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 below describes how actually the formation of rain-shadow desert is formed.
Process of formation of rain-shadow takes place in seven steps. First of all, wind appraoch coastal area of the sea. The coastal area of the mountain with the sea attract with the wind. When wind attract with the sea, with the force of wind the water of the sea pushed upwards towards mountain top. At the third step, vapours of sea attract with the sea and converted into moist air, rises, and eventually cools.
Formation of clouds takes place in the fourth step and resultantly falls of rain takes place. At the top of the mountain, dry air continues towards the downward and leeped side of the mountain. Dry winds reach towards the inland areas of the mountains and finally results into the formation of the rain-shadow desert.
Rain-shadow desert takes place thousands of kilometres away from the coastal area of the sea. The begin of process takes place moving towards the windside and formation takes place away from the leeward side of the mountain.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The student attempts to describe the seven-step process of rain-shadow desert formation shown in the diagram. However, the response suffers from significant inaccuracies and confusion regarding the natural mechanisms, such as stating that the 'water of the sea pushed upwards towards mountain top' and awkward phrasing like 'vapours of sea attract with the sea'. While the sequence of steps (winds approaching, rising, cooling, clouds, rain, and dry air descending on the leeward side) is partially covered, the ideas are under-developed and lack precision. The overview attempted at the end touches on the horizontal scale ('thousands of kilometres away') and windward/leeward sides, but overall, the task response is limited by confusing explanations and imprecise reporting of the main features.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is divided into brief paragraphs, but the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing sentence structures. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, such as 'At the third step' and 'resultantly falls of rain takes place'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronouns and repeated phrases like 'attract with the sea', making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the process. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal organization of ideas within paragraphs lacks clear logical links.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary range is limited and repetitive, with frequent misuse of words and collocations. For example, using 'attract with' instead of 'interact with' or 'meet', and inventing terms like 'leeped side' instead of 'leeward side'. Other awkward lexical choices include 'falls of rain' and 'The begin of process'. While some basic topic-related vocabulary appears (such as 'coastal area', 'mountains', 'clouds', 'desert'), the high frequency of word-choice errors and unnatural phrasing impedes communication at times and places this response firmly in Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent errors in word formation, preposition use, and verb forms (e.g., 'how actually the formation of rain-shadow desert is formed', 'wind appraoch', 'vapours... converted into moist air, rises, and eventually cools'). Punctuation and sentence structures often appear strained or awkward, leading to frequent errors that cause difficulty for the reader. Complex structures are attempted but are consistently faulty.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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