Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 process of rain-shadow deserts formation, which is consist of seven steps, that starts from ocean and end at inland.

Firstly, wind reaches at sea coast and conside with water waves and then move toward mountains and air concides with rocks and moves upward as air move higher ans higer it gets cold and moisture. Ultimatly, the formation of clouds take place and rain fall occur.

Secondly, when wind reaches on the lower windside of mountain, it starts to become dry as it move from the highest point of mountain toward lower side. As a result, when such type of wind approaches to inland area it completes the process of rain-shadow desert.

In conclusion, these two different process occur thousands of kilometers away from each other and rain fall bring positive effect on land, and burning air harm humanity in different ways.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the diagram as a seven-step process and describe its broad direction from the sea towards inland, including rising air, cloud formation, rainfall and drier air beyond the mountain. However, the account is only partial: the key cause-and-effect sequence is not consistently clear, and the overview does not accurately summarise how rain on the windward side leaves dry air to create a desert on the leeward side. The claim that the stages occur “thousands of kilometers away from each other” misreads the scale arrow, which indicates the horizontal distance shown, not separation between processes. The final comments about positive effects and harm to humanity are unsupported by the diagram. The response is also five words below the required minimum. Develop the main stages more precisely and omit unrelated conclusions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure, with an opening, two paragraphs introduced by “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and a concluding sentence. This gives the reader some sense of sequence, and the transition from rainfall to dry air is broadly logical. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the first paragraph combines several stages in one long sentence, while the second describes the wind becoming dry without clearly explaining that it descends on the leeward side. “In conclusion” introduces new, unrelated claims rather than summarising the process. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “such type of wind” are imprecise. Use separate sentences for the main stages and connect them with clear cause-and-effect links, such as “As a result” only where the relationship is explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant process vocabulary, including “wind,” “mountain,” “moisture,” “clouds,” “rain” and “inland,” so the topic is generally recognisable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the description difficult to interpret. For example, “cons ide with water waves” and “air concides with rocks” do not clearly express that air is forced upwards by the mountain; “burning air” is also not an appropriate description of the dry winds. Spelling errors such as “Ultimatly” and “higer” further reduce clarity. Aim for precise process terms and check spelling, while avoiding unsupported or conversational expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, and the sequence is partly conveyed through clauses beginning with “as” and “when.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction occur frequently enough to make some relationships unclear. For instance, “which is consist of seven steps” has an incorrect verb form, while “as air move higher” does not maintain subject–verb agreement. The opening also has an unclear relative clause, and the long first-stage sentence joins several actions without reliable grammatical control. Practise forming accurate present-simple process descriptions, especially passive structures such as “air is forced upwards,” and divide long sentences into shorter, complete units.

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