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 diagram illustrates the process of formation of one of the category of desert ,which is known as rain-shadow desert.

Overall, there are total seven steps in the process. The initial step is wind approach frothismprocessshed upwards to land and lastly mixed with dry winds till it become a rain shadow desert . This noticeable feature is that ,this process has covered thousands of kilometres in the formation .

The first step is the wind approaches from coastal areas and then pushed upwards to mountains ,after the wind reached to windward side ,it mixed in air and climate temperature to cooled down . Through mixing, the steam turned up into clouds (through evaporation) ,Which results in the clouds became heavy and it started to rain on the peak of the mountain .

Afterwards, the dry air continued over the mountain towards, leeward side and reached on inland areas ,thus formed a 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, noting the key stages such as winds approaching the coast, being pushed upwards, cooling, cloud formation, precipitation, and dry air continuing to inland areas. An overview is attempted ('there are total seven steps... this process has covered thousands of kilometres'), and the main features are reported. However, some parts of the text suffer from severe awkwardness and mechanical phrasing that obscure the accurate reporting of data (e.g., 'wind approach frothismprocessshed upwards'). While all parts of the process are touched upon, the lack of clarity and garbled phrasing in the introduction and first body paragraph limit the development and precision of the response, placing it firmly at a band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is divided into three brief paragraphs, attempting an introduction, an overview, and body paragraphs. However, logical progression is frequently disrupted by poor sentence construction and mechanical transitions (e.g., 'after the wind reached to windward side ,it mixed in air and climate temperature to cooled down'). Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or inaccurately, and punctuation errors (such as spaces before commas) are noticeable. Paragraphing is attempted but lacks the clear internal cohesion expected at higher bands. Overall organisation is basic and sometimes difficult to follow, warranting a band 5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very limited and basic, with numerous spelling and word-choice errors that impede communication. Examples include 'frothismprocessshed', 'climate temperature to cooled down', and 'steam turned up into clouds'. While the student attempts topic-specific terms like 'rain-shadow desert', 'windward side', and 'leeward side', their misuse and the presence of severe lexical slips restrict the range. Vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic topic, but frequent errors cause difficulty for the reader, aligning with band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as incorrect verb forms ('wind approach', 'to cooled down', 'the clouds became heavy and it started'), missing prepositions, and run-on clauses linked improperly with commas. Complex structures are frequently faulty and obscure meaning in places. The frequency of structural errors places this writing at band 5.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.