Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 gives the information about the mechanism of forming rain-shadow desert.

Overall, four essential elements are required for this process, they are sea, coast, air flow and the mountains. This process is formed based on the air flow which is the primary factor of this formulation.

Firstly, winds approach from the sea towards the coast which is the meeting point of sea and the mountains. After that, the winds are pushed upwards and when it meets the windward side of the mountains, moisted air rised and cools down. Secondly, the cloud forms near the mountain's peak and eventually when the clouds touches the mountains highest point, it start to rain. Thirdly, the dry winds continue to flow over the mountain and follows downwardly to the leward side of the mountain. Finally, dry winds are started to reach the inland areas besides the mountain which combined to made the rain-shadow desert in thousands of miles away from the coast.

To sum up, the whole process is a continuous formulation of the natural effect. The location of mountains and sea provides this beautiful visuals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, covering the main sequential stages from the sea across the mountains to the inland area. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, identifying key elements such as the sea, coast, airflow, and mountains. However, the overview lacks precision and the development of features is somewhat limited. While the progression of the steps (winds approaching, rising, cooling, cloud formation, precipitation, and dry air descending) is generally tracked, the description contains inaccuracies such as stating the rain-shadow desert is formed 'thousands of miles away' rather than kilometers, and some descriptions of physical locations are slightly imprecise. Overall, the response addresses the prompt but remains at a Band 5.5 level due to under-developed overview characteristics and descriptive inaccuracies.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into four paragraphs, including an introduction, an overview, a body paragraph detailing the process, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to sequence the stages ('Firstly', 'After that', 'Secondly', 'Thirdly', 'Finally', 'To sum up'), which provides a basic logical flow. However, referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the pronoun shift in 'when it meets... moisted air rised', and paragraphing choices are a bit rudimentary. The overall progression is generally clear enough to follow the steps of the diagram, placing this response solidly at a Band 6.0 for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items related to geography and processes, such as 'mechanism', 'formulation', 'precipitation' (implied by rain), and 'leeward side'. However, there are notable word-choice and form errors throughout the text, including 'mechanism of forming rain-shadow desert' (missing article), 'formulation' used instead of 'formation', 'moisted' instead of 'moist', 'rised' instead of 'rose', and 'tousches'/'touches'. These lexical inaccuracies and non-standard collocations restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and temporal dependent clauses ('when the clouds touches the mountains highest point'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors in verb tense and agreement ('moisted air rised', 'cloud forms... it start', 'dry winds are started to reach', 'which combined to made'). Punctuation and article usage also show persistent flaws. Because these errors occur frequently and occasionally impede smooth reading, the grammar score is a Band 5.0.

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