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)
The diagram illustrates the fomation of rain shadows in the desert from the sea to inland. The fomation has seven stages and the process is linear from the wind appraching the coast to dry winds reaching the inland areas. The process starts when the winds are approaching the coast in the sea then they are pushed upwards the mountains, next the most air rises and cools on the windward side after that there's formation of clouds on stage four. When the clouds are formed this leds to rains falling on stage five, After the rains the dry winds continues over the mountains on the leeward side, finally on stage seven the dry winds reach the inland areas on the desert. Basically, this is process tries to explain how rains are formed in the desert areas starting from the sea sides althrough up on the mountains- the windward side then going downwards to leeward sides to the inland areas.
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 summarise the seven stages of the rain-shadow desert formation process depicted in the diagram, covering the movement from the sea, across the mountains (windward and leeward sides), to the inland areas. However, there are significant inaccuracies in comprehension and expression, such as stating that 'rains are formed in the desert areas', which directly contradicts the core concept of a rain-shadow desert where precipitation occurs on the windward side and dry conditions exist inland. Furthermore, the overview is weak, and some developmental details are confused or under-developed. Because the student identifies the main features of the seven-step process but misinterprets the overall geographic and climatic reality of the diagram, the response corresponds to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response suffers from a lack of proper paragraphing, presented entirely as a single dense block of text, which hinders overall logical progression. Cohesive devices are heavily over-used in a repetitive and mechanical chain style, marked by excessive comma splices and simple sequential linkers like 'then', 'next', 'after that', 'on stage four', and 'finally on stage seven'. While chronological sequencing is attempted, referencing is weak and confusing in places, particularly in the concluding summary sentence ('Basically, this is process tries to explain...'). This organizational and cohesive structure aligns best with Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student displays a limited and repetitive lexical range with several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'fomation' (formation), 'appraching' (approaching), 'most air' (moist air), 'leds' (leads), and 'althrough' (all the way/right). Vocabulary is basic and closely tied to the prompt's provided labels. Although the topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'windward side', 'leeward side', 'inland areas') is attempted, the persistence of spelling mistakes and awkward phrasing ('sea sides althrough up on the mountains') restricts the lexical score to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent punctuation errors, particularly run-on sentences and comma splices (e.g., '...in the sea then they are pushed upwards...', '...on the windward side after that there's formation...'). Errors in verb forms and prepositions are also present, such as 'winds are approaching the coast in the sea' and 'the dry winds continues'. While the meaning can generally be extracted with effort, the high frequency of structural and punctuation errors places this performance firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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