Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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 shows how the desert known as a rain shadow desert. This formation have 7 steps process.In the middle of image there is big mountain about thousans of kilometres. On the right side of that mountains is Desert and on the left side its sea.

The mountain is the block to merge the sea and desert. Because of mountain, desert known as Shadow desert. Now, will explain the process how it call as Rain shadow desert.

Firstly,there is always winds around the sea. Those winds approach toward the coast. Because of the mountain border winds get pushed on the upward direction. Due to upwards direction winds, it moist the air and cooler the air. And, when the clouds form they observe the moist from the air. After that Rain falls get start. So, these are the process that get done on the left side of the mountains.

On the right side of the mountains, you will see only dry air continues over the mountain. And the winds goes leeward side and reach to the Inland areas. That is why it is known as Raind shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to describe the seven-step process shown in the diagram regarding the formation of rain-shadow deserts. However, the task achievement is hindered by inaccuracies in reporting the data and basic sentence-level errors. For instance, the opening sentence is grammatically incomplete ('The diagram below shows how the desert known as a rain shadow desert.'), and important details from the diagram are missing or distorted. While the student identifies the sea, mountains, and the inland desert, the overview lacks clarity and fails to effectively synthesise the main trends or stages of the process. According to the Band 5 descriptors, the response addresses the task only partially and the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text is organized into four paragraphs, which shows an attempt at logical partitioning (introduction, process explanation on the left, and explanation on the right). However, the overall progression is weak and disjointed. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes used incorrectly, such as 'Now, will explain the process how it call as Rain shadow desert.' Referencing is also unclear in places, making it difficult to follow the logical flow of the geographical process. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs suffers from repetitive phrasing and awkward transitions. This aligns best with the Band 5 descriptors, where some organization is present but overall progression is lacking.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is quite limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic vocabulary found directly in the prompt or simple descriptive terms (e.g., 'big mountain', 'dry air', 'water', 'rain'). There are noticeable word-choice errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'observe the moist from the air' instead of 'absorb moisture from the air', and 'rain falls get start'. Spelling and morphological errors also occur ('thousans' for thousands, 'leeward side' is used correctly but other terms like 'Raind shadow' are flawed). This matches the Band 5 descriptor for lexical resource, indicating a limited range with noticeable errors that cause some difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty or incomplete, such as 'The diagram below shows how the desert known as a rain shadow desert.' There are frequent grammatical errors involving verb tenses, subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'This formation have 7 steps process', 'winds get pushed on the upward direction'), and missing articles or prepositions. These errors occur throughout the text and frequently impede communication, placing the response squarely at Band 4.5 to 5.0. Given that basic control is occasionally shown, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate.

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

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