Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27
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 how rain-shadow desert has been formed.We can see several changes happenings here!
It starts with winds over the sea approaching towards the coast but due to shape of the mountain winds get pushed upwards and out of that winds the moist air seperates and starts rising and cooling.Now around windward side of the mountain the clouds starts geeting formed and after that it starts raining but during it dry air still continues over mountain and starts flowing towars leeward side of that mountain.Now the dry winds reach inland areas and thats a place where this process is completed .Now the Rain-shadow desert has been formed below the areas of inland.From diagram we can see one major information also that from the coast of mountain to Rain-shadow forest there is gap of more than thousands of kilometres.This text is visual representation of what is shown in the diagram.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response covers the main stages of the diagram from the initial winds over the sea to the formation of the rain-shadow desert. However, the tone is inappropriate for an Academic Task 1 response, featuring conversational interjections such as 'We can see several changes happenings here!'. Furthermore, there is a misreading of the visual data at the end, where the student refers to the 'Rain-shadow forest' instead of the 'Rain-shadow desert'. While the key sequential steps are identified, the lack of an objective overview and the inclusion of informal meta-commentary limit the development of the response, keeping it at a lower band level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The text suffers significantly from poor paragraphing and cohesion. The entire main body is compressed into a single, overly dense paragraph preceded by an informal two-sentence introduction, followed by a redundant concluding remark ('This text is visual representation...'). Cohesive devices are repetitive and mechanical, heavily relying on words like 'Now' to link sequential steps (e.g., 'Now around windward side...', 'Now the dry winds reach...', 'Now the Rain-shadow desert...'). There is no clear paragraph structure separating the stages of the process from the spatial features, which disrupts the logical flow and progression.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple verbs and nouns such as 'winds', 'mountain', 'air', and 'starts'. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, including 'seperates', 'geeting', 'towars', and the confusing lexical slip 'Rain-shadow forest'. The student attempts some less common terms like 'windward side' and 'leeward side' by lifting them directly from the prompt, but fails to demonstrate independent control over a flexible or precise range of academic vocabulary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The grammatical range is limited, consisting largely of active simple or run-on sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions. There is a frequent lack of punctuation, particularly missing commas after introductory phrases and missing periods at sentence boundaries, leading to comma splices (e.g., 'Now the dry winds reach inland areas and thats a place where this process is completed .Now the Rain-shadow desert...'). Article usage is often incorrect ('due to shape of the mountain', 'from diagram'), and verb forms show minor inconsistencies ('clouds starts geeting formed'). These errors cause some irritation for the reader.
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.