Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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)

This diagram illustrates layout of an big mountain formation of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, mountain is occupied with diffirent weather conditions. at the bottom there are empty areas around about thousands of kilometres, alongside in left is sea and right side is rain-shadow.

To begin with, the lelf side of the mountain there are many diffirent stroms conditions which expanding air and toward the end of the top point and followed by around the mountain, such as started with winds approach coast saw at in sea surface and it has going onwards and changed their names with flow. as winds pushed, moist air rises and cools, nearby windward side at the top of the mountain saw there are some clouds form which convert into heavy rain falls at the top and these air declined on the east side of the mountain such as convert into dry air at leeward side nearby top right side and this air smoothly dropped landed inland areas near the rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response makes an attempt to describe the stages involved in the formation of a rain-shadow desert, noting the sea, coast, mountain, windward and leeward sides, and inland areas. However, the coverage of the process is only partial. While some key features from the diagram are mentioned, such as winds approaching the coast, moist air rising to form clouds and rain, and dry air descending on the leeward side, the explanation lacks clarity and precision. The overview is overly simplistic and contains vague statements such as 'mountain is occupied with diffirent weather conditions' and 'empty areas around about thousands of kilometres'. Ideas are limited and under-developed, meaning the overall progression of the geographical process is not fully or accurately communicated to the reader.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The writing shows some basic organisation, opening with an introductory statement and an attempt at an overview, followed by a body description. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the sequencing of ideas feels jumbled and difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are either inadequate or inaccurate, resulting in run-on sentences and confusing transitions. For instance, phrases like 'To begin with, the lelf side of the mountain there are many diffirent stroms conditions which expanding air and toward the end...' create mechanical and awkward links between clauses. Paragraphing is also poorly managed, as the main body of the response is compressed into a single, excessively long, and dense paragraph that fails to guide the reader logically through the sequential stages of the diagram.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts to use less common or topic-specific items such as 'moist air', 'windward side', 'leeward side', and 'rain-shadow desert', but these are interspersed with noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and spelling. Examples of lexical inaccuracies include 'layout of an big mountain formation', 'diffirent stroms conditions', 'expanding air', and 'smoothly dropped landed inland areas'. There are also frequent spelling and word-form errors, such as 'diffirent', 'lelf', and 'stroms', which cause some difficulty for the reader and impede smooth communication throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammatical range is very limited, relying heavily on faulty attempts at complex sentences. The text contains frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure that cause significant difficulty for the reader. There are persistent issues with verb forms and tenses, missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and faulty clause subordination, as seen in sentences like 'as winds pushed, moist air rises and cools, nearby windward side at the top of the mountain saw there are some clouds form...' Basic subject-verb agreement and word order rules are frequently broken, and punctuation is largely neglected, resulting in long, breathless sentences that obscure the intended meaning.

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