Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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 illustration below shows how a type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Overall, this shows how water from the sea evaporates into the clouds, forms arin and then, dry air.

There is a sea below and above it is wind apporoach coast, then wind pushed upwards where moist air rises and cools. There is a windward side and above it is where clouds form, when the cloud forms, water that evaporated from the sea to the air is where rain falls.

Furthermore, dry air continues over the mountain down to the leeward side. Coming down from the mountain, you will notice a where dry winds reach inland areas. Below the mountain is an inland and that is where you will see rain-shadow desert.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially, and the length requirement is not met as the text contains 117 words, falling 33 words short of the 150-word minimum (excluding 11 words copied from the prompt). While the student attempts to summarise the diagram, the overview is extremely limited, stating only that water evaporates into clouds, forms rain and then dry air. The main features of the process, such as the air being pushed upwards over the windward side and descending on the leeward side into the rain-shadow desert, are presented with limited development and contain inaccuracies, such as the claim that 'water that evaporated from the sea to the air is where rain falls.' To reach a higher band, the response must meet the word count requirement, provide a clearer and more comprehensive overview, and report all key stages of the diagram more fully and accurately.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response shows some organisation with basic paragraphing, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are minimal, mechanical, or inaccurate, such as starting paragraphs with 'There is a sea below and above it is wind apporoach coast' and 'Furthermore, dry air continues over the mountain'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in phrases like 'above it is wind apporoach coast' and 'you will notice a where dry winds reach inland areas', which disrupt the flow of information. To achieve a higher band, the text needs a logical sequencing of stages with more sophisticated and accurate cohesive devices, ensuring that each step of the process connects smoothly to the next without confusing spatial referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task, containing noticeable errors that cause difficulty for the reader. There are spelling mistakes such as 'arin' instead of 'rain' and 'apporoach' instead of 'approach', as well as awkward word choices and collocations like 'water that evaporated from the sea to the air is where rain falls'. The student relies heavily on basic terms borrowed directly from the prompt rather than demonstrating a flexible range of vocabulary. To improve, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of less common lexical items related to geographical processes and ensure accurate spelling and word formation throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences and basic clauses. Attempts at complex or longer sentences are frequently faulty, leading to ungrammatical constructions such as 'There is a sea below and above it is wind apporoach coast, then wind pushed upwards where moist air rises and cools' and 'Coming down from the mountain, you will notice a where dry winds reach inland areas.' Frequent errors in verb forms, prepositions, articles, and clause structures persist throughout the text and cause difficulty for the reader. To move up a band, the student must use a greater variety of sentence structures with a higher proportion of error-free sentences and better control over grammatical boundaries.

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

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