Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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 digram illustrates the various steps of, how rain-shadow dersert formed.

Overall, The formation of rain shadow desert occurs in sequence through seven different stages. As the wind blowing on surface of ocean reaches to coastal level, start pushing itself upward along mount resulting formation of clouds, rain falls, moving downward and finally, rain shadow.

The process begin with winds blowing on ocean, approaching coast of sea. Then wind struggle with reaching at certain height of mountain where air gets moist and air rises and cool itself by atmospheric climate, reaching at windward side of cliff. Resulting in clouds formation as the clouds reach at peak of mountain, rain falls happen.

After rain falls, the rain's water drys and start moving downward of clif by climatic pressue ,reaching at leeward side as the dry winds reashes gound level at inland areas. Results in rain shadow desert. The whole process is sensitive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the main stages of the rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, covering key elements such as the wind approaching the coast, the moist air rising, clouds forming, rain falling, and dry winds reaching the inland area. However, there are significant omissions and misinterpretations of the visual data. For instance, the student states that after rain falls, 'the rain's water drys', which misrepresents the scientific process depicted in the diagram (where dry air continues over the mountain rather than evaporated rainwater). Furthermore, the overview lacks precision and the progression is somewhat muddled. The response adequately identifies the topic, but the lack of accuracy in describing the scientific sequence places it in Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into four short paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and poor referencing. Transitional devices are sometimes used, such as 'The process begin with' and 'After rain falls', but they are often mechanically applied or followed by ungrammatical clauses that obscure the connection between ideas. Paragraphing is present, but the internal cohesion of the sentences is weak. For example, sentences like 'Resulting in clouds formation as the clouds reach at peak of mountain, rain falls happen' fail to link clauses smoothly, leading to a choppy and disjointed reading experience. This aligns with a Band 5.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with several instances of incorrect word choice and word formation. Examples include 'digram' (diagram), 'dersert' (desert), 'reaches gound level', and 'climatic pressue'. While the student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'moist air', 'coastal level', and 'inland areas', the execution is marred by spelling mistakes and awkward collocations. The range is limited and barely adequate for the task, causing noticeable difficulty for the reader in several places. This falls squarely into the Band 5.0 descriptors for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The response features a very limited range of grammatical structures, and attempts at complex or longer sentences frequently result in serious structural errors. There are numerous missing verbs, incorrect prepositions, and tense inconsistencies, such as 'As the wind blowing on surface of ocean reaches to coastal level, start pushing itself upward' and 'air rises and cool itself'. Punctuation is also problematic, with incorrect comma splices and fragment sentences like 'Resulting in rain shadow desert' and 'The whole process is sensitive.' Errors are frequent and often impede the reader's understanding of the text, justifying a band score of 4.5.

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

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