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)

The diagram describes about the formation of the rain shadow desert under the ground.

Overall, the process begins with the sea level where the wind started flowing with the costal sand; furthermore, it moves towards mountains and the directions indicate that it climb the mountains and later comes down and after reaching the ground it forms rain shadow desert inland.

Firstly, winds approach coast above the sea level and followed by several procedures like moist air rises and cools; moreover, the clouds form above the mountains and then reaches to dry air continous over mountains which takes a down track at leeward side.

The procedure continues with dry air continues over mountains and finally dry winds reach the inland where the wind is finally converting the costal sand into the rain shadow inland.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The student attempts to describe the diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, identifying several key stages such as winds approaching the coast, rising and cooling moist air, cloud formation, and precipitation. However, the response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, coming in at only 133 words. This results in an under-developed overview and a lack of depth in reporting all main features, such as the specific distinction between the windward and leeward sides and the scale of thousands of kilometres. Furthermore, there are factual inaccuracies introduced, such as stating that the desert forms 'under the ground' and that winds convert 'costal sand' into the desert. Consequently, Task Achievement is penalised for length and under-development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is structured into four paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and sequential steps. However, the progression is frequently disrupted by awkward phrasing and repetitive transitions, such as starting multiple sentences with 'furthermore', 'firstly', and 'the procedure continues with'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for instance, in the second paragraph where the student writes 'the directions indicate that it climb the mountains'. While basic paragraphing is present, cohesive devices are often mechanically or inaccurately applied, creating a halting and disjointed reading experience that pulls the score down into the lower-middle range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and frequently repetitive, with words like 'winds', 'mountains', and 'continues' appearing multiple times. There are noticeable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'costal sand' instead of coastal land or terrain, and the nonsensical phrase 'under the ground'. Spelling errors are also present, notably 'costal' instead of coastal and 'continous' instead of continuous. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic topic of the diagram, these frequent inaccuracies and restricted range constrain the score to Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the wind started flowing', 'it climb the mountains'), incorrect prepositions ('describes about'), and poor tense consistency. Additionally, sentence boundaries and clauses are often awkwardly linked, leading to run-on sentences that impede clear communication, such as in the second paragraph. The high frequency of errors across basic and complex forms prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.

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

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