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)

The provided diagram illustrates the steps in involved in rain-shadow desert frok winds.

Overall, the procedure consists of seven distinct stages, beginning with the wind approach coast from sea and culminating in the inland areas.

In the initial stage, winds approach coast arise from sea which followed by push upward towards the windward side of mountains where some winds transformed into moisted air. This moisted air rises and cool down for the formation of clouds.

By probing further, it is clearly noticeable that because of cloud formation rainfall occurs toward the windward side.Furthermore which air remained dry and continued come over the leeward side of mountains that finally reach inland area and its teady for the formation of rain shadow deserts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 121 words, which significantly impacts task completion. While the student attempts to summarise the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation—such as winds approaching the coast, rising over mountains, cooling, and producing rain on the windward side—the explanation remains somewhat underdeveloped due to the brevity. Furthermore, there are awkward phrasings and slight misreadings of the process steps, such as 'winds approach coast arise from sea which followed by push upward'. Because the response is under-length and lacks full development of the key features, it falls into the Band 5 descriptor range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is divided into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction and overview, followed by body paragraphs detailing the stages. However, cohesion is frequently mechanical or faulty. Phrases like 'By probing further, it is clearly noticeable that' are unnatural and inappropriate for an academic task 1. Referencing is also weak in places, such as 'Furthermore which air remained dry and continued come over', which disrupts the logical flow between sentences. While an overall organizational structure is attempted, the clumsy transitions and repetitive linking keep the coherence at a Band 5 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and heavily reliant on direct lifting or awkward modification of terms from the prompt, such as 'rain-shadow desert frok winds', 'moisted air', and 'windward side'. There are noticeable word-formation and collocation errors throughout the text, including 'wind approach coast', 'cool down for the formation', and 'teady for the formation'. The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for conveying the core ideas, but the frequency of errors restricts the score to Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. Examples of grammatical errors include 'the steps in involved in', 'winds approach coast arise from sea which followed by push upward', and 'which air remained dry and continued come over'. Punctuation and verb tense consistency are also poorly handled. The high frequency of grammatical errors causes noticeable difficulty for the reader and means that error-free sentences are rare, corresponding to a Band 5 level.

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

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