the mountains covers the surface area neraly thousands of kilometers.

All of these stages together complete the rain show desert formulation cycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student covers the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process, moving sequentially from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. However, the response barely meets the minimum length requirement at exactly 150 words and lacks a well-developed overview paragraph. Some details are slightly imprecise, such as mentioning sea level instead of winds approaching the coast from the sea, but the overall progression of the process is successfully outlined. To achieve a higher band, the writer should provide a clearer introductory overview of the diagram's key features and expand slightly on the geographical context.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text suffers from a lack of proper paragraphing, presented almost entirely as a single dense block of text, which severely impacts the overall organization and readability. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, relying heavily on run-on sentences and repetitive transitions like 'which' and 'then'. There is an absence of clear punctuation, making the progression of ideas difficult to follow in places. To improve, the student must divide the response into logical paragraphs—such as an introduction, a body paragraph covering the windward stages, and a final paragraph detailing the leeward side—while utilizing a wider variety of cohesive markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, featuring several spelling and word-choice inaccuracies such as 'cruical' instead of crucial, 'rain show desert formulation' instead of rain-shadow desert formation, and 'neraly' instead of nearly. While the writer attempts some topic-specific terminology like 'moist air', 'winds pushed upwards', and 'rain-shadow desert', the execution is hindered by frequent mechanical errors. To reach a higher band, the student needs to demonstrate greater precision in word choice and eliminate spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The grammatical structure is heavily flawed, characterized by long run-on sentences that lack appropriate punctuation and capitalisation at sentence boundaries (e.g., '...turns into the clouds .These clouds...'). There is a very limited range of complex structures, and sentence forms are frequently fused together without proper conjunctions or full stops. Grammatical errors are frequent and occasionally cause confusion for the reader, particularly in verb agreement and clause connection. Greater control over basic sentence boundaries and punctuation is essential for improvement.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.