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 diagram illustrates the conversion procedure of desert to the rain shadow desert.
Overall, the diagram shows the deatils than how the water from the sea arrives to the desert by following the distance thousands of kilometres and converts it to the rain shadow desert.
Firstly the hot winds stores the drops of water of sea in the form of humidity, then that winds pushed upwards due to mountains. As the moist winds rises upwards, that winds becomes cool gradually which makes some clouds form at windward side of the mountain. After that, clouds Falls on the top of the mountain and that water drain down gradually towards the desert inland from the leeward side of that mountain.
Addtionally, as the water is draining down towards the inlnad, the dry air also continues over the mountain. When that water arrives to the desert, the desert stores that water init gradually. Furthermore that dry winds also reach inland areas and that situation of inland the modify the desert into rain shadow desert.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to describe the process of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, meeting the minimum length requirement with 171 words. However, the response falls short of fully reporting the main features accurately. There are several factual inaccuracies and misinterpretations of the diagram stages. For instance, the text states that 'clouds Falls on the top of the mountain and that water drain down', which misrepresents the cyclical process and geographic labels such as 'Rain falls' on the windward side. Furthermore, the overview provided in the second sentence is confusingly phrased and contains spelling and grammatical errors ('deatils than how'). While the general progression from sea to inland is acknowledged, the lack of precision in describing the sequence and mechanics places this response in Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is organized into four brief paragraphs, attempting an introduction, overview, and body details. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward referencing and mechanical cohesive devices. For example, transitional phrases like 'Firstly', 'After that', and 'Addtionally' are used, but the internal cohesion within sentences often fails due to grammatical issues. The referencing between pronouns and their antecedents is occasionally unclear, such as 'that winds' and 'that situation of inland the modify'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the overall progression lacks smooth flow, leading to a score of 5.0 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and contains numerous errors in word choice, spelling, and collocation. Examples include 'conversion procedure', 'deatils', 'stores the drops of water', and 'inlnad'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'humidity', 'windward side', and 'leeward side', but these are often offset by basic or incorrectly applied terms like 'drains down' and 'stores that water init'. The spelling and morphological errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple and attempted complex sentences that frequently contain errors. There are numerous grammatical mistakes throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('hot winds stores', 'that winds becomes cool', 'clouds Falls'), incorrect prepositions ('of sea', 'to the desert'), and awkward phrasing ('the situation of inland the modify'). These errors are frequent and often strain the meaning of the sentences, which aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors for grammatical range and accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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