Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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)

This map indicates that how one type of deserts, known as a rain-shadow deseret , is being formed.

The followind maps leads us to understand the concept of rain shadow deserts are formed if there is a moumtain at the side of sea , then the cool wind rom the sea approches from sea coast and pushed upward from sea . when it is pushed it combines with the moist air and cools when they travels at more height it start becoming cloud , at more extend the rain start falling . When the water of rain touches the groung of mountain dry air continues over mountain that dry te water from leeward side , after that dry winds reach inland areas and at the inland areas the rain shadow desert is formed . one main rhing about these there is about thosand of kilometer distance between the sea and rain shadow desert

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to cover the stages of the rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, moving from the sea and coast through the windward side of the mountains to the leeward side and inland desert. However, the explanation is frequently unclear and contains inaccuracies in reporting the visual data. For instance, the student states that the 'cool wind rom the sea approches from sea coast and pushed upward', but the sequence of steps and their physical interactions (such as 'that dry te water from leeward side') are confused and poorly articulated. While the main features are touched upon, they are not fully or accurately developed, and the overall summary lacks the clarity expected at higher bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text lacks clear paragraphing, presented instead as a single dense block of text, which hinders overall readability. Cohesive devices are minimal, repetitive, and occasionally mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'The followind maps leads us to understand' and 'after that'. The progression of ideas follows the chronological stages of the diagram, but the lack of paragraph division and weak logical transitions mean the response does not demonstrate a clear overall organization.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The vocabulary range is basic and repetitive, with frequent spelling mistakes throughout the text, including 'deseret', 'followind', 'moumtain', 'approches', 'extend', 'groung', 'rhing', and 'thosand'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'moist air', 'cloud', 'rain', and 'dry winds', the numerous lexical errors and spelling inaccuracies impede communication in places and reflect limitations in word choice and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response contains a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on long, run-on sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions or commas (e.g., 'when it is pushed it combines with the moist air and cools when they travels at more height it start becoming cloud'). There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('rain shadow deserts are formed', 'cool wind... approches... and pushed', 'they travels', 'it start'), missing articles, and incorrect preposition use. These errors frequently cause difficulty for the reader.

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

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