Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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 given diagram illustrates the informatuon about how rain desert , is formed.

From an overall, analysis, it is an evident that ,there are seven stages of formation of rain desert . It starts with winds approach coast and ending with dry wind reach at inland areas.

To expound the chart in details,formation of rain desert start from winds approach coast in which moist air produced from sea. Then winds pushed to upwards areas and linked to dry land . Following this, In the third stage, tempratures of winds goes down and air get cold which forms into cloud.

As further scrutiny reveals,once the formation pf clouds is completes there after,peak rain falls starts on mountains.Afterwards,wind starts becomes dry and dry air continues over mountains on the leewards side.Ultimately,dry wind reach in inland areas where all the air particles are collectes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the seven stages of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, beginning with winds approaching the coast and ending with dry winds reaching inland areas. However, there are notable inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the visual data, such as claiming that 'moist air produced from sea' links to dry land and stating that 'all the air particles are collectes' at the end. Additionally, the response fails to reach the minimum length requirement of 150 words, containing only 141 words. Because of the under-length penalty and the under-developed and occasionally inaccurate coverage of the process, the score is limited to Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response attempts to organise the process chronologically using transitional markers such as 'From an overall analysis', 'Then', 'Following this', and 'Ultimately'. However, paragraphing and sentence structure are weak, creating a choppy and disjointed flow. For instance, the introduction is fragmented with inappropriate comma placements like 'rain desert , is formed' and 'evident that ,there'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesive devices are used in a mechanical or inaccurate manner. Progression is impeded by awkward phrasing, resulting in a Band 5.0 performance for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is repetitive and basic, relying heavily on terms directly copied or slightly modified from the prompt, such as 'winds approach coast', 'rain desert', and 'dry air continues over mountains'. There are frequent lexical and spelling errors, including 'informatuon', 'tempratures', 'pf clouds', 'completes there after', and 'collectes'. The range is limited and minimally adequate for conveying the basic steps of the diagram, though word choices often lack precision and natural collocation, corresponding to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, but grammatical control is poor throughout the text. There are frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'winds approach coast and ending', 'winds pushed to upwards areas', 'air get cold', and 'wind starts becomes dry'. Punctuation is also problematic with misplaced commas and missing apostrophes. Because these frequent errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and distort meaning in places, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.

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

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