Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

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 following diagram demonstrates the natural process of formation of rain-shadow desrts.

Overall, the process consist of seven phases that begin with winds approach coast to dry winds reach inland areas.

Initially, winds approach to coast from the sea as the first stem of the procedure. After that, winds pushed upwards on mountains. Once this happend, the moist are raises and turns cool on the windward side. This moist air after begin cool, it formes clouds. This clouds rais to reach the top of mountains to fall as rain or snow. once this happend, dry air continues to move over mountains on the leeward side to reach inland areas as the final step froming the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the diagram illustrating the formation of a rain-shadow desert, identifying the main seven phases from the winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland areas. However, there are notable omissions and inaccuracies in the mechanical description; for example, spelling errors in key terms like "desrts" and grammatical issues in describing stages ("winds approach coast", "moist are raises") obscure some of the scientific details. Furthermore, the response falls significantly short of the 150-word minimum, containing only 117 words. Consequently, this severely impacts the level of detail and development required for higher bands, leading to a penalty under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text exhibits some overall organisation, following the chronological sequence of the diagram from left to right. The student attempts to use transition markers such as "Overall", "Initially", and "After that" to structure the response. However, paragraphing is poorly handled, as the entire body of the text is crammed into a single block. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise and cohesive devices feel mechanical or repetitive ("once this happend", "This moist air after begin cool, it formes"), which disrupts the natural flow and logical progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a basic vocabulary range relevant to the diagram, such as "winds", "coast", "clouds", and "rain". However, there are frequent spelling errors ("desrts", "stem", "happend", "are", "raises", "formes", "raisaes", "formeing") and awkward word choices ("winds approach to coast", "begin cool"). These lexical limitations and errors are noticeable and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, restricting the score to the lower-middle band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response contains a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are persistent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout, such as missing articles and auxiliary verbs ("winds approach coast", "winds pushed upwards", "moist are raises"). Punctuation and capitalization are also erratic. These frequent errors impede smooth reading and demonstrate poor control over basic and complex sentence forms alike.

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

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