Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30
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 following diagram provides the information about the rain shadow desert. Overall it is natural process where moisture sea winds creat a desert on the leeward side of the montains.
The formation of rain-shadow deserts there are seven steps, start with wind approach coast from the sea side and hit the montain then wind pushed upwards. Moreover, moist air rises and cools are start taking shape of cloud forms from windward side
When the cloud take a thick shape the rain falls start and the the dry wind start coming downward rapidly over thousand of kilometers from the mountain and thats the opposite side of the montain with leewaerd side after travlling from the montain. Inland is the opposite side of sea and there is thousends of kilometers distance between them.
The whole flew chart is about the formation of the natural rain step by step changing there shapes and pressure.
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 address the prompt by describing the seven steps involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, as shown in the diagram. An overview is attempted in the opening paragraph, noting that it is a natural process where moisture sea winds create a desert on the leeward side of the mountains. However, the response contains several inaccuracies and missing details regarding the progression of the process. For instance, the description of how the dry wind comes downward and crosses the mountain is disjointed and difficult to follow. Key elements such as the rain shadow effect and the scale of thousands of kilometres are mentioned rather clumsily. While all parts of the diagram are touched upon, the lack of precise development and awkward phrasing limit the task achievement to Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response is divided into four short paragraphs, representing some organizational structure. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by poor cohesive devices and abrupt transitions, such as 'The formation of rain-shadow deserts there are seven steps, start with wind approach coast' and 'and thats the opposite side of the montain with leewaerd side'. Referencing is unclear in places, and sentences often run together without proper linkage. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs is faulty and mechanical, leading to a choppy reading experience. This performance aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is quite limited and repetitive, with frequent misspellings and inappropriate word forms, such as 'montains' instead of 'mountains', 'creat' instead of 'create', 'flew chart' instead of 'flow chart', and 'travlling'. The student attempts some less common topic-specific vocabulary like 'rain shadow desert', 'leeward side', and 'windward side', but their control over lexical items is weak. Word choice errors and spelling mistakes occur frequently throughout the response, occasionally causing strain for the reader. Therefore, a Band 5.0 is appropriate for Lexical Resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student relies on a very limited range of grammatical structures, and attempts at more complex sentences are consistently faulty. There are multiple serious grammatical errors, including missing auxiliary verbs, incorrect verb forms, and fragmented sentence structures (e.g., 'start with wind approach coast', 'moist air rises and cools are start taking shape', and 'the rain falls start and the the dry wind start coming downward'). Punctuation is also weak, with run-on sentences and missing periods. Because the grammatical control is poor and frequent errors impede clear communication, this warrants a Band 4.5, rounded to 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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