Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 map demonstrates how mountain range leaves moist air on one side by leaving other side dry.

Overall wind collects water from the sea and it pushed upward on the top where it converts into the rain which automatically makes air dry before reaching the inland areas.

For the formation of rain shadow deserts, on the one side of mountain range sea is located where wind approaches its coast and gather some water then from the coast wind tend to move upward as the wind move toward high altitude moisture in the air began to rise and it's temperature decreases which converts water in to clouds after reaching on the top due to low temperature it starts to rain , leaving air completely dry as wind continue to move on the leeward side wind is completely dry and approaches the inland areas without any moisture which makes rain shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to outline the process of how a rain-shadow desert is formed, referencing key stages such as winds approaching the coast, moist air rising, cooling, precipitation falling, and dry air descending on the leeward side. However, the overview is extremely weak and poorly phrased ('The map demonstrates how mountain range leaves moist air on one side by leaving other side dry'). While the main features of the diagram are touched upon, the response suffers from a lack of clear paragraphing and an underdeveloped introduction and conclusion. It meets the minimum length requirement, but the organization and selection of information remain quite basic, corresponding to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text suffers significantly from cohesion issues, primarily because it is written as a single giant paragraph containing a run-on sentence in the final body section. There is an overall lack of clear paragraphing to separate the introduction, body steps, and conclusion. While basic sequential transitions like 'then' and 'after reaching on the top' are attempted, cohesive devices are often inaccurate or overused. The lack of punctuation makes the flow very difficult to follow, requiring the reader to parse long, unpunctuated clauses. This places the response firmly at Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive ('wind', 'air', 'dry', 'water', 'rain'). There are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'map' (the stimulus is a diagram/process illustration, not a map) and phrases like 'gather some water' instead of 'absorb moisture'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary result in awkward phrasing or errors ('high altitude moisture in the air began to rise'). Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical flexibility is very limited, justifying a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The grammatical range is quite limited, consisting mostly of lengthy, poorly punctuated run-on sentences connected by comma splices or coordinating conjunctions without proper stops. For instance, the entire final section is essentially one massive sentence: 'For the formation of rain shadow deserts, on the one side of mountain range sea is located... which makes rain shadow desert.' There is a frequent lack of articles ('mountain range sea is located'), subject-verb agreement issues ('wind tend'), and punctuation errors throughout. Due to the high frequency of grammatical errors and lack of complex sentence control, a Band 5.0 is awarded.

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