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 desert shown in the diagram is rain-shadow desert. It formed on the top of mountain by a proper phenomenon. When the winds approach the coast from the sea, they push upwards. The moist air rises and then cools down making clouds. On windward side of the mountain, that clouds break down in the form of rain and then dry air countinues over the mountain to leeward side. At the last stage dry winds reach inland areas. This whole seven steps process show the formation of rain-shadow desert. This mountain comprises of thousands of kilometers as shown in the diagram.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The student attempts to describe the seven-step process of a rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram, touching upon key stages such as winds approaching the coast, moist air rising, clouds forming, and dry air reaching inland areas. However, there are major comprehension inaccuracies in the description. Notably, the student states that the desert 'formed on the top of mountain', which misinterprets the visual data showing the desert located in the inland area on the leeward side, spanning thousands of kilometres. Furthermore, the response is severely under-length, containing only 100 words compared to the mandatory 150-word minimum for Task 1. This prevents any thorough or extended reporting of the main features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is written as a single, short block of text rather than being structured into appropriate paragraphs, which limits overall cohesion. While the student attempts a chronological narrative using basic connectors ('When', 'And then', 'At the last stage'), the logical progression is hindered by awkward transitions and confusing statements. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'that clouds' referring back to the previous sentence. Although the sequence roughly mirrors the numbered steps in the diagram, the lack of paragraphing and limited cohesive devices place this criterion at a lower band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, heavily relying on the terms provided directly in the prompt or diagram (e.g., 'windward side', 'mountain', 'coast', 'inland areas'). There are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'proper phenomenon' instead of a natural collocation, and 'countinues' (misspelling of continues). The lexical range is minimally adequate to describe the basic steps of the process, but the vocabulary remains limited and insufficient for higher band levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'When the winds approach the coast from the sea, they push upwards.' However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including 'It formed on the top of mountain' (missing article), 'that clouds break down' (demonstrative agreement error), and 'This whole seven steps process show' (subject-verb agreement error, as 'process' is singular). Despite these frequent errors, the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader.

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

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