Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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)

First of all air start breezing from acean to the land or beaches.and then winds going upwards because of mountains so the go higher. After this starting process moist air go higher and become colder. Later this clouds are made and snow fall or rain have been started at the wind- ward side of the mountain.This is the beginning process of formation of rain shadow deserts.

So the actual process starts now the air become fully dry and passser over the peak of the mountain and the leeward sides which is far away from the air it is the side were air come after crossing the peak of mountain. And at this place there is no air or snow fall. The dry air goes to the inside areas of land where is no rain so the rain shadow desert formed. Over all this process has seven stages.most wind from the sea rises over a mountain and realese rain on the other side while dry air reaches the other side to create desert

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the seven stages of the formation of a rain-shadow desert, covering the main steps from winds approaching the coast to dry air reaching inland areas. However, there are significant inaccuracies in describing the data and processes. For instance, the student states that "snow fall or rain have been started at the wind-ward side" and later claims that "at this place there is no air or snow fall" when discussing the leeward side, which misinterprets the diagram's depiction of rain falling on the windward side and dry conditions on the leeward side. An overview is provided near the end, but the overall task response suffers from imprecise reporting of the diagram's visual facts and poor cohesion of ideas, placing it at a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The organisation of the text is weak. The writing is split into two dense blocks with erratic capitalization, missing punctuation, and run-on sentences (e.g., "First of all air start breezing from acean to the land or beaches.and then winds going upwards..."). Paragraphing is not used effectively to structure the progression of the process. While basic sequencing phrases like "First of all", "After this", and "Later" are attempted, cohesion is mechanical and faulty. Referencing is frequently unclear, and the overall progression lacks smooth logical flow, earning a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, with numerous spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text (e.g., "acean" instead of ocean, "breezing", "passser", "inside areas" instead of inland areas, "realese"). The student attempts some less common terms related to the process, such as "windward side" and "leeward side", but these are undermined by frequent lexical inaccuracies and poor control of word forms. The range is limited and minimally adequate for conveying basic points, corresponding to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is characterized by a very limited range of structures, with frequent errors in tense, subject-verb agreement, and sentence construction (e.g., "winds going upwards because of mountains so the go higher", "this clouds are made and snow fall or rain have been started", "the rain shadow desert formed"). Punctuation is largely neglected, with missing spaces after periods and incorrect capitalization. These frequent errors cause considerable difficulty for the reader and restrict the score to a Band 4.5.

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

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