Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

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

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 diagram illustrates how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Overall, diagram describe the formation of rain shadow deserts. Seven steps take pleace in formation of rain shadow deserts.

First of all winds from sea level approach coast. In second step winds pushed in upward direction after pushing in upwards direction it moisturize the air and cools it at windward side and in fourth step results in making the clouds. After making the clouds move to step fifth which rain falling. That's how rain is fallen in total five steps.

After falling the rain it move towards the sixth step which dry the air and continues it over the mountain and moves down at leeward side in mountain. By passing through leeward side dry winds reach

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student attempts to describe the seven-step process of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram. However, the response falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 131 words, which incurs a penalty under Task Achievement. Furthermore, the overview is extremely basic and repetitive ('Overall, diagram describe the formation of rain shadow deserts'), and the response cuts off mid-sentence at the end. While the main stages (winds, moist air, clouds, rain, dry air over mountains) are touched upon, the lack of completion and sufficient length prevent the response from achieving a satisfactory band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into short, disjointed paragraphs, and the progression of ideas feels mechanical due to repetitive transitional phrasing (e.g., 'In second step', 'in fourth step', 'step fifth'). Referencing and cohesion are faulty at times, particularly with abrupt transitions like 'After making the clouds move to step fifth which rain falling.' Paragraphing is underdeveloped, and the text cuts off prematurely before a concluding sentence can be formed, disrupting the overall logical flow of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, heavily relying on the words provided in the prompt (e.g., 'desert', 'winds', 'mountain', 'steps'). There are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'diagram describe' (missing third-person 's'), 'take pleace' (spelling error), 'it moisturize the air', and 'rain is fallen'. The range of vocabulary is limited and inadequate for a complete academic task response, though simple terms generally convey the basic meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a very limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple or awkwardly concatenated clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('diagram describe'), incorrect prepositions ('in upward direction'), missing auxiliary verbs, and poor clause embedding ('after pushing in upwards direction it moisturize the air'). The text also ends abruptly in an incomplete sentence ('dry winds reach'). These frequent errors and limited structures constrain the grammatical score.

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

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